A Thousand Cuts (2020 film)

Last updated

A Thousand Cuts
A Thousand Cuts poster.webp
Official poster
Directed by Ramona S. Diaz
Written byRamona S. Diaz [1]
Produced by
  • Julie Goldman
  • Christopher Clements
  • Carolyn Hepburn
  • Ramona Diaz
  • Leah Marino
Cinematography
  • Gabriel Goodenough
  • Jeffrey Johnson
Edited byLeah Marino
Music bySam Lipman
Production
companies
Distributed by PBS Distribution
Release dates
  • January 25, 2020 (2020-01-25)(Sundance)
  • August 7, 2020 (2020-08-07)(United States)
Running time
99 minutes
Countries
  • Philippines
  • United States
LanguageEnglish

A Thousand Cuts is a 2020 Philippine-American documentary film about Maria Ressa, the founder of the online news site Rappler. [2] Directed by Ramona Diaz, it explores the conflicts between the press and the Filipino government under President Rodrigo Duterte. [3]

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020. It was released in the United States in a limited release and virtual cinemas on August 7, 2020, by PBS Distribution, and was followed by a broadcast on the program Frontline on January 8, 2021.

Synopsis

The documentary focuses on press freedom in the Philippines and the conflicts between the press and the government, especially under president Rodrigo Duterte, [4] as well as the role of social media in politics. [5] It primarily follows Maria Ressa, founder of the online news site Rappler which initiated investigative reporting of extrajudicial killings as well as alleged abuses and corruption during Duterte's war on drugs; as well as the risks they had faced, including Ressa being subjected to scrutiny by Duterte and his supporters. [4] [5]

It also follows writers for the website including Pia Rañada, Patricia Evangelista and Rambo Talabong; Mocha Uson, Samira Gutoc, and Bato dela Rosa as they campaign for seats in the Philippine senate.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020. [6] It was also set to screen at South by Southwest in March 2020, however, the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [7] [8]

PBS Distribution and Frontline acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, and briefly made the film available without charge for a limited time on YouTube for Philippine users on June 12 (Independence Day). [9] It also screened at AFI Docs on June 19, 2020. [10] [11]

The film was released in the United States through virtual cinema on August 7, 2020, followed by its Frontline broadcast on January 8, 2021. [9] [12]

Diaz later revealed in The Washington Post interview that Frontline purchased the film's distribution rights for the Philippines as no broadcaster in the country was willing to air the documentary. Nevertheless, upon availability on YouTube, the documentary gained over 230,000 views within 24 hours. [13]

Reception

A Thousand Cuts received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 100% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 40 reviews, with an average of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A sobering documentary and a stark warning, A Thousand Cuts underscores the importance of the press at a pivotal moment in world history." [14] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 81 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". [15]

Awards

A Thousand Cuts was named the best international feature at Doc Edge in New Zealand in June 2020, [16] and was the recipient of the David Carr Award in the Montclair Film Festival in New Jersey in October. [17] The documentary was among the three Filipino awardees for the 36th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in the same month, where it was given a Global Impact Award (Documentary Feature). [18]

In January 2021, the documentary was named one of the two Best Documentary recipients at the 30th Gotham Awards, [19] and was later selected Best Documentary Feature in the inaugural Gold List. [20]

In 2022, it was given three recognitions: in May, the annual Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award in the International TV category; [21] in June, that year's Peabody Award in the documentary category; [22] and in September, the Outstanding Social Issue Documentary at the annual News and Documentary Emmys. [23] The first two were the Frontline's twentieth [21] and twenty-seventh [22] wins from the said award-giving bodies, respectively.

Aside from awards, the documentary was named one of The Unforgettables, a non-competitive honor, in the 13th Cinema Eye Honors in New York City in March 2021. [24] It was given special mention for the Grand Prix – Bank Millennium Award at the 18th edition of Millennium Docs Against Gravity in September. [25]

The documentary was among those honored at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts' 2023 Ani ng Dangal awarding ceremony, held in Malacañang Palace in the Philippines on February 22. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Ressa</span> Filipino and American journalist (born 1963)

Maria Angelita Ressa is a Filipino and American journalist. She is the co-founder and CEO of Rappler. She previously spent nearly two decades working as a lead investigative reporter in Southeast Asia for CNN. She is a Professor of Professional Practice in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and has been a Distinguished Fellow at Columbia's new Institute of Global Politics since fall of 2023.

