'The Kingmaker', written and directed by U.S. filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, follows the huge influence the shoe-loving socialite had on her husband President Ferdinand Marcos' 20-year regime.
- Aug 17, 2020
AceShowbiz - A planned screening for a documentary about controversial former Filipino First Lady Imelda Marcos was shut down in the south of Thailand amid ongoing anti-government protests.
"The Kingmaker", written and directed by U.S. filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, chronicles the huge influence the shoe-loving socialite had on her husband President Ferdinand Marcos' 20-year regime, which began in 1965 and was dogged by claims of corruption and brutality.
The project had been screened on limited release in Bangkok and in northern parts of Thailand, but Thida Polpalitkarnpim, who had brought "The Kingmaker" to Thai audiences as the founder of the Documentary Club, was prevented from holding a weekend (August 14-16) screening by authorities.
In a Facebook post, she explained officials had told her the title and poster, which features a regal Imelda dressed in red, standing in a gold frame, against a black and white backdrop of a poverty-stricken neighbourhood, were controversial and they were "not comfortable" with allowing the screening to go ahead.
The news emerges as young Thai activists staged another big demonstration in Bangkok on Sunday, demanding a new election following Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's disputed win last year (19) in the first vote held since he took power in a military coup in 2014. They are also calling for the reform of the monarchy.
