Vincent Pacheco

“The postcolonial documentary and neo-noir” examines the role of documentary films and neo-noir in resisting the specters of US-sponsored authoritarianism in Indonesia and the Philippines. The project argues that the resurgence of populism in Southeast Asia can be better understood through an ideology critique of cinematic form. This critical foray utilizes a multidisciplinary and comparative method in an immersive study of advocacy groups against human rights abuses such as WatchDoc and RESBAK. These collectives have conducted public screenings and art exhibits in impoverished areas to combat grassroots propaganda. The project includes an oral history of neo-noir directors who have critiqued the state using film. This undertaking also utilizes archival research to investigate the cinematic regimes of Suharto and Marcos that continue to haunt the present.