A documentary film that Beijing sought to have banned chronicling the hazardous everyday lives of Filipino fishermen and soldiers in the South China Sea is set to open in cinemas in the Philippines this Wednesday.
Food Delivery by director Baby Ruth Villarama was denounced last month for being “rife with disinformation and false propaganda” by the Chinese consulate-general in Auckland, which called for a New Zealand festival not to screen the film, calling it a “political tool” for the Philippines “to pursue illegitimate claims in the South China Sea”.
“Its screening would severely mislead the public and send the wrong message internationally,” the consulate-general added.
Film critics, meanwhile, have called the documentary a “masterful” and technically accomplished work.
“The film has a stand, that’s obvious. It won’t sit well with China. So yes, for them it is propaganda,” said Filipino actor Joel Saracho, a former director of news at a Philippine broadcaster.
“I love the visuals and the way the shots were edited to tell the story … powerful and emotional without being morose and dramatic.”
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