“Marcos innately understands the importance of image, but she seems to have underestimated her inquisitor, who uses well-chosen historic footage and powerfully-edited interviews with other Filipinos to gradually expand the canvas.”
– Elizabeth Weitzman, The Wrap

Lauren Greenfield (The Queen of Versailles, Generation Wealth) centers her latest incisive documentary on former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos whose behind-the-scenes influence of her husband Ferdinand’s presidency rocketed her to the global political stage. Marcos became notorious for her lavish lifestyle while her country sank into unrest and economic turmoil, until she and her family were exiled in the 1986 revolution. The Kingmaker examines, with intimate access, the Marcos family’s improbable return to power in the Philippines, exploring the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and chronicling Imelda’s present-day push to help her son, Bongbong, win the vice-presidency. To this end, Imelda confidently rewrites her family’s history of corruption, replacing it with a narrative of a matriarch’s extravagant love for her country. In an age when fake news manipulates elections, Imelda’s comeback story serves as a dark fairy tale. Director: Lauren Greenfield (US 2019) 100 min