JERRY OLEA
Monumental ang MMFF 2024 entry nina Vic Sotto at Piolo Pascual na The Kingdom. Epic!
"We wanted to make a non-political film about politics,” pagmamatwid ng direktor na si Mike Tuviera sa mediacon nitong Nobyembre 29, 2024, sa Novotel Manila Araneta City Hotel, Quezon City.
"That’s why yung pinaka-seed or pinaka-soul ng pelikula is really still about family.
"Parang nabuhay na doon yung kuwento. Nabuo na namin ang mga characters, but at the end of the end, it’s still all about family."
Read: Piolo Pascual, "kinilig" sa unang pagsasama nila ni Vic Sotto
THE MAKING OF THE KINGDOM
Nagbigay rin ng ideya si Direk Mike tungkol sa hirap na pinagdaanan nila para ma-shoot ang ilang eksena,
"And in terms of yung challenge, I think ahh one of the biggest inspirations sa amin in term of the sequences, I think, is sequence one.
“Yung sequence one kasi, I can’t really speak most about it, but it took about four, five months to set up.
“Humingi kami ng tulong sa Philippine Navy. It was very, very difficult to make.
"Yun ang pinakaunang eksena ng buong pelikula. Technically that was the hardest.
“Other than that, any scene na kasama yung buong pamilya — kasi yung dynamics, I think, yung pinakakumplikado talaga idirek.
“Kasi everything else is technical.
"Pero yung in terms of emotion, yung relationship nila sa isa’t isa, andun yung puso ng pelikula, e.”
Nasa cast din ng The Kingdom sina Sue Ramirez, Cristine Reyes, Sid Lucero, Ruby Ruiz, Zion Cruz, Art Acuña, at Nico Antonio.
May special participation sina Cedrick Juan at Iza Calzado.
THE KINGDOM: MAIN stars
Pahayag naman ni Piolo, “Ang role ko po dito ay si Sulo, isang itinatwa. He’s an outcast of the society, so yung bubog niya, sobrang lalim kaya hindi siya nakaabot sa kaharian.
“At iyun ang pinanggagalingan ng pait, iyung galit. At yung sa buhay niya na parang… wala, wala akong tattoo dito.
“So makikita ninyo na talagang hindi siya member ng society… “If I were to have a voice, I would want equality na lahat ng tao, pinapakinggan kahit anong antas ka pa sa lipunan.”
Sabi ni Bossing Vic, “Ako yung king ng kingdom, si Lakan Makisig. Ang Lakan, naiipit sa dalawang mundo.
"Mundo ng tradisyon at heritage, kultura, at mundo nung pamilya.
“Yung mga tunay na nararamdaman galing sa kanyang puso. So nandun siya sa gitna.
“Hindi niya alam kung ano ang papaboran niya. Tradisyon ba o yung sarili mong pakiramdam sa buhay?”
Read: Vic Sotto, pumayag "magpa-tattoo" para sa The Kingdom
NOEL FERRER
The Kingdom reimagines the nation as a land untouched by colonization, where a powerful monarchy still rules.
Produced by MQuest Ventures Inc, M-ZET TV Productions, and APT Entertainment Inc, the film tells an intense family drama set against the backdrop of the Kingdom of Kalayaan—a realm filled with tradition, secrets, and a fierce struggle for the throne.
Pagtatapat ni Bossing Vic, “When Direk Mike first talked to me about the concept, about the film, hmmmm, sabi niya sa akin, ganito-ganyan.
“Medyo na-shock ako. Medyo nagdalawang-isip ako. Kasi it’s a serious film. Sabi nga ni Direk, it’s a non-political political film.
“Parang I was asking myself, ‘Bagay ba sa akin?’ And another question was, ‘Kaya ko ba ito?’
“And then hmmmm until finally, medyo parang okay na sa akin, I asked him, ‘Sino ang makakasama? Sino’ng cast?’
“Sabi ni Direk, ‘We’re negotiating with Piolo Pascual.’ ‘OK, go na tayo!’ sabi ko.
“It’s not every movie na… kasi we belong to different stations before. So we never had the chance to be together in one film.
