Reflection of the past: the political cinema as a mirror of the political thought on overseas Filipino workers.

Abstract

This study was centered upon looking into Philippine political films and how these can be used as avenues to study the political thought of University of the Philippines Manila (UPM) students from the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Due to the wide expanse of themes political films tackle, I have decided to focus on a topic that has been relevant for years in the Filipinos’ lives—Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Through an in-depth analysis of Philippine political films revolving around OFWs, literature on labor migration and political films, and of the political thought of UPM students regarding labor exportation, the thesis looked into the possibility that political films may be used as a reflection of the political thought of a people. Through an in-depth literature review, the thesis uncovered the meaning of political films and how these can be categorized. The current situation of the political cinema and of OFWs was also discussed in another part of this study. The collected data from existing literature and conducted revealed certain themes about the political thought of selected students from UPM regarding OFWs and if these were reflected in political films.