List of films about martial law under Ferdinand Marcos explained

This is a list of films that deals with topics about the 1972–1981 martial law under Ferdinand Marcos. Various filmmakers made films that directly deal with the political atmosphere, provide social commentary, or chronicle the life of Filipinos during the period. Most of the feature films circle on the struggles and human rights abuses during the oppressive state of the government at that time.

Feature films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Notes
1975	Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag (Manila in the Claws of Light)	Lino Brocka	Edgardo M. Reyes (original story); Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. (screenplay)	^[1] ^[2]
1976	Sakada	Behn Cervantes	Oscar Miranda (story); Lualhati Bautista (screenplay)	^[3] ^[4]
	Nunal sa Tubig	Ishmael Bernal	Jorge Arago
	Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon?	Eddie Romero	Eddie Romero and Roy Iglesias
	Insiang	Lino Brocka	Mario O'Hara (story); Mario O'Hara and Lamberto E. Antonio (screenplay)	^[5] ^[6]
1980	Manila By Night	Ishmael Bernal	Ishmael Bernal and Ricardo Lee
1981	Kisapmata	Mike de Leon	Quijano de Manila (story); Mike de Leon, Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. and Raquel Villavicencio (screenplay)	^[7]
1982	Batch '81 (Alpha Kappa Omega)	Mike de Leon	Mike de Leon, Clodualdo del Mundo Jr. and Raquel Villavicencio
	Relasyon	Ishmael Bernal	Ricardo Lee and Raquel Villavicencio
1983	Oliver	Nick Deocampo	Nick Deocampo	^[8] ^[9] ^[10]
1984		Lino Brocka	Jose F. Lacaba and Jose Carreon (story); Jose F. Lacaba (screenplay)
	Sister Stella L.	Mike de Leon	Mike de Leon, Jose F. Lacaba and Jose Almojeula	^[11]
1985	Scorpio Nights	Peque Gallaga	Rosauro Q. de la Cruz	^[12]
1986	Bagong Hari	Mario O'Hara	Frank Rivera
	Paano Kita Malilimutan	Vittorio Romero		^[13]
1988	Sa Dulo ng Baril	Jerry O. Tirazona	Jerry O. Tirazona	^[14]
	A Dangerous Life	Robert Markowitz	David Williamson
1989	Fight for Us	Lino Brocka	Jose F. Lacaba
1995	Eskapo	Chito Roño	Roy Iglesias and Jose F. Lacaba	^[15]
2000	Pangarap ng Puso	Mario O'Hara	Rey de Castro and Mario O'Hara
2001	Batang West Side	Lav Diaz	Lav Diaz	^[16]
2002	Dekada '70	Chito Roño	Lualhati Bautista
2004	Evolution of a Filipino Family (Ebolusyon ng Isang Pamilyang Pilipino)	Lav Diaz	Lav Diaz	^[17]
2006	Batas Militar	Jess Lapid Jr.	Jess Lapid Jr. and Henry Nadong (story); Henry Nadong (screenplay)
2007	Pisay	Kanakan Balintagos (Auraeus Solito)	Henry Grajeda	^[18] ^[19] ^[20]
2009	Dukot (Desaparecidos)	Joel Lamangan	Bonifacio Ilagan
2010	Muli	Adolfo Alix Jr.	Jerry Gracio	^[21] ^[22]
	Sigwa	Joel Lamangan	Bonifacio Ilagan
2011	Ka Oryang	Sari Lluch Dalena	Sari Lluch Dalena and Keith Sicat	^[23] ^[24]
2012	Aparisyon	Isabel Sandoval (credited as Vincent Sandoval)	Isabel Sandoval and Jerry Gracio (story); Isabel Sandoval (screenplay)	^[25] ^[26]
2013	Bukas na Lang Sapagka't Gabi Na	Jet Leyco	Jet Leyco and Norman Wilwayco	^[27]
	Barber's Tales (Mga Kuwentong Barbero)	Jun Lana	Peter Ong Lim, Elmer Gatchalian, Benedict Mique and Jun Lana (story); Jun Lana (screenplay)
	Mga Anino ng Kahapon	Alvin Yapan	Alvin Yapan	^[28] ^[29]
	Burgos	Joel Lamangan	Ricardo Lee	^[30] ^[31]
2014	Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon	Lav Diaz	Lav Diaz	^[32]
2016	Kusina	Cenon Palomares and David Corpuz	Cenon Palomares	^[33]
2017	Respeto	Treb Monteras	Treb Monteras and Njel de Mesa	^[34]
2018	Citizen Jake	Mike de Leon	Mike de Leon, Noel Pascual and Atom Araullo	^[35]
	Ang Panahon ng Halimaw (Season of the Devil)	Lav Diaz	Lav Diaz	^[36]
	ML	Benedict Mique Jr.	Benedict Mique Jr.
	Liway	Kip Oebanda	Kip Oebanda and Zig Dulay
2021	Katips	Vincent Tañada	Vincent Tañada
2022	Maid in Malacañang	Darryl Yap	Darryl Yap
2023	Oras de Peligro	Joel Lamangan	Joel Lamangan
	Ako si Ninoy	Vincent Tañada	Vincent Tañada
2024	EDJOP	Katski Flores	Katski Flores

Documentary films

This includes documentary films and docudramas.

Year	Title	Director	Notes
1983	Signos	Mike de Leon
1986	Marcos: A Malignant Spirit	Rolly Reyes
1987	Revolutions Happen Like Refrains in a Song	Nick Deocampo	^[37] ^[38]
	EDJOP	Joe Cuaresma	^[39]
	Beyond The Walls of Prison	Lito Tiongson
1988		Nettie Wild
1994	Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow?	Kidlat Tahimik	^[40]
1997	Batas Militar	Jon Red and Jeannette Ifurung	^[41] ^[42]
2003	Imelda	Ramona Diaz	^[43] ^[44]
2009	The Last Journey of Ninoy	Jun Reyes
2012	1081	Kara David	production by GMA News TV for the 40th Anniversary of Martial Law Declaration, hosted by Kara David^[45]
	Lest We Forget: Martial Law and its victims	Ed Lingao	production of Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism^[46]
2013	The Guerilla Is A Poet	Sari Lluch Dalena and Kiri Lluch Dalena	^[47] ^[48]
2015	Portraits of Mosquito Press	J Luis Burgos	^[49] ^[50]
	Dahling Nick	Sari Lluch Dalena	^[51]
2016	Forbidden Memory	Teng Mangansakan	^[52] ^[53]
2017	Alaala	Adolfo Alix Jr.	Produced by GMA Network^[54]
	History of the Underground	Sari Lluch Dalena and Keith Sicat
2019	The Kingmaker^[55]	Lauren Greenfield	U.S./Danish Production; Greenwich Entertainment
2022	11,103	Mike Alcazaren and Jeanette Ifurung

See also

• Cinema of the Philippines
• Ferdinand Marcos
• Films depicting Latin American military dictatorships
• Martial law in the Philippines
• Martial law under Ferdinand Marcos

Notes and References

1. News: 'No movie about it'? Here's a list of martial law-related films . Inquirer. November 20, 2016 . Yuji Vincent . Gonzales.
2. Web site: List of Martial Law Related Films. CIIT College of Arts and Technology.
3. News: Not a list of Martial Law movies . GMA News. September 21, 2012.
4. News: Five films Imelda shouldn't have let you see. GMA Network. November 15, 2012.
5. News: Lino Brocka's restored 'Insiang' to open World Premieres Film Fest. GMA Network. June 22, 2015.
6. News: Sex as a weapon: Revisiting Lino Brocka's 'Insiang,' 40 years later. CNN Philippines. September 27, 2016. September 10, 2017. October 21, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161021134923/http://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/film/2016/09/27/insiang-revisited.html. dead.
7. News: Martial Law Movies. December 2016 . Martial Law Movies.
8. News: Remembering the Second Golden Age of Philippine cinema. CNN Philippines. September 23, 2016. December 5, 2016. January 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170128074357/http://cnnphilippines.com/life/entertainment/film/2016/09/21/second-golden-age-survey.html. dead.
9. Web site: History of Philippine Cinema. aenet.org.
10. Ph.D. . Diaz . Robert G. . 2007 . Reparative Acts: Redress and the Politics of Queer Undoing in Contemporary Asian/America . University of New York.
11. News: That thingy called Martial Law. May 11, 2016. CNN Philippines. December 4, 2016. October 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161022115449/http://cnnphilippines.com/life/culture/politics/2016/05/11/martial-law-works.html. dead.
12. News: Film as history: Recollections & lessons. July 6, 2012. The Philippine Star.
13. News: Red. Isah V.. Who wants FVR's P10M prize?. December 7, 2022. Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp.. January 6, 1996. 32B. ...a made-for-TV movie [Romero] directed for the relaunch of ABS-CBN in 1986..
14. News: Diaz. Lav. Lav Diaz. Isang oryentasyon. May 3, 2019. Manila Standard. Manila Standard News, Inc.. August 21, 1988. Filipino. 1972, taon ng pagpataw ng kasumpa-sumpang Batas Militar... ang panahon ng kuwento..
15. Web site: Directors pick must-see martial law movies for Du30. Inquirer. November 23, 2016.
16. Web site: Batang West Side: Crime, love, guilt, diaspora — a cinematic mural . Manunuri.com.
17. Web site: Review: 'Evolution of a Filipino Family'. Variety. September 28, 2004.
18. Web site: Pisay (2007). Internet Movie Database.
19. Web site: Fast Facts: Philippine Science High School. September 6, 2014. Rappler.
20. News: 'Tribu' is Cinemalaya 2007 best film. GMA News. July 31, 2007.
21. Web site: Muli (2010). Internet Movie Database.
22. Web site: A modern fairy tale . September 22, 2010. The Philippine Star.
23. News: Martial law film bags four awards from Cinema One. Inquirer. November 15, 2011.
24. News: Stunning horror drama set in martial law years. November 15, 2011. The Philippine Star.
25. Web site: Apparition (Aparisyon). October 7, 2012. Hollywood Reporter.
26. Erica Gonzales, "Director Isabel Sandoval Wants to Shed Light on Invisible Women", February 24, 2021, Harper's Bazaar
27. Web site: 'Bukas Na Lang Sapagka't Gabi Na:' The art of rebellion. November 16, 2013. Rappler.
28. Web site: Movie review: 'Mga Anino ng Kahapon' is a realistic look at schizophrenia. January 5, 2014 . GMA Network.
29. Web site: Love conquers schizophrenia. December 21, 2013 . Manila Times.
30. Web site: Lorna Tolentino leads powerhouse cast of advocacy film 'Burgos: A Mother's Story'. April 22, 2013 . Interaksyon.
31. Web site: 'Burgos': A film with a deep back story. August 10, 2013 . Rappler.
32. Web site: A conversation with the great Lav Diaz. September 6, 2014. The Philippine Star.
33. Web site: Judy Ann reveals even more depth in Cinemalaya's Kusina. August 3, 2016. Philippine Entertainment Portal.
34. Web site: Pinoy hiphop film "Respeto" wins Best Film in Cinemalaya 2017. August 14, 2017. Philstar.
35. Web site: 'Citizen Jake': a sociology of Filipino society . March 18, 2018. Inquirer.
36. News: 'Ang Panahon ng Halimaw' review: A call to arms. Cruz. Oggs. May 30, 2018. Rappler. June 2, 2018. en.
37. Book: De Ocampo, Nick . 1994 . From revolution to revolution : the documentary movement in the Philippines . Documentary Box . 15 .
38. Web site: From Revolution to Revolution: The Documentary Movement in the Philippines. Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival.
39. Web site:
    1. NeverForget: CCP Art House Cinema screens 4 martial law films for free online
    . PhilStarLife.
40. Web site: Essay Film Festival: Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow (Bakit Dilaw Ang Kulay ng Bahaghari). Institute for Contemporary Arts.
41. Web site: A glimpse of Martial Law rule in documentary 'Batas Militar'. ABS-CBN . November 21, 2016.
42. Web site: 'Batas Militar' and 'Dead Aim'. Inquirer . February 27, 2016.
43. News: 'Imelda' documentary by Ramona Diaz airs on GMA News TV. GMA News Online. GMA Network Inc.. October 1, 2014.
44. Web site: Imelda(2003) . Internet Movie Database.
45. News: Remembering Proclamation '1081', a GMA News TV Special . GMA News . September 3, 2012.
46. Web site: Lest We Forget: Martial Law and its victims. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
47. News: Film on Filipino revolutionary wins four awards. The Philippine Star.
48. Web site: Movie Review:Guerilla is a Poet, A Lyrical Commentary on Jose Maria Sison's Memory. Philippine Entertainment Portal. September 23, 2013.
49. Web site: Filmmakers mull next move after alleged harassment by QCPD. Interaksyon. March 6, 2015.
50. Web site: Portraits of Mosquito Press. Freedom Film Festival. March 6, 2015.
51. Web site: Seeing Everything (Panoptika) in Cinemalaya 2016. Cinemalaya Foundation.
52. News: Davao-based director's docu gets Cinema One Originals nod . . March 4, 2016 . May 24, 2016 . April 8, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160408143603/http://mindanaotimes.net/davao-based-directors-docu-gets-cinema-one-originals-nod/ . dead .
53. Web site: 1974 Malisbong Massacre memorialized in "Forbidden Memory" film . MindaNews . November 20, 2016.
54. Web site: Alden at Rocco, ipakikita ang pait ng batas militar sa mini-series na 'Alaala' . GMA . August 17, 2017.
55. Web site: Teachers, elders urged to tell the truth about martial law to young people . Yang . Angelica . January 30, 2020 . GMA News Online . en-US . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200130081204/https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/724097/teachers-elders-urged-to-tell-the-truth-about-martial-law-to-young-people/story/ . January 30, 2020 . January 30, 2020.