Filipino American History Month is coming to a close. This month, my goal was to provide you with my personal resource recommendations to learn about Filipino history and culture. To do this, I’ve shared books, podcasts, platforms, and even poetry that make this learning accessible. In today’s blog, I’m diving into Philippine history documentary films that have lit an immense fire deep within me.
You might be wondering, what makes them so moving? Read on to find out.
3 Philippine History Documentary Films To Watch Now:
The Kingmaker
Most people only know Imelda Marcos for the extravagant collection of over 1,000 pairs of shoes she left behind after she and her husband were exiled from Malacañang Palace in 1986.
In this documentary, writer and director Lauren Greenfield (of Generation Wealth) observes the intersections of money, power, and psychology through the lens of the former first lady of the Philippines. Imelda Marcos is historically notorious for her exuberant opulence and behind-the-scenes influence on her dictator husband during the Marcos regime. This film unveils the delusional reality she maintains about her marriage, the era of Martial Law (otherwise known throughout the archipelago as the “reign of terror”), and her family’s shameless, record-breaking abuse of human rights and political corruption.
In a Vox interview, Greenfield shares:
“… the shoes are a distraction. And in a way, I think that’s a powerful idea. Because she’s harmless if all she is is a vain, rich woman with shoes. It’s a way to distract. She says early on in the film something about women being underestimated and that it’s useful.”
In another interview Greenfield did with Philippine media giant, Rappler, she says what she wants viewers to take away. “We need to remember the past, we need to understand history. We need to be informed because these things happen little by little, and you don’t always see the big picture. I would like people to take also the manipulation of information and the way it can impact elections. I hope it has resonance in the Philippines, but also, outside the Philippines.”
The movie also draws attention to the current strings of power the Marcos family still has over the Philippine government. More recently, Imelda reiterates her narrative by helping the murderous authoritarian, Rodrigo Duterte, rise to prominence. Marcos funded Duterte’s electoral campaigns during his presidential run, which basically made him a shoo-in. While he was in power, over 30,000 people were killed under his infamous Anti-Terror Law.
Watch it on Showtime, AppleTV, Hulu, or Prime Video.
A Thousand Cuts
Also under President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime, press freedom in the Philippines has been under full-blown attack. This documentary follows one of the top targets in his stronghold on news media, Maria Ressa, and their escalating dissent. Ressa is a renowned journalist and founder of the largest news publication in the Philippines, Rappler. In the film, director and producer Ramona S. Diaz sheds light on Rappler’s work investigating thousands of government-sanctioned murders under Duterte’s “war on drugs”. In response, the president blasts an unforgiving campaign on social media that targets journalists, threatening their freedom and human rights. Astonishingly, Maria Ressa and her team walk fearlessly through the fire, risking their own in defense of truth-telling and democracy.
An article about the film by Human Rights Watch states:
“A Thousand Cuts is both a chilling tale of a leader’s gross misuse of power and an uplifting story about courageous journalism and how it can inspire people to action.”
Watch it for free on Frontline PBS.
Call Her Ganda
PBS highlights another important story that goes down in the convoluted history between the Philippines and America. The subject of this documentary directed by PJ Raval is Jennifer Laude, a trans woman who meets a U.S. Marine in a bar one night in Olongapo City. The U.S. Marine brutally murders her in a hotel room, which prompts an activist attorney (Virgie Suarez), a transgender journalist (Meredith Talusan), and Jennifer’s mother (Julita “Nanay” Laude) to galvanize a political uprising in pursuit of justice for Jennifer.
Although the marine was arrested and charged with the crime, his privilege ultimately allows him to escape his sentence beyond the trial. “My life has value“, Jennifer Laude once stated. The film explores the controversial Visiting Forces Agreement, which is what protects American service personnel stationed in the Philippines from doing time for their crimes, and insists her story is not forgotten.
Watch it on PBS or Amazone Prime Video.
Whew, chile! Add these to your watchlist and make sure you can give them your undivided attention. Come back here when you’re done to let me know in the comments what you think.
Have you seen any of these documentaries?
