The Kingmaker

Lauren Greenfield

United States of America

Topics

Bongbong Marcos, Dictatorship, Ferdinand Marcos, Imelda Marcos, Martial Law, Never Again, Never Forget

Director

Lauren Greenfield

Writer

Lauren Greenfield

Cinematographer

Shana Hagan

Lars Skree

Editor

Per K. Kirkegaard

Andrew Nackman

Producer

Frank Evers

Lauren Greenfield

Music

Jocelyn Pook

Production Company

Showtime Documentary Films
Evergreen Pictures
Artemis Rising Foundation
Impact Partners
Secret Sauce Media

Cast

Imelda Marcos
Bongbong Marcos
Benigno Aquino III
Leni Robredo
Andres D. Bautista
Etta Rosales

Total Running Time

100 Minutes

Language

English, Tagalog

Subtitles

English

Centered on the indomitable character of Imelda Marcos, The Kingmaker examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family’s improbable return to power in the Philippines. The film explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicles Imelda’s present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice-presidency. To this end, Imelda confidently rewrites her family’s history of corruption, replacing it with a narrative of a matriarch’s extravagant love for her country. In an age when fake news manipulates elections, Imelda’s comeback story serves as a dark fairy tale.

About the Director

Lauren Greenfield, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker/photographer hailed as the “America’s foremost visual chronicler of the plutocracy” by the New York Times, is known for her groundbreaking work on consumerism, youth culture, and gender. For the past 25 years of her career as a filmmaker, she was able to spark international dialogue about some of the most important issues of our time through her films, such as Generation Wealth, The Queen of Versailles, and Thin, and photography books Generation Wealth, Fast Forward, and Girl Culture.

Festival and Awards

Official Selection, Out-of-Competition, 76th Venice Film Festival

Official Selection, Toronto International Film Festival 2019

Official Selection, BFI London Film Festival

Audience Award, Warsaw International Film Festival

Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary, Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards 2019

Audience Award for Documentary, Warsaw International Film Festival 2019

Reviews

“It’s a documentary that starts as a nonfiction portrait and ends as a horror movie.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone

“It’s an ugly story shrewdly told, with a sense of humor and also a deeper feeling for history.” -Manohla Dargis, NY Times

“…a jaw-dropping documentary in which director Lauren Greenfield exposes just how effective the wounded peacock has been in reshaping her status.” -Peter Debruge, Variety

“An enraging portrait of entitlement, opulence, and corruption, The Kingmaker starts as a profile of Imelda Marcos but soon widens its perspective to depict the Philippines in peril.” – Tim Grierson, Screendaily

“Lauren Greenfield has made a film that makes us remember why we as young adults fought the dictatorship. We lost and the Marcoses are back. It’s time for the next generation to step up.” – Patricio Abinales, Rappler

Trailer

How can I watch?

Continued education and actions on Martial Law

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About Us

Active Vista is a learning center established by DAKILA to support its mission of empowering citizens to become agents of social change. It organizes activities geared towards the development of the innate value of arts, media and popular culture as an educational medium to shape critical thought, influence culture, and foster social consciousness and action.

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