Doha Debates produces and distributes solutions-focused debate and interview programs, video reports and interactive content. The franchise's products include flagship debates, interview series, podcasts, the #SolvingIt series, digital video reports, Deep Dive education curriculum, and the interactive Doha Portal. Doha Debates is funded by Qatar Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ondi Timoner</span> American film director

Ondi Doane Timoner is an American filmmaker and the founder and chief executive officer of Interloper Films, a production company located in Pasadena, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lav Diaz</span> Filipino film director (born 1958)

Lavrente Indico Diaz is a Filipino independent filmmaker and former film critic. He is frequently known as one of the key members of the slow cinema movement, and has made several of the longest narrative films on record. Diaz is one of the most critically acclaimed contemporary Filipino filmmakers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sundance Film Festival</span> American annual independent film festival held in Salt Lake City, Utah

The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival takes place every January in Park City, Utah; Salt Lake City, Utah; and at the Sundance Resort, and acts as a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival consists of competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, both feature films and short films, and a group of out-of-competition sections, including NEXT, New Frontier, Spotlight, Midnight, Sundance Kids, From the Collection, Premieres, and Documentary Premieres. Many films premiering at Sundance have gone on to be nominated and win Oscars such as Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor in a Leading Role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Evangelista</span> Filipina journalist and documentary filmmaker

Patricia Chanco Evangelista is a Filipina trauma journalist and documentary filmmaker based in Manila, whose coverage focuses mostly on conflict, disaster and human rights. She is a multimedia reporter for online news agency Rappler and is a writer-at-large for Esquire magazine. Her first book, Some People Need Killing, came out in 2023.

Imelda is a 2003 documentary film co-produced and directed by Ramona S. Diaz about the life of Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines. Beginning with her childhood, the film documents her marriage to future President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos, her rule under the dictatorship, her exile in Hawaii and her eventual return to the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leni Robredo</span> Vice President of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022

Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 14th vice president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She previously served as the representative of the 3rd district of Camarines Sur from 2013 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raney Aronson-Rath</span> American journalist

Raney Aronson-Rath produces Frontline, PBS's flagship investigative journalism series. She has been internationally recognized for her work to expand the PBS series' original investigative journalism and directs the editorial development and execution of the series. Aronson-Rath joined Frontline in 2007 as a senior producer. She was named deputy executive producer by David Fanning, the series’ founder, in 2012, and then became executive producer in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rappler</span> News website company in the Philippines

Rappler is a Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa along with a group of fellow Filipino journalists as well as technopreneurs. It started as a Facebook page named MovePH in August 2011 and evolved into a website on January 1, 2012.

Richard Rowley is a documentary filmmaker. His films and TV shows have received three Emmy awards, an Oscar nomination, and other awards and nominations, as well as recognition at film festivals around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Sundance Film Festival</span>

The 2017 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to January 29, 2017. The first lineup of competition films was announced November 30, 2016.

Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, abbreviated as PPP, is a film festival held in the Philippines in celebration of the Buwan ng Wika. It is organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Similar to the Metro Manila Film Festival, only shortlisted films will be shown in cinemas except in select 3D cinemas, VIP cinemas and IMAX theaters.

Ramona S. Diaz is a Filipino-American documentary filmmaker best known for creating "character-driven documentaries". Her notable works include the 2012 film Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey, featuring the band Journey and its new lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, which won the Audience Award for the 2013–2014 season of PBS's Independent Lens; and the 2003 film Imelda, about the life of Imelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Topic Studios</span> American film production company

Topic Studios is an American film production company owned by First Look Media. The company is known for producing films Leave No Trace (2018), Luce (2019), The Climb (2019), The Mauritanian (2021). The company also produces television shows including Love Fraud (2020) and 100 Foot Wave (2021).

<i>Boys State</i> (film) 2020 documentary film directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine

Boys State is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine. It follows a thousand teenage boys attending Boys State in Texas, coming to build a representative government from the ground up.

