Machete Maidens Unleashed!

Karate-kickin’ midgets, papier-mâché monsters, busty babes with blades, an unlimited flow of blood and endless fighting scenes: these are the ingredients of the so-called exploitation movies of the 70s and 80s. Boasting cheap labour and exotic scenery, the Philippines was a dreamland for exploitation filmmakers whose renegade productions were soon engulfing screens around the globe like a tidal shock-wave. At last, the all-too-often overlooked world from Manila gets its recognition. Mark Hartley pays his very own tribute to mass production in Manila's film industry. A tribute and an ultimate insiders' account. Interviews with contemporary cult figures give their account of filmmaking without money, scruples, boundaries – and clothes.