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FEATURED FILMS Actors Laurice Guillén and Vilma Santos play activist nuns on the set of Mike de León’s politically charged drama “Sister Stella L.”, which premiered in 1984 amidst a state of malaise that marked the decline of the regime of Frames; screenshot of “The Kingmaker”, the documentary by American filmmaker Lauren Greenfield about Imelda Marcos, which was screened at the Active Vista International Human Rights Festival coinciding with the 48th commemoration of the declaration of martial law on September 23, 1972. —PHOTOGRAPH BY CESAR HERNANDO COURTESY OF LUZVIMINDA.PH
MANILA, Philippines – To correct the false narratives about the brutal Marcos regime that continue to thrive on social media, artists and activists have turned to film to gain ground in the battle for hearts and minds against historical denialism.
As the Philippines marks the 48th anniversary of the formal declaration of martial law on Wednesday, Filipinos are urged to watch a variety of films that address social issues, from military rule to police brutality, at online festivals organized by groups of artists starting this week.
The Dakila-Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism group of artists and activists launched on Saturday the eighth edition of its Active Vista International Human Rights Festival, an annual event that celebrates “rights, freedoms and dignity through stories of human struggle.” . The festival runs until September 26.
‘Focus on narratives’
In addition to film screenings, the human rights festival hosts a series of forums on social issues, in particular on demagoguery and disinformation. With the Philippines hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the government assembling the blockade to further clamp down on civil liberties, the festival will “foster transformative ideas for meaningful change,” Active Vista CEO Leni Velasco said in a statement.
Film screenings at this year’s “20/20” festival hope to “focus narratives of different colors and stories on the margins of our sight to see the world in 20/20, with an awareness of those on the outskirts”.
Leading the festival is Lauren Greenfield’s “The Kingmaker,” which follows the political career of former first lady Imelda Marcos and the continued power and influence of her family; James Jones and Olivier Sabil’s “On the President’s Orders,” showing the Caloocan Police Station under the direction of the then superintendent. Jemar Modequillo at the height of the war on drugs; “The Cleaners” by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck and “Ang Panahon ng Halimaw” by Lav Diaz.
Alexander A. Mora’s “The Nightcrawlers” will premiere in the country during the festival.
The National Geographic documentary, which was shortlisted for an Oscar, is about a small group of Filipino photojournalists who had documented the nightly carnage of the drug war.
No martial law-era film festival is complete without timeless classics like Chito S. Roño’s “Dekada 70”; “Oro Plata Mata” by Peque Gallaga, “Moral” by Ricky Lee and “Himala” by Ishmael Bernal.
The last three films were screened in 1982, a year after dictator Ferdinand Marcos formally lifted martial law across the country.
Zeitgeist Movies
It wasn’t until the assassination of Marcos’ rival, former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., a year later that the protest movement against Marcos gained new momentum.
Two historical films that captured the spirit of the age of Philippine society after Aquino’s assassination were “Kapit sa Patalim” by Lino Brocka and “Sister Stella L.” by Mike de Leon, both released in 1984 and written by the renowned poet, journalist and screenwriter José “Pete”. Lacquered.
‘Witnesses, Tellers of Truth’ Brocka’s film is being restored; De Leon’s allegorical “Kisapmata” was recently restored.
“At a time when our focus becomes blurred as a plethora of social and political chaos overtakes us, now more than ever our roles as witnesses and tellers of truth and resistance must remain,” said the communications director of Dakila, Andrei Venal.
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