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Philippines, 18 Sep 2025 |
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?KID KULAFU? WAS AN ENTHRALLING MOVIE AND AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Thu, 16 Apr 2015  The premier of ?Kid Kulafu? a movie that looks into the poverty-riddled childhood of Manny Pacquiao and his rise to unprecedented heights as an eight division world champion was both an enthralling movie and an emotional ride for those of us who were with him since his early years on the weekly boxing show ?Blow by Blow.? The timing of the Star Cinema release and the tremendous support it is receiving from the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN with a star-studded crowd at the premier at the Rockwell Theater last Tuesday could not have been better, coming as it does less than three weeks before Pacquiao faces undefeated pound for pound king Floyd Mayweaher Jr in what has been billed locally as ?The Battle for Greatness? while international media has branded it as ?The Fight of the Century.? The film directed by talented Paul Soriano fills in, for us at least, the gaps in our own chronicling of Pacquiao?s childhood and the challenge to overcome all odds. Manny was named ?Kid Kulafu? when he fought as an amateur. He was named after a brand of wine whose bottles Pacquiao collected as a child, charts his rise from humble beginnings to his first step into the boxing ring and as director Paul Soriano said at the film's Manila premiere on Tuesday night ?He was born with nothing but because of God, because of hard work and faith, he became something.? Director Soriano spent two years doing research for the film with much of it based on his conversations with Manny. This is what distinguishes the movie because it is factual without a hint of fiction that directors often have a license to introduce. We who have spent years with Pacquiao from the time he was 17 were pleasantly surprised by the adherence to reality which, in itself, sets this movie apart. It is, in our humble view, a film that must be seen because it mirrors the courage and perseverance of a poor Filipino kid who helped earn international respect and recognition for our country at a time when it was down. The young boy who portrayed the role of Manny with an amazing sense of reality was a revelation. 
Director Paul Soriano (L) with leading stars Buboy Villar (C) and Alessandra de Rossi (R). Buboy Vilar?s boxing skills were honed to near perfection and his hand-speed and movement were a mirror of Pacquiao. Unbelievable talent. As the young man said so eloquently "Everyone can mimic his moves, but you can't easily copy his courage.? Even in his amateur days, Pacquiao faced much bigger opponents and when he eventually became a star on ?Blow by Blow? the skinny kid fought bigger, far more ruggedly built opponents such as his first foreign challenger Ippo Gala of Indonesia and Thailand?s Chockchai Chockvivat (Chockchai 3K Battery) from whom he won the Oriental Pacidfic Boxing Federation title with a 5th round stoppage. The movie incorporated Pacquiao?s first world title victory over Thai hero Chatchai Sasakul whom he knocked out in spectacular fashion in the 8th round after being badly beaten in the first seven rounds in a WBC flyweight championship bout that we anchored with longtime colleague Quinito Henson. It was real life drama with Director Soriano?s juxtaposition of Mommy D watching the fight and screaming her heart out played with remarkable fervor by Alessandra de Rossi an absolute touch of cinematic genius. We believe with all our heart that every single Filipino who takes shared pride in Pacquiao?s achievements and can identify with the rags to riches story, should watch ?Kid Kulafu.? It?s a movie that all of us must identify with because it's not one of the usual ?feel good? movies with big name stars. It?s a movie that should make you feel good because it is unmistakably real. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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