# Ari: My Life with a King

Ari: My Life with a King is a 2015 Philippine independent film by Carlo Encisco Catu about a Kapampangan high school student learning about his native language from a Kapampangan-language poet.

## Premise

Jaypee (Ronwaldo Martin), a high school student, was tasked to find one of his school's famed alumni. His search leads him to a remote village where the ash from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo still covers the community. There he meets Conrado (Francisco Guinto) and a group of old poet who continues their efforts in preserving Pampanga's literary traditions.

## Cast

* Ronwaldo Martin as Jaypee; a Kapampangan youth who is not a native speaker of the Kapampangan. Ronwaldo is Coco Martin's younger brother.
* Francisco Guinto as Conrado; an older Kapampangan man who is known as the "King of Poets" in Pampanga. He teaches Jaypee the Kapampangan language. Guinto, like his character, is a Kampampangan poet as well.
* Cecille Yumul as Miding
* Chloe Carpio as Tintin
* Jonalyn Ablong as Marlyn
The cast also includes poets Policarpio Batac as Tatang Haspe, Eufrocina de la Peña as Apung Ciniang, and Felix Garcia as Tatang Gili

## Production

Ari (which means "King" in Kapampangan) was a venture of the Center for Kapampangan Studies (CKS). It was directed by Carlo Enciso Catu, a hotel and restaurant management student at the Holy Angel University (HAU). The production team consist of HAU's students, staff, officials and alumni. HAU also allocated ₱1 million for Ari.
Set in Porac, Pampanga, Ari was produced as a means to promote awareness on the Kapampangans status as dying language as well as its usage among younger people. It is also inspired from the tradition of Kapampangan poets' of selecting a "king" among themselves. The cast for the film also had Kapampangan poets as members including Batac, de la Peña, Garcia, and Guinto.
The CKS remarked that the film was finished within a week by an "all-amateur" team. The film did have involvement of professionals who offered services at a discounted rate as well as some volunteers.

## Release

Ari was screened at the 2015 Harlem International Film Festival, the 2015 Vancouver International Film Festival, and the 2015 All Lights India International Film Festival. The film was also screened in select cinemas in the Philippines from December 17 to 24, 2015 as one of the New Wave entries for the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film was also among the 170 films made available for streaming at the online 2020 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino .

## Awards

| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 10th Harlem International Film Festival | Best World Film | Ari: My Life with a King | Won |
| 1st All Lights India International Film Festival | Best Debut Director Award | Carlo Encisco Catu | Won |
| 41st Metro Manila Film Festival Awards | New Wave Full-Length Best Actor | Francisco Quinto | Won |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Music | Jake Abella | Won |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Screenplay | Robby Tantingco | Won |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Film | Ari: My Life with a King | Nominated |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Direction | Carlo Encisco Catu | Nominated |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Actor | Francisco Guinto | Nominated |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Cecile Yumul | Nominated |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Editing | Carlo Francisco Manatad | Nominated |
| 39th Gawad Urian Awards | Best Sound | Gilbert Obispo | Nominated |
| 8th International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema | Talented New Director Award | Carlo Encisco Catu | Won |
| 8th International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema | Best Foreign Language Film | Ari: My Life with a King | Nominated |
| 8th International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema | Best Actor for a Foreign Language Film | Ronwaldo Martin | Nominated |
| 8th International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema | Best Original Screenplay for a Foreign Language Film | Robby Tantingco | Nominated |
| 8th International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema | Best Editing for a Foreign Language Film | Carlo Francisco Manatad | Nominated |