In the slums of Manila, devotion to basketball verges on the sacred. Makeshift hoops stand at every street corner and images of NBA icons compete for space on walls with images of Catholic saints; a hallmark of the country’s Spanish colonial legacy. This experimental documentary shadows two ballers over the course of a single day, immersing us in the local streetball scene. But it is against the backdrop of 'Undas' (the Filipino day of the dead), that the film's themes come into focus. ANG RITWAL is about the power of communal rituals — sacred or profane — and the role they play in creating a sense of identity for those on society’s fringes.

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