The 26th Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival’s Philippines retrospective highlights early documentation of the country, local responses to the Marcos dictatorship, and contemporary work.
Philippines
Posted inFilm
Exposing Rodrigo Duterte’s War on the Free Press
Director Ramona Diaz and journalist Maria Ressa discuss their struggles to make A Thousand Cuts, a film about the autocratic president of the Philippines.
Posted inFilm
A Portrait of Imelda Marcos, the Notorious Wife of a Filipino Dictator
Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield talks to Hyperallergic about her documentary The Kingmaker.
Posted inFilm
At Sundance, Examining the Relationships Between People and Their Governments
Documentaries at the festival looked at ordinary people in Cuba, journalists in the Philippines, and lawyers for the ACLU.
Posted inNews
A Crowdfunding Campaign Aims to Bring Four Historic Philippine Films Home
The DaangDokyu Documentary Festival hopes to raise enough funds by February 1 to make these important cultural and historical films available in their country of origin.
Posted inArt
The Surreality of Selling Sex
MANILA — The single focus of Filipino artist Manny Montelibano’s short film “Here, distorted” (2016), on view at 1335Mabini, is the lighted floor of a strip club in Bacolod, a city on the island of Negros where the artist lives and works.
Posted inArt
At the Venice Biennale, the Philippine Pavilion Favors Beauty Over Ugly Truths
VENICE — “People say I’m extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty. But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by garbage?” infamously asked “Iron Butterfly” Imelda Marcos in the eponymous 2003 documentary Imelda.
Posted inIn Brief
An Art Museum Designed for Taking Selfies
Most museums across the US and Europe have had a difficult time handling the selfie onslaught.
Posted inArt
Steeped in Tradition but Straining Toward the Future
MANILA, Philippines — There is a sweet dish in the Philippines called halo-halo, a rainbow of beans, fruits, and jellies mixed with ice and topped with ice cream. Literally translated, it means “mix-mix,” as if repetition were needed to reassert its delectable cacophony of flavors. Walking the halls of this year’s ManilART was a bit like working through a tall glass of halo-halo.
Posted inArt
Art and Social Impact in Manila: 3 Shows Worth a Look
MANILA, Philippines — Shortly before I left Manila, I saw three shows that I wanted to take time to review briefly. My own biases as an artist and arts writer lean toward art that engages in some sense with social issues and society, and I found that so much Philippine art really tackled social issues in an interesting and refreshing way. These shows are definitely worth a visit.
Posted inArt
Art, Tech and the Tropics: Writing on Philippine Contemporary Art
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — What’s up, Hyperallergic? I’m excited to begin blogging again more regularly this month. I’ve just landed in Manila, the bustling capital of the Philippines, to begin a month-long writing residency at Green Papaya Art Projects.
