An interview with ALYX ARUMPAC on the making of the ASWANG Drug War Documentary. Recorded during the community quarantine lockdown in Luzon.
Alyx is the director of ASWANG, the first Filipino-directed full-length documentary on the Philippine government's war against drugs.
Shot from 2016 to 2018, it follows characters whose fates entwine with the growing violence during the years of killings the height of the anti-drugs campaign in Manila and the rest of the country. It draws parallels with the aswang, not just as a vampiric, shape-shifting monster of folklore, but also as a CIA creation for fear-mongering, and as a real-life marauder that mimics the behavior of something out of lower mythology. Visually stunning and an important documentary for locals, especially those who have personally lived through the tokhang & riding-in-tandem phenomenon, Alyx takes us through the nights of blood and horror she and her crew witnessed, and the challenges they faced during filming.
Contains sound samples from "Cottonmouth" by Surrogate Prey. Used with permission. Check out their music on Bandcamp.
This podcast is powered and distributed by Anchor.fm.
