E is for Exploitation, A-Z of Filipino Cultural Exports
…as seen in feature documentary ‘Machete Maidens Unleashed’ (2010), by Australian film director Mark Hartley. This film is a fan-based tribute to the endless number of exploitation films made in the provinces of the Philippines, throughout the 1970’s. Capitalising on cheap labour and exotic landscapes, the Marcos’ presented the Philippines as a filmmaker’s paradise, offering creative refuge to horror genre directors/ producers such as Roger Corman. It was here that Corman went on to co-produce cult film ‘Women in Cages’, a blaxploitation classic, starring Pam Greer. The effects of this film continue to inspire directors today, with postmodern filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, citing ‘Women in Cages’ (1971) as a key influence to ‘Planet Terror’ (2007). A full list of films referenced in this doco can be found here. Look out for unlikely action man hero, Weng Weng – a national treasure.
#OFW more than a country of good looking, half-wit, opportunistic terrorists
