Manila by Night

A Queer Film Classic on IshmaelBernal's 1980 film that follows a dozencharacters, all denizens of Manila's sordid yet exuberant underworld, as theypursue life, love, and pleasure. Bernal cited Robert Altman's Nashville as one of the influences onhis epic, multi-narrative approach to cinema, and Manila by Night ultimately won the Best Picture award from theFilipino Film Critics. But upon completion, the film was banned in thePhilippines by the tyrannical Marcos regime for its "unsavory" depiction oflife in the Philippine capital, beginning an arduous journey through repressionand censorship before finally being released by the government as proof of itsmore tolerant policies on the eve of the "People's Power" uprising of 1986. David's book explores thepolitical, cultural, and historical ramifications of this important film.