When the Political Becomes Personal: U.S. Imperialism in the Philippines Film Clips

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Clip 1: Meet Jennifer Laude. 1:00–6:19 (5:19 minutes). Meet Jennifer “Ganda” Laude from the point of view of her mother. Her friends also describe her and recount what happened the night of her murder.

Clip 2: The Murder of Jennifer Laude. 12:15–23:10 (10:55 minutes). Description of the murder with a timeline and Joseph Scott Pemberton’s confession to his shipmate. Graphic images of Laude’s body and homophobic tweets about transgender people. Explanation of imperialist history, the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and why no U.S. soldier has ever been charged with a crime in the Philippines.

Clip 3: The Journalist and the Activist. 32:35–37:10 (4:35 minutes). Naomi Fontanos and Meredith Talusan discuss how the Laude case is impacting U.S. policy. Activist Fontanos talks about transgender identity, how Spanish Catholics “othered” trans identity, sex work, militarism and the trans community.

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Blueshift

Blueshift is a team of education specialists with background in environmental and social impact work. The team recognizes and builds on the power of documentary film in reaching broad audiences to spark energy for deep and lasting social change. The team works with filmmakers, photographers and writers to develop innovative educational strategies, experiences, tools and resources that bring stories off the screen and into viewers' lives.