'Aswang' director Alyx Arumpac decided to release drug war docu online when anti-terror bill was passed

"Aswang" producer Alyx Arumpac decided to release the critically acclaimed drug war documentary online for free last weekend after the anti-terror bill was passed into law.

"This is very alarming because it legalizes a lot of horrific things that were being done in the film," the producer shared in an interview with GMA News Online.

The anti-terror bill was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on July 3 despite massive protests from different groups including the United Nations' human rights chief over questionable sections on warrantless arrests and vague terms.

Arumpac shared that she first decided to make the documentary after she saw photos from the first few months of the drug war.

Although she had to work alone, go out every night to film all while still working, and "finding the will to keep filming," Arumpac pushed through because she shared that she had to do something about what she saw.

The in-depth documentary featured numerous stories of the drug war victims whose lives have drastically changed during the current administration's war against illegal drugs.

It bagged the international critics' FIPRESCI Award in the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam in 2019.

Arumpac's "Aswang" was streamed online for free over the weekend. It was supposed to have its Philippine premiere at the Daang Dokyu film festival on March 16, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic delayed the festival.

Although there is no final date yet, the film shared in a Facebook post on Monday that it can be streamed again online soon.

— LA, GMA News