<i>People of the Philippines v. Santos, Ressa and Rappler</i> Philippine criminal case

People of the Philippines v. Santos, Ressa and Rappler (R-MNL-19-01141-CR), also known as the Maria Ressa cyberlibel case, is a high-profile criminal case in the Philippines, lodged against Maria Ressa, co-owner and CEO of Rappler Inc.. Accused of cyberlibel, Ressa was found guilty by a Manila Regional Trial Court on June 15, 2020.

<i>Writing with Fire</i> 2021 documentary by Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas

Writing with Fire is a 2021 Indian documentary film directed by filmmakers Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas about the journalists running the Dalit women led newspaper Khabar Lahariya, as they shift from 14-years of print to digital journalism using smartphones. It is the first Indian feature documentary to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

<i>20 Days in Mariupol</i> 2023 Ukrainian documentary film

20 Days in Mariupol is a 2023 Ukrainian documentary film directed by Mstyslav Chernov.

References

  1. ↑ "A Thousand Cuts". Sundance Institute . Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  2. ↑ 'A Thousand Cuts' Documentary Tracks Disinformation In Dueterte's Philippines : NPR
  3. ↑ In 'A Thousand Cuts' a Journalist Risks Her Life Exposing the Philippines' Dictator | IndieWire
  4. 1 2 Ordoña, Michael (August 7, 2020). "Review: As press freedom is threatened in the Philippines, democracy dies by 'A Thousand Cuts'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  5. 1 2 "A Thousand Cuts". HRW Film Festival. Human Rights Watch . Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ "A Thousand Cuts". Sundance Film Festival . Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ "A Thousand Cuts". South by Southwest . Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  8. ↑ "City of Austin Cancels SXSW March Events". South by Southwest . March 6, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  9. 1 2 Ramos, Dino-Ray (June 11, 2020). "'A Thousand Cuts': Frontline Acquires Ramona S. Diaz's Docu About War Between Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte And Press". Deadline . Penske Business Media, LLC. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ "A Thousand Cuts". AFI Docs . Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  11. ↑ Johnson, Ted (June 8, 2020). "AFI Docs Unveils 2020 Slate: '9 To 5: Story Of A Movement,' 'Women In Blue' Among Titles, Lee Grant To Be Honored". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  12. ↑ Husted, Anne (July 13, 2020). "Chronicling the Current War on Press Freedom in the Philippines, "A THOUSAND CUTS" The New Documentary from Filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz Opens in Theaters and Virtual Cinemas Nationwide on August 7". Frontline | PBS . WGBH Educational Foundation. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Watch: 'A Thousand Cuts,' a Ramona Diaz documentary about Rappler". Rappler . March 14, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  14. ↑ "A Thousand Cuts (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  15. ↑ "A Thousand Cuts". Metacritic . Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  16. ↑ Citations:
  17. ↑ "Montclair Film Launches Virtual Cinema With "A Thousand Cuts" Available For Free This Week". New Jersey Stage. September 14, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  18. ↑ Leyda-Aldemo, Alyssa (November 7, 2020). "Filipino filmmakers win top awards at Los Angeles Film Festival". Good News Pilipinas. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  19. ↑ Citations:
  20. ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 25, 2021). "Gold Open Teams With CAPE For Inaugural Gold List To Honor Asian And Pacific Islanders In Film". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  21. 1 2 Husted, Anne (May 25, 2022). "Ramona Diaz's 'A Thousand Cuts' spotlighting Maria Ressa wins RFK Journalism Award". Inquirer.net . Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  22. 1 2 Husted, Anne (June 8, 2022). "FRONTLINE's 'A Thousand Cuts' Wins Peabody Award". PBS . Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  23. ↑ Citations:
  24. ↑ Pond, Steve (March 9, 2021). "'Collective' Named Top Documentary at Cinema Eye Honors". TheWrap . Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  25. ↑ Bałaga, Marta (September 10, 2021). "Sundance Breakout 'Flee' Wins Top Prize at Millennium Docs Against Gravity". Variety . Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  26. ↑ "'A Thousand Cuts,' Dolly de Leon honored in Malacañang during Ani ng Dangal". Rappler . February 22, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.