Here’s where to watch documentaries and films on Philippine history being screened for free and accessible online to Filipinos who want to learn from what our forebears have gone through in our journey towards establishing a democratic society.
There are several resources on the internet that have made films and documentaries available for public viewing to help Filipinos become more familiar with and never forget some of the most important events in the Philippines’ history.
These online platforms offer the free streaming of videos covering a wide range of historical events, including the stories of national heroes who fought for the Filipinos’ freedom against foreign rule, tales of Martial Law in the Philippines under the late president Marcos’ dictatorship, and the 1986 peaceful revolution that brought an end to his rule and restored democratic institutions.
Anyone interested in the country’s rich and tumultuous past can turn to these online resources to find out more through free films and documentaries that allow people to learn about history while ensuring that the truth is never lost or changed.
Filipino history documentaries on NHCP YouTube
The YouTube channel of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) contains various informative videos and documentaries about popular national heroes and the Martial Law era under the Marcos regime in the Philippines.
Six documentaries about Filipino heroes Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Apolinario Mabini, Emilio Jacinto, Gregoria de Jesus, and the women of the Philippine revolution are shared on the NHCP’s YouTube channel to educate those yet unfamiliar with their stories or serve as a refresher for history buffs and learners alike.
Aside from the Filipino heroes’ documentaries, the NHCP has also done a 10-episode series on Martial Law detailing the human rights violations and abuses during the Marcos regime in the country.
Each episode in the Martial Law series runs from 2 to 3 minutes long.
Watch the videos on the NHCP YouTube channel here.
Revisiting History by Probe Archives
Documentaries released from 1988 to 2004 can be accessed on the curated playlist by Probe Archives through the video streaming website, Vimeo.
The playlist covers “almost 20 years of authoritarian influence and controversy in the Philippines, even after the protracted and bloody rule of former Philippine president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos.”
The playlist on the Vimeo website can be accessed through this link: ProbeArchives: Revisiting History on Vimeo
YouTube
These historical films and documentaries about the Philippines are available for free on YouTube.
BATAS MILITAR
Batas Militar is a documentary film about martial law under the late dictator and Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos. The two-hour-long video was produced by the Foundation for Worldwide People Power (FWWPP) headed by Eugenia Apostol, the founding publisher of The Philippine Daily Inquirer.
The full documentary has been uploaded on YouTube by the Martial Law Chronicles Project, an initiative of a non-partisan group of individuals against historical revisionism.
Watch Batas Militar on YouTube here.
EDSA 20 ‘ISANG LARAWAN’
The Inquirer-produced documentary special, which was released in 2006 to mark the 20th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution, uses voices that had previously never been heard from before.
Watch EDSA 20 Isang Larawan on YouTube here.
LIWAY
Liway is a Filipino independent film about a mother trying to keep hope alive for her young son inside a Martial Law-era prison for political detainees.
The full film is available on director Kip Oebanda’s YouTube channel. A high-definition copy can also be downloaded through Google Drive here.
THE KINGMAKER
The critically acclaimed documentary about the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, and the Marcos family by filmmaker Lauren Greenfield is now available for free viewing on YouTube.
The Kingmaker and other Filipino films were streamed for free at the Dokyu Power (The Power of the Documentary) Festival.
The Cultural Center of the Philippines Film, Broadcast and New Media Division, and CCP Arts Education Department presented a series on the EDSA People Power Revolution for its Radyo Malaya offerings of the Pasinaya Open House Festival 2022.
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