Imelda

Director: Ramona Diaz

Institute History

Description

Ramona Diaz's documentary film Imelda brilliantly delves into the life and work of Imelda Marcos, offering a rare and stunning glimpse of one of the world's richest and most powerful women. Imelda herself guides the viewer through her life story, from her days as a young beauty queen through her whirlwind romance with the future president of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos. The young Imelda had to adjust quickly to life in the spotlight as a politician's wife and over time developed into a highly influential person in her own right. As a de facto ambassador, Imelda negotiated meetings with world leaders while simultaneously hosting late-night parties for New York's cafe society.

This exquisite film tells more than one version of the same story. The film deftly crosscuts between the views of Mrs. Marcos and her confidantes to vastly differing accounts from opponents and journalists once imprisoned under her husband's martial law. Unprecedented access to the first lady, combined with remarkable personal footage chronicling Ferdinand and Imelda's lives, makes the film both intriguing and haunting.

As Imelda's son puts it, "get beyond the shoes" and allow this fascinating story of power gone awry, and one woman's supreme ability to reinvent herself time and time again, to captivate and enlighten you.

— Lisa Viola

Screening Details

Credits

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