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At least four of Cebu's legendary grandmasters of Eskrima will do a live demonstration of their skills as the curtain raiser of tomorrow's premier of a documentary film about this unique Filipino form of martial arts.
?Eskrimadors? was filmed in Cebu, where the fighting art flourished and gained notoriety in the early 1950s and '60s, then became popular worldwide when Bruce Lee promoted it through movies and seminars in the '70s.
The documentary, which traces the origins and growth of Eskrima, also known as ?kali? and ?arnis?, includes interviews with grandmasters Ciriaco ?Cacoy? Canete, Dionisio Canete, Undo Caburnay, and Nicomedes Elizer, among others.
Co-producer and cinematographer Ruel Antipuesta told Cebu Daily News that Cañete, Elizer, and two others have agreed to join the live demonstrations of Eskrima at 7:30 p.m. before the start of the gala screening at 8 p.m. at SM Cinema 2.
An earlier screening will also be held at 6:30 p.m.
The Cebu provincial government, represented by Provincial Board Member Agnes Magpale, will honor the Eskrima masters with plaques of appreciation at the end of the show.
The film is independently produced by a Cebuano production outfit, Pointsource Films.
The documentary has actual fight scenes, and debunks the common notion that Eskrima is just stick fighting.
A highlight of the film is scenes of a Juego Todo match, or no-holds-barred street combat, which recreates the death duels that made Eskrima notorious in the ?50s and ?60s in Cebu City.
The martial art uses a variety of techniques and tactics in punching (suntukan), kicking (sikaran) locks and submissions (dumog), as well as various bladed weapons.
Directed by a Cebuano, Kerwin Go, the film explores the origins of the Filipino martial art, which was forbidden during the Spanish era, even as clans continued to secretly practice it, handing down the art from one generation to another.
Go and Jiji Borlasa are producers of the film, which will also be shown in various school campuses.
