Little dreamers seek to score a goal in cineplexes

THE KIDS are all right—having a ball after one of their training sessions at the Loughborough University.

It was a small miracle in itself.

A documentary on young football dreamers, Baby Ruth Villarama-Gutierrez’s “Little Azkals,” managed to score theatrical screenings at SM cinemas this month.

The premiere is tomorrow at Podium, and screenings are set on Oct. 25 and 26 in selected SM cinemas.

“SM, through Albert Almendralejo of Spears Films and the Philippine Independent Filmmakers Cooperative, offered screening slots to support the young athletes,” Gutierrez told the Inquirer in an e-mail interview. “I was surprised that the mall gave our docu a shot in its market. I’m thankful and excited that families can troop to the cineplexes on a weekend to watch it.”

After all, docus are not regular viewing fare for most Filipinos. But with the valiant efforts of Cinemalaya and Cine Totoo organizers, docus are slowly making a headway in cineplexes.

“People are now becoming more aware that docus are not just made for television, where the reporters are often the stars,” said Gutierrez, whose debut docu “Jazz in Love” won special jury prize at last year’s Salamindanaw International Film Festival. “Jazz in Love” is also part of a retrospective on Filipino films that will be shown at the Hanoi International Film Festival next month.

In independently-produced docus, she explained, “stories are highlighted.”

Compelling, challenging

And the stories of the young football players of the national team, the “Little Azkals” in the docu’s title, proved to be equally compelling and challenging for Gutierrez, who admitted to having zero knowledge of the sport before filming started last year.

She had to undergo a crash course on the job.

“I learned that football is not just a game; it’s a community of passionate, young Filipinos,” she said.

In a country where the arts and sports are not prioritized by the government, the responsibility of supporting the youth in their various endeavors frequently falls on the shoulders of ordinary citizens.

“Filipino indie filmmakers may not have a lot of money, but we know how to make films,” Gutierrez said. Making this docu is her modest effort to encourage the 11 and 12-year-old heroes to pursue their dreams.

“Boys and girls would wake up early in the morning to train,” she said. “They would run on an uneven field… sometimes with no shoes to score a goal.”

The journey began during the first nationwide tryouts in July last year. Three teams were dispatched to cover the tryouts in Luzon (led by Rica Arevalo in Tarlac), Visayas (Gutierrez and Idden de los Reyes in Cebu) and Mindanao (Dindo Fortuno and Andrei Karloff Mercader in Cagayan de Oro City).

“We tried our best to film 1,000 children and worked closely with the coaches to identify the good stories,” she said.

Next step was the British Council briefing in Manila, held for the 22 selected kids who would undergo a three-week training program at Loughborough University in the United Kingdom.

Gutierrez trailed the kids in the UK until their homecoming in September last year.

A hundred hours

TIGHT trio (from left): Cinematographer Dexter de la Peña, Agiel John “Kano” Rojo and director Baby Ruth Villarama-Gutierrez

From over 100 hours of footage, one of the boys stood out: Agiel John Rojo, nicknamed Kano by his peers, who hails from Koronadal, South Cotabato.

“He has a touching story,” the filmmaker said. “Hours before Kano’s flight to the UK, the coaches found out he didn’t own training shoes. Coach Laurence Dave Gerali of Cebu had to rush to the nearest mall to buy him a pair.”

Gutierrez was so inspired by the child’s story that she is considering a spin-off docu on him, “The Boy with No Shoes,” which was selected as part of the Tokyo Doc Fest, from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2.

Another kid, Nicolas Art Abalos of Calamba, Laguna, wore “worn-out shoes held together by duct tape.”

“He only has his grandmother to look after him,” Gutierrez volunteered. “Nicolai spent his birthday in the UK. But the coaching staff only found out the day after. His birthday wish was poignant. I can’t believe that such a young boy can be so selfless.”

She was also fascinated by the story of coaching staff member Laurence Dave Gerali of Cebu. “He was an orphan who grew up and learned the sport in a boys’ home run by the Don Bosco brothers.”

She also found the UK-based Filipinos’ support for the boys heartwarming. “When they learned of the training program in Loughborough, they went out of their way to boost the kids’ morale.”

Helping Gutierrez tell the story are true-blue football fans: editor Chuck Gutierrez, sound expert Albert Michael Idioma and music scorer Von de Guzman. Among the creative producers is longtime champion of Filipino docus Clodualdo “Doy” del Mundo Jr.

Indeed, it takes a village to tell these kids’ stories.

“The kids’ story is the story of every Filipino,” she said.

Against all odds, come hell or high water, Filipinos give their all to score metaphorical goals. “We make crucial split-second decisions and life-changing sacrifices every day of our lives,” she said.

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