Philippine journalist Maria Ressa and director on film about her reporting, advocacy, and trial for cyber libel, A Thousand Cuts
- A Thousand Cuts documents the work of Philippine investigative journalists including Maria Ressa, who explains her concept of activist journalism
- Its director explains the film gravitated towards Ressa because of her news website Rappler’s high profile and her growing legal woes under President Duterte
Convicted of cyber libel on June 18, Filipino activist Maria Ressa faces the possibility of decades in prison. A Thousand Cuts, a new documentary from PBS Distribution, follows Ressa as the events that led to her arrest and trial unfolds. The film opens virtually in the United States on August 7, with international screenings to follow.
Its director, Ramona Diaz, started research on the film in 2016, after Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines and initiated a deadly war against drugs. She began shooting during the 2018 elections, covering candidates Ronald dela Rosa, a retired police general, former pop star Mocha Uson, and opposition hopeful Samir Gutoc.
Diaz contrasted their campaigns with profiles of investigative journalists such as Patricia Evangelista and Pia Ranada, reporters who were increasingly demonised by the Duterte administration.
“I’ve never done breaking news before,” Diaz told the Post last week on a Zoom conference call with Ressa. “The way I work is immersive. You find a centre of gravity. Maria just really popped up, and the film gravitated towards her, because she and her news site Rappler were speaking very loudly against the administration. Not just the drug war, but misinformation. Also, she started getting arrested.”
“Last year I was arrested twice in five weeks,” Ressa elaborates. “I had to post bail eight times. Just this week we had a hearing on a tax case and then today the second cyber libel case is going to the prosecutor’s office.”
