UBC Philippine Studies Series

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First Public Event: Screening of “A Rusting of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution” and Conversation with filmmaker Nettie Wild

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The Philippine Studies Series invites you to its first public event — the screening of the internationally acclaimed film, A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution, on April 8 (4-7pm), at the Case Room of the Liu Institute for Global Issues. The screening will be followed by conversations with the director, Nettie Wild, one of Canada’s most renowned documentary filmmakers. The film has won prestigious awards, including Most Popular Film at the Berlin Film Festival-Forum of Young Cinema; the Grand Prize in Salute to the Documentary, given by the National Film Board of Canada; Best Cinematography in the 1989 Canadian Society of Cinematographers Awards, among many others.


Images from Canada Wild Productions


Synopsis

Shot entirely on location over eight months, often in dangerous conditions, Wild’s film is far from being a dry study of the complex ins and outs of Filipino politics. Instead it follows five characters through the post-Marcos world: two NPA guerillas, one of them a priest and the other the political leader of the shadow government; the original founder of the NPA, known as Kummander Dante, who is testing Aquino’s commitment to democracy by running for the Senate; a rabidly right-wing radio broadcaster who spreads anti-Communist propaganda for a vigilante group; and a priest-activist in Manila who has since been forced into exile. For more information, please visit the Canada Wild Productions website.


Watch a scene from the film.


Film Review

“Nettie Wild’s A Rustling of Leaves: Inside the Philippine Revolution (1988, 112 mins) offers a disturbing, comprehensive and illuminating survey of the enormous challenges facing Filipinos as they try to rebuild their country in the wake of the depravations of the Marcos dictatorship.

Wild, a Canadian, focuses on the leaders of the many political factions struggling to gain control of a country riddled with poverty. She is critical of President Corazon Aquino and especially her ties to the military and the landed gentry, asserting that they have compromised her allegiance to ‘People Power.’ Wild traverses the countryside as well as Manila, showing us considerable natural beauty along with the vast garbage dumps outside the capital where thousands of desperately poor people scavenge in order to survive. There is a raw immediacy to A Rustling of Leaves that is engaging and a thoughtfulness that causes us to consider for ourselves what the role of the United States in the destiny of the Philippines has been–and ought to be.” – Review by Kevin Thomas, LA TIMES


This event is being funded by the Liu Institute for Global Issues.

Written by qhya

March 10th, 2011 at 12:57 pm

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