Holy hell, this looks amazing. I can’t even really describe what goes on in the trailer for MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED, other than it seems like the greatest documentary about the greatest film industry ever: The Filipino film industry! (Yeah, I didn’t know either.)
Not only does the documentary look awesome, but I instantly want to see every single movie contained within. There are just too many awesome clips and sound bites not to become immediately enamored with this film industry I didn’t even really know existed. Actually, maybe I’ll just move to the Philippines.
From the early ’70s well into the ’90s the Philippines was a back-lot for a bevy of B-movie mavericks and cinema visionaries alike. The country was utilized for its inexpensive labour, exotic locations and distinct lack of rules. A large body of genre work emerged that somehow managed to capture the raw, chaotic energy of contemporary Filipino culture. These productions (a cavalcade of monster movies, jungle prison movies, blaxploitation and kung fu hybrids) were miraculously made at a time when the country’s political situation was repressive at best.
MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED! is the ultimate insiders’ account of genre filmmaking in the Philippines. A role call of local and international survivors from this period have been interviewed, all adding their distinct and honest account of this Devil-may-care school of filmmaking. Sitting alongside the talking heads are a dazzling array of outrageous film clips from key Filipino titles.
The doc – which features interviews with John Landis, Roger Corman, Joe Dante and Jack Hill, among others – will open at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Oh, and this shit is very NSFW!
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