(From left) Rappler CEO Maria Ressa, former vice president Leni Robredo, Marian Pastor Roces, and Ramona Diaz in a talkback session for “And So It Begins” at the Cinemalaya Festival. Image: Courtesy of Erickson dela Cruz For former vice president Leni Robredo , “And So It Begins,” which revisits the 2022 national elections, goes beyond recalling the country’s elections and her presidential campaign. It amplifies the message that change can happen — no matter which space one comes from.
The Ramona Diaz-helmed documentary is a continuation of her 2022 piece “A Thousand Cuts,” which centered around Nobel laureate and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa under former president Rodrigo Duterte. Featuring 800 hours worth of footage, it premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival in January. While one of the documentary’s scenes touched on Robredo addressing her loss at the elections, she believes that it also serves as a reminder to the youth to focus on available spaces where it allows them to make change happen.
“This is something that I’ve been telling my young staff at the Office of the Vice President (OVP). When you’re young, you’re determined to change the world. But because everything is broken, it becomes overwhelming,” Robredo said at the docu-film’s premiere night on the week of the Cinemalaya Festival when asked how young voters should view the documentary.
“You feel a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Let us not focus on changing the world. Let.