Photo: Supplied: Elephant Publicity
With its sparkling expanse of blue water, the sea to the west of the Philippines looks like a paradise. But the difficulties faced by fishermen on that water - and the soldiers that help police it - has been laid bare in a new documentary by top filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama.
In Food Delivery, Fresh from the West Philippine Sea she follows a group of fishers from a small village as they navigate their fishing grounds, while keeping a wary eye for the Chinese coastguard.
This particular area of the ocean has long been a flashpoint for relations between the Philippines and China, which both claim territorial ownership for it.
That's despite China's loss in a 2016 ruling at the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Baby Ruth has been a documentary producer and director for a number of years, and often dives into strong social issues - like undocumented migrants in the US and the situation of Filipino workers in Hong Kong.
But having her Food Delivery documentary banned from the Philippine's major film festival two days before its debut, came as a shock.
She reveals in her interview with Nine to Noon that the DocEdge film festival in New Zealand, was also approached by the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland seeking to have the film removed.
The Consulate General asked the festival to refrain from screening the documentary, on the grounds the film was 'rife with disinformation and false propaganda to serve as (a) political tool for the Philippines.' DocEdge declined the request.
Documentary director Baby Ruth Villarama with the film crew in the Philippines. Photo: Supplied / Elephant Publicity
