CWC Docs: A Thousand Cuts

A Thousand Cuts follows Filipino-American journalist Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of online news site Rappler and a recipient of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. The documentary explores her fight against journalistic persecution in the Philippines during the administration of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Known for her decades of investigative work in the Philippines and for her recent efforts in combating fake news, Ressa has been subject to intense scrutiny by Duterte and his supporters, leading to a controversial arrest in 2019 for cyber libel.

A Thousand Cuts documents the events leading up to Ressa’s arrest and later conviction, as well as the targeted harassment of fellow Rappler reporters including Pia Rañada, Patricia Evangelista, and Rambo Talabong. The documentary also charts the senatorial campaigns of incendiary nationalist Bato dela Rosa and online troll Mocha Uson, as well as that of civic leader and activist Samira Gutoc. In telling these stories, A Thousand Cuts explores the worldwide erosion of press freedoms, the emergence of social media disinformation campaigns, and the threats posed by authoritarian governments to democracy and our very sense of truth.

Director Ramona S. Diaz will join moderator Miguel Penabella (Film and Media Studies, UCSB) for a post-screening discussion of A Thousand Cuts.