
Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield has called out the use of her image of Imelda Marcos taken for her 2019 film The Kingmaker.
Lauren tweeted photos of the billboard and said, "Clearly, whoever stole my image to wish Imelda Happy Birthday doesn't understand copyright infringement," she also tagged Institute Artist and co-founder Matt Shonfeld. The media company manages artists and produces content for global distribution.
Imelda celebrated her 93rd birthday on July 2, just in time for her son Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s inauguration as the 17th President of the Philippines on June 30.
Clearly, whoever stole my image to wish Imelda Happy Birthday doesn't understand copyright infringement… @mattshonfeld @instituteartist #stopthesteal #thekingmaker pic.twitter.com/KJbBFzvk9j
-- Lauren Greenfield (@lgreen66) July 2, 2022
Lauren also mentioned a man allegedly affiliated with an electronic billboard company in her succeeding tweets.
The owner of the offending LED billboard company is Alvin Carranza, a known Marcos apologist. Regardless of his political views, the media industry is not going to appreciate copyright infringement as it puts everyone's IP at risk of abuse. Bad business! https://t.co/TnqtWETwBR.
-- Lauren Greenfield (@lgreen66) July 2, 2022
Digital Out of Home Philippines or DOOH PH took responsibility for the incident and published an apology.
DOOH PH apologized to The Kingmsker director Lauren Greenfield for using her image on the electronic billboard located along JP Rizal Avenue in Makati City, and assured her the billboard has been taken down.
“First, we would like to sincerely apologize for using your 'Kingmaker' image for our billboards. We must confess that we were unaware of your copyright, and we appreciate that you brought the matter to our attention,” the advertising company stated.
“Please be informed that as soon as we were made aware of the issue, we immediately took the greeting down.
Can anyone confirm that this has been taken down? Thanks! @mattshonfeld @instituteartist https://t.co/jvJRo3We1C
-- Lauren Greenfield (@lgreen66) July 2, 2022
The Kingmaker, directed by Lauren Greenfield, is a 2019 documentary film examining the history of Filipino politician Imelda Marcos and her family.
For the meantime, take a look at the outfits worn at the 2022 Presidential Inauguration: