Abstract:
This study examines the evolving depiction of the Marcos regime in Philippine cinema from
1986 to the present. This focuses on how films reflect changing political, social, and cultural
landscapes. The study uses textual and contextual analysis to answer the following questions:
1) How did the depiction of the Marcos regime in films evolve from 1986 to present times?;
2) How did the technical and narrative elements of these films reflect the shifting political
and social landscapes of the country?; 3) To what political, economic, cultural and social
factors can we attribute the changing cinematic representations of the Marcos regime in
Philippine cinema?; 4) How did these post-EDSA 1 films differ in their treatment of critical
issues like ill-gotten wealth, impunity, historical disinformation and the rehabilitation of the
Marcoses? The findings reveal a significant shift in the depiction of martial law over time.
Early post-EDSA 1 films emphasize victim narratives and historical trauma, focusing on the
abuses of the Marcos regime. In contrast, more recent films, especially those produced during
and after the Duterte administration, present a more ambivalent or positive view of the
Marcos era, reflecting the political resurgence of the Marcos family. These films often use
revisionist storytelling techniques, challenging established narratives of victimhood and
complicating the public's understanding of the past.
