Premieres Monday, May 12, 2025 at 11 p.m. on KPBS TV / PBS app
The feature documentary chronicling the ascent of Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., “And So It Begins,” premieres on INDEPENDENT LENS. Award-winning filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz offers vibrant cinematic access to key players in the months leading up to the country’s 2022 presidential election and depicts the new resistance movement against deepening threats to truth and democracy.
In the latest chapter on her homeland of the Philippines, Diaz presents the existing political rhetoric as the reign of autocratic President Rodrigo Duterte comes to an end. She sets the film decades after the People Power Revolution ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos and his legacy of martial law, a period of violence that lasted for 21 years, despite many Filipinos remembering that time as idyllic. Now, Marcos’ eldest son Marcos Jr. is the frontrunner for president.
“And So It Begins” follows up Diaz’s 2020 documentary “A Thousand Cuts,” which earned Peabody and Emmy® Awards for portraying the escalating war between the government and the press in the Philippines during Duterte’s presidency. Maria Ressa, co-founder of Rappler, an independent online news service, won a Nobel Peace Prize for the reporting Diaz captured in “A Thousand Cuts.” A voice of conscience, Ressa continues her reporting as Marcos Jr. wages an unrelenting social media campaign against his opponent, Leni Robredo.
A new people’s power movement rises in Robredo’s name, with masses of working-class citizens praising the socially conscious attorney and performing renditions of pop songs in the streets. “And So It Begins” showcases the collective joy of the resistance movement against the specter of increasing autocracy. The film was selected as the Philippines’ entry into the 2025 Academy Awards, marking the first time the country has put forth a documentary for Best International Feature Film.
Filmmaker Quotes:
“The recent arrest by the International Criminal Court of Philippine President Duterte, a key figure in ‘A Thousand Cuts’ and ‘And So It Begins,’ gives me hope that a rules-based world order still exists,” said director Ramona S. Diaz. “Maria Ressa's fearless journey, as she shines a light on the threats to democracy and the free press in the Philippines, has been a privilege to witness. In a world where 72 percent of the population lives under authoritarian rule, and elections are threatened by disinformation, historical revisionism, and collective amnesia, ‘And So It Begins’ serves as a cautionary tale and an inspiring testament to the collective power of people everywhere.”
“Ramona S. Diaz has once again captured important history unfolding in real-time,” said Lois Vossen, INDEPENDENT LENS executive producer. “Through her expert lens and deep history covering the Marcos family, she tells the story of this campaign with the access and research only she could offer.”
Watch On Your Schedule: INDEPENDENT LENS "And So It Begins" will be available to stream with the PBS app. Watch the best of PBS anytime, anywhere on the free PBS app. Stream your favorite PBS shows on-demand and livestream shows from your local station, all from your favorite device.
