We adore him as the People’s Champ in the world of boxing but do we know what he went through before the fame? Eight-division world champion Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquaio is set to inspire the world in a different light. In cooperation with ABS-CBN, Star Cinema and Ten17 Productions, the story of Pacman, not as a sport icon but as a young boy who knocked out life challenges will be given life to the highly anticipated sports drama movie event of the year titled “KID KULAFU.” Derived from the famous Chinese wine Vino Kulafu (that’s what he is collecting to sell for a living) and earliest comic book hero, Pacman used the name to represent himself when he first joined boxing.
On a recent media launch held last April 6 at Dolphy Theater, director Paul Soriano together with his crew and cast shared how they created this movie. According to Direk Paul, it has been three years in the making with two years dedicated to extensive research about People’s Champ childhood. Even the casts were chosen carefully because each cast’s characteristic and looks should be similar to the person they are portraying to.
Auditioned for the lead star was not mention onset for Direk Paul to choose better who fits the role. He doesn’t want auctioneers to have a mindset of the Pacman’s character so they can avoid copying Pacman’s moves. Former child actor and Kid Kulafu lead star Buboy Villar feel honored to be part of the world champion’s biopic. He was so ecstatic to know that he will be playing the part of his idol so he underwent intense boxing training to do the job.
Portraying Manny’s parents Dionisia and Rosalio are award-winning actors Alessandra de Rossi and Alex Medina. Also part of the cast are Cesar Montano, Khalil Ramos and Igi Boy Flores. Kid Kulafu is written by Froilan Medina and under creative consultant Amor Olaguer and fight director Erwin Tagle.
Kid Kulafu will hit the cinemas nationwide on April 15, two weeks before Manny Pacquiao’s fight with Floyd Mayweather. It is ABS-CBN’s intention to release the movie before the fight to show full support to Pacman. Aside from this, Kid Kulafu movie merchandise such as T-shirts, hoodies and bags have been released by ABS-CBN Store. The items may be bought at the ABS-CBN Store in The Loop or online via www.abs-cbnstore.com. It will also be available in selected cinema lobbies during the film’s theatrical release and in Elorde Gilmore, Katipunan and Maceda branches.
