Invisible Labor
Kinofest Special 2026

Marcos then, Marcos now. As the Marcos family returns to power through disinformation and historical distortion, Invisible Labor traces the Filipino labor movement's fight for democratic rights and its continuing relevance today.

At the film's center is Cleto "Carlito" Piedad, a grassroots organizer and utility worker at the IBON Foundation, whose humble task of rewinding and preserving old videotapes quietly safeguarded decades of footage documenting workers' protests and strikes. His political awakening came under the fascist rule of Marcos Sr., leading him to organize alongside marginalized communities. Though his day-to-day work went unnoticed, it became a bulwark against forgetting, preserving irreplaceable images of the fight against Martial Law and the dictatorship's downfall.

Weaving archival footage with testimonies from Piedad's family and colleagues, the film bridges past and present—connecting the horrors of Marcos Sr.'s rule to their echoes under his son, the current president. Invisible Labor honors an unassuming janitor's vital role in keeping the truth alive.
 

Invisible Labor | Joanne Cesario