“So this is one pagkakataon na hindi ko kayang palampasin. At yung bonding namin ni Piolo, I was asked before, ‘Kumusta ang bonding ninyo?’ Hindi kami nagba-bonding. Kasi, hindi ko siya kilala, e.
“Yung karakter niya as Lakan, I don’t know him. Wala siya. Itinatwa ito, e. Itinatwa is, in English, outcast. So wala akong pakialam sa kanya.
“It just so happens, pag malapit na yung climax ng istorya, doon kami magtatagpo. Doon kami nag-bonding.
“Sumobra ang bonding namin. Rurok na yung naging bonding namin.”
Read: Vic Sotto, hindi nakipag-bonding kay Piolo Pascual sa shooting
GORGY RULA
Before The Kingdom, ang huling MMFF entry ni Vic Sotto ay Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity (2019) na si Mike Tuviera ang nagdirek.
Itong The Kingdom ang first-ever movie ni Bossing Vic na seryoso ang kanyang role.
REQUEST OF VIC SOTTO'S KIDS
"Pandemic, parang natigil… and there were other concepts that are being presented to me,” lahad ni Bossing Vic.
"So nung tinanong ako ni Direk, ‘May gagawin ka ba for December?’ Sabi ko, ‘Wala pa dahil may mga nagpe-present-present ganyan.’
"And when he presented to me the concept, as I’ve said earlier, I was medyo scared. Haha! Natakot ako. Baka hindi ko kaya.
"And I just want to share with you a story with my kids. There was one time, we had dinner out.
"And all my kids were there, the older ones. Which means si Danica, si Oyo, si Vico, si Paulina, and Tali as well.
"And sabi nila sa akin, ‘Dad, gawa ka naman ng serious movie. Yung tipong ano, mala-Godfather. Yung medyo may pagka-villain ang dating.’
"Sabi ko, ‘I’ll think about it.’ At that time, sikat yung A Man Called Otto (2022) by Tom Hanks.
"Sabi ko, sige. “I even joked about it. Sabi ko, ‘Sige, gawin ko yung A Man Called Sotto, gusto nyo?’ Yung masungit na… alam niyo na.
“So dumating yung concept, dumating yung proposal ni Direk Mike. I think I said to myself, ‘Eto na yun. Eto na yung hinihingi ng mga anak ko.’
“Ahhmm it’s something out of my comfort zone. It is an out-of-the-box concept. That’s why I decided — I want to do this.”
Ano ang naramdaman niyang fulfillment at realization matapos ang shooting ng The Kingdom?
“Mas naramdaman ko yung pagod,” sambit ni Bossing Vic.
“Of course, fulfillment. I don’t know if I did good. Nasa mga viewers na yun.
“I did my best. I hope my best… OK, ewan ko. Direk, ok ba?”
Pagtatapat ni Direk Mike, “Nung tinawagan ko si Bossing, sabi niya, ‘Sige, sige, pag-usapan nga natin iyan.’ It piqued his interest but he didn’t commit agad.
“He invited me to his house. And then what I realized is, Bossing never said yes actually. He never accepted the project.
“We just ended up talking for about mga three hours, and he just started asking questions. Parang in terms of cast, look, production design.
“Sabi ko, ‘Hindi pa siya umo-oo, e, bakit namin pinag-uusapan iyon?’ And I knew he was already in, di ba?
“Parang ano na, e, yung, yung puso niya, nag-commit na. Even if his mouth didn’t say the words yet.
“Ahhmm, pero ako naman, having seen the film, of course, having completed it, e, alam natin, lagi nating naririnig yung, ‘Eto, kakaibang ganito ang makikita niyo. Kakaibang Bossing.’
“Eto talaga, kakaiba. Kasi he has never done it in his whole career.
"And ako, at least, as a director, I told him, one of my first words nung nag-uusap kami about the concept, sabi ko, ‘Bossing, if you say no, the movie will not exist.’
"That was also my deal kina Ms. Jane, ‘If Bossing says no, I will not do the film.’"
Ang Jane na binanggit ay si Jane Basas, president and CEO ng MediaQuest Holdings, ang kumpanyang may-ari ng TV5.
Pagtatapos ni Direk Mike, “At least Bossing, i-enjoy na lang natin ang Pasko natin. Wala tayong MMFF. But he said yes, and that’s why we’re all here.”