In this episode, we highlight a film from the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival. The festival is in its 22nd year and presenting over 200 documentary films from around the world to watch free, online, for Greek audiences until May 28th.  Among the many films included in their programming is a remarkably powerful and brave film, ASWANG, from director Alyx Ayn Arumpac.  [GREEK AUDIENCES CAN SEE IT HERE]ASWANG is about the national war on drugs in the Philippines. Since President Rodrigo Duterte took office in 2016 and announced his campaign to rid the Philippines of drug addicts and dealers, as many as 20,000 Filipinos have been murdered — usually at night and always at the hands of vigilantes, hired assassins, and police officers. In her unflinching debut feature documentary Aswang, Arumpac confronts these executions and their aftermath through the eyes of several families that have been left without a father, a brother, or a son. Aswang is a brave film, and  Arumpac is a brave filmmaker that breathlessly follows the everyday struggle of those whose life was radically affected by the regime, as she chronicles the terror and systematic human rights violation that unravels against the backdrop of the Manila slums.Aswang premiered at IDFA, where it won the prestigious FIPRESCI Award.  It then was invited to screen in at MoMA in New York as part of their Doc Fortnight Documentary Film Festival, True/False,  Geneva International Film Festival, One World Prague (where it was nominated for the Jury Prize), and Cinema du Reel. It is currently available for a limited time online at Thessaloniki Film Festival.  I caught up with Alyx Arumpac to discuss her film, her experience taking on a politically provocative topic, and navigating emotionally charged violent filming scenarios. Conversation Moderated by Christina Zachariades.