Directed by James Jones, Olivier Sarbil

Narrative Feature / UK/USA/Philippines / 72 mins

Strand: Politico

In Competition

Review:

ON THE PRESIDENT’S ORDERS opens with a grim quotation. Taken directly from one of Duterte’s speeches, we hear the controversial president pledge that, just as Hitler had killed three million Jews [sic], he would kill the three million drug dealers and pushers in the Philippines. An announcement of a bloody and protracted battle that continues to embroil his country in years of police brutality and extra-judicial killings. Directors James Jones and Olivier Sarbil are afforded remarkable access, recording with stark clarity the extent to which violence has come to define policing in the Philippines. One telling scene is when a police officer tells his men to fire off one round of ammunition - and most can’t help but fire several.

Exploring both sides of the conflict, ON THE PRESIDENT’S ORDERS is also remarkable for the way it is shot. Instead of exploiting typical documentary coverage, Jones and Sarbil combine documentary authenticity with the look of a narrative thriller. This mode is engaging, without at any point forgoing journalistic integrity. Instead, the intensity of style heightens the tonal gravity of the film’s content. A portentous film that warns against the consequence of demagogy the world over. / Review by Milo Garner

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Credits:

Director: James Jones, Olivier Sarbil

Producer: Dan Edge

Executive Producer: Raney Aronson-Rath

Writer: James Jones, Dan Edge