AFTER FOUR YEARS – “Ang Guro Kong ‘Di Marunong Magbasa” is the first film of Alfred Vargas after four years. There were offers but he’s busy as Quezon city congressman, a hard working and one who shuns publicity.
Then came the script of “Guro.” Alfred said he couldn’t resists the offer, meant for this year’s Cinemalaya. “I immediately agreed to doing it because it’s actually hitting two birds with one stone. I can act and at the same time advocate education.”
He plays the lead role, a farmer who struggles to teach children in his town to read and write, in spite of being illiterate himself.
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BOOKS, NOT GUNS – Writer Perry Escano debuts as director in “Guro,” which tells that children should be carrying books, not guns. They should be in schools and not battlefields.
Direk Perry says that hundreds of child soldiers have been recently released by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as part of its commitment to the United Nations. This however didn’t happen overnight. It took eight long years.
What happened throughout those years gave direk Perry enough materials to write and eventually direct “Guro,” initially X-rated by the MTRCB but eventually given PG-13. Too much violence was the observation of three censors.
Three awarded children play warriors, Miggs Cuaderno, Marc Justine Alvarez, and Micko Laurente. All learned how to handle guns during the shoot.
Also in the cast: Mon Confiado, Lou Veloso, James Blanco, Kiko Matos, Loren Burgos, Garie Concepcion, Alvin Barcelona, Paul Sy, Lianne Valentin, Lorraine Salvador, Jhoanna Marie Tan.
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CAMPUS CROWD – “Guro” targets the campus crowd and so direk Perry and his staff toured schools all over the country.
The reception and feedback were encouraging, with teachers promising to recommend the film to their students.
With the PG-13 rating, “Guro’ opens December 6, in theaters nationwide.