When I caught Manny at SXSW this year, I admittedly teared up. Given my Filipino heritage, Manny Pacquiao represents The Philippines’ most visible celebrity, greatest athlete, and an icon that represents every Filipino across the world. His rags to riches story is something many Filipinos are familiar with, not only because of Pacquiao’s status, but also because it closely resembles the stories of many other Filipinos who grew up in poverty that were able to find a better way of life. As a sports documentary, Manny runs down Pacquiao’s illustrious career up to last spring’s match against Timothy Bradley, but what ultimately made the documentary so great was that it was able to capture who Pacquiao is outside of the ring, not as the Filipino icon, but simply as a Filipino man.
Manny will be available in select theaters and On Demand on January 23rd, 2015. However, if you would like to hear more about the documentary, watch our video interviews with Lenny Mesina, editor of Manny, and Ryan Moore, co-director of Manny, from this year’s SXSW.