Skip to content

iWonder April Highlights: Fallen Leaders

As former President of The Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, prepares to face justice for crimes against humanity, this April iWonder pulls together a collection of films that look at the rise and fall of some of the world's most infamous leaders, as their crimes finally catches up with them.

'We Hold The Line,' part of the 'Fallen Leaders' collection, new to iWonder

New to iWonder, We Hold The Line follows Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Maria Ressa, as she leads her team of brave journalists as they face down intimidation and threats in their quest to hold President Duterte's murderous regime to account at the height of its killing spree.

The Kleptocrats chronicles the story of the biggest white-collar crime in history, and the events that led to the corruption conviction of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, while The Trial of Ratko Mladic details the tumultuous trial that led to crimes against humanity and genocide convictions against the Bosnian Serb former military leader.

New to iWonder

We Hold The Line

Democracy Under Fire. Fearless Journalism. War on Truth.

With the former President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, under arrest and facing charges of crimes against humanity for his brutal and bloody "war on drugs" that saw thousands killed, 'We Hold The Line' tells the story of of the erosion of democracy during his six-year reign, and the brave journalists who stood up for the freedom of the press.

Maria Ressa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, TIME magazine Person of the Year, and Founder of Rappler–an investigative website that exposed government corruption, disinformation campaigns, and extrajudicial killings during Duterte's presidency– led a team of brave journalists who withstood intimidation and threats to lift the veil on the Philippine government's abuses of power

As this powerful documentary recounts a dark period in the country's history, many of the details of which are still to come to light in Duterte's ensuing trial, we follow Maria as she becomes the target of a smear campaign by the government, while insiders provide a chilling account of the sinister machinery of murder operated by the former President.

Why Watch It: Unveiling a Dark Chapter in Democracy's Decline – a government tries to suppress free speech and journalism // A Courageous Stand for Truth – journalists battle suppression //  A Chilling Insider Perspective – defectors and anonymous sources speak out.

Select Festivals: 2020 F:ACT Award – Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival

The Kleptocrats

Political Corruption. Financial Crime. Billion Dollar Whale

It is the world’s biggest white-collar heist involving government corruption at the highest level; an abuse of power and international money laundering that led to the prison sentence for the former Prime Minister of Malaysia.

A hot-shot financier embezzles US$3.5 billion from Malaysia's wealth fund 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad); money from the audacious scam flows into New York and Hollywood, where the thieves court A-list celebrities and even finance Leonardo DiCaprio’s passion project “The Wolf of Wall Street”.

But investigative journalists from the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and the Hollywood Reporter trace the money trail and unravel the scheme, the US Department of Justice gets involved, the Prime Minister and his inner circle are implicated, assets are frozen, money is seized and the Malaysian people fight back.

Why Watch It: Famous faces – Hollywood becomes embroiled in an elaborate deception // Journalistic sleuthing – Reporters piece together the facts //  Fugitive at large – profile of a man still wanted for fraud.

Select Festivals: Sydney Film Festival (2019) - Official selection

The Trial of Ratko Mladić

True Crime. Justice & Remembrance. Healing Wounds.

The Trial of Ratko Mladić plunges viewers into the heart of one of history’s most explosive war crimes trials, and the indictment of a former leader turned war criminal.

Known as the "Butcher of Bosnia," Ratko Mladić faced justice for the Srebrenica massacre and Sarajevo’s brutal siege, accused of genocide and atrocities that scarred a nation. Yet, to his supporters, he’s a Serb hero.

With unprecedented access to the prosecution and defense, this film unveils the raw drama of a 530-day showdown at The Hague, blending chilling survivor testimonies with the defiance of Mladić’s loyalists. Shot over six years, the trial is a gut-wrenching journey into Bosnia’s bloody past and fractured present. Can justice heal old wounds, or will denial prevail?

Why Watch It: Dark Vs Light – an epic tale of accountability and humanity’s darkest chapters // Tough Justice – inside the struggle to convict a defiant criminal //  History Will Judge – Painful insights for future lessons.

Select Festivals: Best Documentary - ASN World Convention Festival.
Best Single International Documentary - The Grierson Awards.

Comments

Latest