Abstract
This talk will discuss problems of artistic production in the Philippines raised in the years leading to EDSA, particularly the call for “committed” art. While some (like AsiaVisions) tried to “democratize” the media, others struggled to grasp the impending revolution in films dealing with unionism. They placed their stars (including Phillip Salvador, Joseph Estrada, and Vilma Santos) against a backdrop teeming with workers, organizers, and crowds. To the extent that these “committed” works reflect the moment’s dominant counterpublicity—the struggle against oppression—might they also provide a frame through which to reconsider its politics? Further, why did unionism disappear as a filmic theme after “people power”—almost as quickly as it had appeared?

About the Lecturer
Daniel Rudin studies and practices documentary, multimedia journalism, and video art. After working as a Luce Scholar with Filipino social news network Rappler, Rudin co-founded the social news project Center for People’s Media, which garnered support from the University of California Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA), the UCSC Blum Center, BigIdeas@Berkley, the Union for Canada (UNIFOR), and the Everett Program, among others. His investigations presently focus on the role of civil society, the left, and state in different historical phases of the public sphere, including twentieth-century documentary film, video, and “democratization” in the Philippines. Rudin is currently a U.S. Fulbright Student.