Documentary Producer to Watch at Cannes 2010: Ted Unarce
Modern Day Slaves, produced and directed by Ted Unarce, makes its market debut at the 2010 Marché du Film, represented by ITN Distribution. It had its world premiere to a sold-out crowd at the Culver Plaza Theatres in Los Angeles, in February, 2010. The film was an official selection of the New York International Film Festival’s Los Angeles leg. Ted Unarce won Best Directorial Debut of a Documentary and Modern Day Slaves scored Best Human Rights Documentary. In addition, the film has won more than 17 accolades from various film festivals. This incredible 50-minute documentary film focuses on four Filipino overseas foreign workers and the abuse they experience from a corrupt government. The film uncovers human trafficking, human rights violations, and exploitation.
The film’s official after-party in Beverly Hills, brought together diverse film enthusiasts and human rights activists who shared and exchanged their opinions, thoughts, and ideas about this tragic problem which exists not only in third world countries, but also right here in the United States. This celebration of awareness was one of the highlights of this year’s NYIFF in Los Angeles.
Ted Unarce recently spoke with Independent Film Quarterly regarding modern-day slavery, human trafficking, and the making of his award-winning documentary, Modern Day Slaves.
IFQ: What motivated you to make Modern Day Slaves?
Ted Unarce: As a filmmaker, I have been witness to a huge number of injustices afflicting third world countries, the Philippines in particular. Without proper intervention, such problems carry the potential to negatively impact the world on a much larger scale. As a filmmaker, my job is to heighten awareness of humanitarian issues. Not to mention that the topic of this film, which calls for the eradication of modern-day slavery, is one of great personal interest to me.
IFQ: What do you want moviegoers to take away from the film?
TU: I want to offer filmgoers a new found awareness of modern-day slavery and human trafficking, doing so in a manner that shines a spotlight, first and foremost, on the victims. It is with them that we should empathize. In shining this spotlight, my aim has been to preserve the facts, while steering clear of sensationalism. We should also draw on courage and strength we find in the lives of overseas foreign workers, otherwise known as modern-day slaves.
IFQ: Do you think people are aware that modern-day slavery exists?
TU: Not enough people know, I am afraid, and that is one reason why this film exists.
IFQ: Is your film getting the kind of recognition it deserves?
TU: Absolutely. We had a spectacular opening premiere two months ago in the Los Angeles area, and have won more than 17 accolades from various film festivals. This is critical, perhaps most of all, because it increases the potential to spread the word about our cause and build awareness.
IFQ: What impact has this film had towards the Philippine government?
TU: We do not, of course, know its full effects, but my sincere desire is that if enough people see it and are impacted by it, the film might truly acts as a catalyst for positive change.
IFQ: What have you learned from making this film?
TU: As we took more footage, I became increasingly passionate about the plight of the victims. I also learned not to prejudge or to make hasty generalizations about what victims go through. In the course of creating this film, in a sense we lived through their anguish.
IFQ: Documentaries are growing in popularity. How do you choose your topics?
TU: Out of humanitarian interest, I choose those that are often most difficult to talk about. Sometimes it is the most neglected or tragic cases that need the most attention. Discussing topics like modern-day slavery, human trafficking, immigration, crime and race—this is important, yet does not receive the care it deserves, which is one thing I would like to change.
IFQ: What should first world countries learn from Modern Day Slaves?
TU: Modern day slaves, often called overseas foreign workers, are human beings often forced to endure the horrific. I want all people in first world countries to see that, to be able to see themselves in the shoes of another and to conclude—“this could have happened to me.”
IFQ: What lessons do we need to learn from third world countries?
TU: Many people in third world countries live, needless to say, in survival mode. People in first world countries often cannot envision what this is like, yet in the meantime, the current financial state of the world appears to be getting worse and worse. Moreover, we must recognize that more people in first world countries, like those from third world countries, find the need to export themselves in order to survive. In such a world, posing so many risks, the need for protections for the foreign worker is crucial. After all, we observe by watching third world countries what the absence of such protections can do.
IFQ: How long did it take you to make Modern Day Slaves?
TU: From start to finish, about two and a half years. In the course of its creation, there were many steps along the way, like getting politicians and victims to interview with us—a time-consuming and painstaking process.
IFQ: Was there any threat to your life while making the film?
TU: Yes. In fact, an unspecified governmental authority notified us that our efforts would be closely scrutinized and monitored. One morning, while in the Philippines, one of our hotel rooms was broken into while we were out filming. I have also received a number of personal threats, in verbal and written form, on my life.
IFQ: Will the Philippine economy survive without the $18B a year remittances?
TU: Being what the Philippines is, in my opinion, a mendicant state, I seriously doubt it.
IFQ: What is your next project?
TU: We are working on several new projects, among them Lines of Tribe, a documentary about interracial marriage and relationships, and Borderline—this time, fiction, not a documentary—which focuses on the topic of so-called illegal immigration.
*Photo Credit: Ted Unarce