Ayotte': Way of the Warrior Poet
A spoken word poet is summoned by a call from his Chamoru "Taotao Mo'na" ancestors to take up the mantle of inspiring new generations of Ayotte' poets. Ayotte' is a Chamorro tradition of semi-impromptu call-and-response poetry that bears stylistic similarities to modern day battle rapping and spoken word poetry slam performances.
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Vicente "Ben" Salas IIDirectorDan Dan, Saipan, The Churchgoer, Lina'la' Lusong
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Vicente "Ben" Salas IIWriterThe Churchgoer, Dan Dan, Saipan, State of Liberty, Lina'la' Lusong
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Vicente "Ben" Salas IIProducer
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Joshua "ZengZung" CastroProducer
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Vicente "Ben" Salas IIKey CastDan Dan, Saipan, The Churchgoer, Fish out of Water, Lina'la' Lusong, Prutehi Hao, State of Liberty
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Vicente "Ben" Salas IIMusical ScoreDan Dan, Saipan, The Churchgoer, Fish out of Water, Lina'la' Lusong, State of Liberty
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Project Title (Original Language):Ayotte'
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Project Type:Experimental, Short
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Genres:Short, Avante Garde, Spoken word poetry, Chamoru Cultural, Promotional
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Runtime:3 minutes 10 seconds
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Completion Date:January 1, 2016
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Country of Origin:Northern Mariana Islands
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Country of Filming:Northern Mariana Islands
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Rites of Passage 18: WarpathRoyal Taga Hall, World Resort, Saipan
Northern Mariana Islands
July 3, 2015
Private Screening/Exclusive First Look -
UOGFF 2016 Spring Local ShowcaseUniversity of Guam, Mangilao
Guam
April 30, 2016
World Premiere
Top Three Finalist: Best Made In The Marianas 2016 Honors, Best Made In The Marianas GIFF Crystal Award 2016 Qualifier -
Festival of Pacific Arts 2016 Film FestivalHagatña
Guam
May 24, 2016 -
2016 Guam International Film FestivalGuam Museum, Hagatna
Guam
November 19, 2016
Nominated for Best Made in the Marianas
Vicente Salas II, known by many as simply "Ben", is a veteran independent filmmaker, spoken word poet, hip hop artist and writer with roots in Guam, Saipan and Hawaii. Ben has made it one of his lifelong goals to unite people from all walks of life and cultures through the medium of filmmaking and poetic arts in a harmonious fusion of old and new traditions.
The purpose of this film is to promote a new yet familiar form of theatrical performance poetry that blends aspects of the indigenous Chamorro practice of Ayotte'--the back and forth tossing of poetic verses--with aspects of hip hop battle rapping and spoken word slam poetry.
Made in collaboration with my good friend and fellow Marianas filmmaker and hip hop artist, Joshua "ZengZung" Castro, Ayotte': Way of the Warrior Poet is more than just a standalone short. It is a taste of things to come in the continued efforts to revitalize and reinvent the Ayotte' practice for future generations.