A Thousand Cuts, Ramona Diaz’s documentary on democracy and press freedom in the Philippines, has won the top prize at the 2020 Doc Edge Festival in New Zealand.

The winning films and filmmakers are listed on the festival’s website, with A Thousand Cuts named best international feature.

Other international award-winners include Far From Home by Felicia Taylor as best international short, and Paris Stalingrad directors Hind Meddeb and Thim Nacacche as best international directors.

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Doc Edge, is a documentary festival that is currently being held online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Because Doc Edge is an Oscar-qualifying festival, winners of the top prizes, including A Thousand Cuts, qualify for consideration for the 93rd Academy Awards.

A Thousand Cuts follows Rappler chief executive and executive editor Maria Ressa and the news organisations’ reporters as they navigate the struggles of a free press in President Rodrigo Duterte’s government.

The film streamed for free in the Philippines on June 12, and was available for 24 hours. It also opened the Doc Edge festival and will be screened again on July 4.

Rappler has faced many legal battles since 2016, including a cyber libel case over an article published even before the cybercrime law took effect.

Ressa and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos were convicted of cyber libel on June 15.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz

Pacific Media Watch

PBS investigative documentary series Frontline has acquired A Thousand Cuts, the powerful documentary of award-winning Filipino-American director Ramona Diaz about a “lawless regime and press freedom”, reports Rappler.

It was screened as the opening night film in New Zealand’s DocEdge virtual documentary film festival tonight and also streamed free in the Philippines tonight as a prelude to the cybercrime libel trial verdict on Monday in the case against Rappler chief executive and co-founder Maria Ressa.

Today is Independence Day in the Philippines and the documentary is being shown via the Frontline YouTube channel for only 24 hours.

READ MORE: Ramona Diaz’s A Thousand Cuts: ‘A risky film on free press, lawless regime’ – review by Camille Elemia

Diaz’s Sundance film festival 2020 entry, which tackles democracy and press freedom in the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte, is being planned for a theatrical release in the United States in August and a television broadcast in November 2020.

Rappler has faced many legal battles since 2016, which includes the cyber libel case over a Rappler article published even before the cyber libel law took effect.

Ressa and former Rappler researcher Rey Santos are charged in the case. Ressa, a mainstream investigative journalist with CNN and other news services before co-founding the digital news website currently faces eight charges due to her hard-hitting journalism.

Tomorrow, June 13, Ressa, Diaz, and Frontline executive producer Raney Aronson-Rath will be live at 8 pm, Philippine time, for a discussion on “Truth, Power, and the Importance of Press Freedom.”

The stream is being hosted for free on Zoom and Facebook, and is presented by Frontline in cooperation with the International Center for Journalists.

Article by AsiaPacificReport.nz