Respeto is the hip-hop movie that everyone’s talking about. The movie stars the country’s two of the biggest rap artists, Abra and Loonie. And for the first time in Fliptop rap battle history, you see them pitted against each other, banging rhymes and punches.
The film also features MC Rappers Mike Swift, Apekz, Abbaddon, J Skeelz, Mike Kosa and M-Zhayt. It also introduces promising female rap artist Luxuria.
The film is about 17-year old Hendrix (Abra) who dreams of being a famous rap artist. He forms an unlikely friendship with Doc (Dido de la Paz), an old poet-activist who is still not over his martial law past.
Respeto was cited “for its infectious, propulsive energy, its highly convincing cast of characters and very effective ensemble acting, its breathtaking, nearly epic sweep of the underside of Manila, its expert application of the resources of cinema to depict a teenager’s drive to rise above poverty and violence, its cogent melding of contemporary rap and traditional oral literature, and its sheer humanity and coruscating poetry.”
Respeto, directed by Alberto Monteras II and produced by Arkeofilms and Dogzilla, is the breakout success of the recently concluded Cinemalaya in August. After bagging seven awards, including Best Picture, NETPAC Prize and Audience Choice, it has enjoyed rave reviews and enough buzz to carry on to a nationwide release.
Tuesday last week, it was screened at Cine Adarna in the UP campus as the university’s commemoration of the declaration of Martial Law 45 years ago.
