Critical video documentaries
Video documentaries that effectively show the people's true conditions, their grievances and resistance are on the rise. Most of them are being widely disseminated in video compact disk format. Many have clearly documented and exposed the Macapagal-Arroyo regime's brutality as well as the US and the puppet regime's collusion to trample on Philippine sovereignty and the rights of the Filipino people.
These documentaries have been shown before various people's gatherings in the cities and countryside, as well as in exhibitions in other countries. Due to their high quality and artistry, some of them have earned awards and widespread commendations from famous writers and art and movie critics.
One of the first in this genre is "Sa Liyab ng Sanlibong Sulo" produced by Asia Visions in 1997. It was a big help in mass education and propaganda efforts in the countryside and cities on Philippine history and revolution. Following are other examples:
"Alingawngaw ng mga Punglo" by Southern Tagalog Exposure. This is a heart-rending documentary on military atrocities perpetrated mainly against the people of Southern Tagalog. Through interviews and presentation of evidence, it exposed the intense cruelty perpetrated against the masses and the military forces' heartlessness�in Mindoro, in other areas of Southern Tagalog and nationwide�under the Macapagal-Arroyo regime. The documentary has earned much praise. According to Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Recah Trinidad, it exposed the violence and one sidedness of the government's campaign to supposedly bring peace to the countryside. Trinidad described the military abuses shown in the documentary as "far worse" than the terrorism perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao.
The documentary has also been exhibited in various prestigious film festivals and competitions. A version with English subtitles has been shown abroad.
"Ka Kano" produced also by Southern Tagalog Exposure. This is a 15-minute tribute to a Dumagat leader who was killed by the military in December 2001 in Antipolo, Rizal while preparing food for a mobilization commemorating International Human Rights Day. It was one of the entries to the Gawad Cultural Center of the Philippines Award for Short Experimental Film in 2002.
The single sentence that comprised the script and filled an entire minute of silence was highly effective�"Siya ay walang awang pinaslang ng mga elemento ng Task Force Panther ng AFP sa pamumuno ni Col. Laureano Tolentino noong Disyembre 8, 2001 sa Barangay San Jose, Antipolo, Rizal." (He was mercilessly killed by elements of the AFP's Task Force Panther led by Col. Laureano Tolentino on December 8, 2001 in Barangay San Jose, Antipolo, Rizal).
"Basilan: Siklab ng Digma" and "Behind the Second Front", both by Kodao Productions. These two films centered on the very concrete and clear expos� of the actual events related to the conduct of "anti-terrorist" operations in Basilan, Sulu and Zamboanga: the collusion between the military and the Abu Sayyaf in kidnap-for-ransom incidents in Mindanao; the AFP's large-scale and intense violations of the Moro people's human rights; intervention by US military forces; the severe oppression of the Moro people; and their intense anger and growing resistance. Through direct interviews with the victims, their families, witnesses to the violence, lawyers and human rights advocates, the real developments are effectively shown to the people. In recording the stance and reactions of AFP officials, the film effectively exposes their fascist mindsets and arrogance, their disregard and their cruelty in the face of the suffering and oppression they have wrought on the people. In showing the ardent welcome for the International Solidarity Mission, democratic organizations and human rights advocates in the many areas they passed through, the film successfully imparted the people's high level of militancy. The documentary confirmed many issues: Buyong-buyong Isnijal's courageous wife showed many pieces of evidence that it was an American soldier who shot Isnijal. Other witnesses also testified about plans to set up a structure that would be used as a military base by the Americans. Aside from Metro Manila and other cities inside the country, "Basilan: Siklab ng Digma" has also been shown in Chicago, New York and Colorado in the US; in Montreal, Canada; and in Hongkong, among others.
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"Ang Kaaway" also produced by Southern Tagalog Exposure, is a documentary that exposes and assails US military intervention in the Philippines. It merely showed a series of film clips all culled from the news on television. The message becomes clear in the way the film clips were organized and made to flow: from the statements and actions of US imperialism and the Macapagal-Arroyo regime and from opposing views, it becomes clear who the enemy is.
SHOWING audio-visual documentaries has been a tremendous help in providing education to and conducting propaganda for the broad masses, whether literate or not. The documentaries can be quickly and easily propagated at low cost among different numbers of viewers, and especially in big gatherings. The entire democratic and revolutionary mass movement should benefit more from such a quick, expansive and effective way of conducting education and propaganda for ever bigger numbers of people.
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