Imelda movie opens in Philippines

Diaz says Mrs Marcos was a willing participant

A banned documentary on former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos has opened in Manila.

Tickets for the feature on the wife of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos went on sale Wednesday after a court lifted an injunction against it.

Mrs Marcos, who sought the ban, said the film made her look like an airhead.

Film-maker Ramona Diaz, a US-based Filipina, said her countrymen deserved to see the award-winning 100-minute feature.

She said she was surprised by Mrs Marcos' anger, as she had tried to go beyond the former first lady's usual "3,000 pairs of shoes" stereotype.

'No deception'

Diaz denies allegations she tricked Mrs Marcos into believing interviews for the film were meant only for a college project.

"There was no deception at all," she said.

"We had many conversations. There were scenes in the film that were her idea and I thought they were great ideas, so we did it."

She insists the film, which won the best cinematography award at the Sundance Film Festival this year, is a balanced portrayal of the former first lady, told mostly in her own words.

Mrs Marcos' extravagant lifestyle and extensive shoe collection, amassed during her husband's two-decade rule, have been the subject of ridicule.

We have to stick to the truth because truth is God Imelda Marcos

The couple plundered an estimated $5-10bn during that time.

Mrs Marcos insists she did not give her permission for a film about her rise from beauty queen to Philippine first lady.

"We have to stick to the truth because truth is God," she said. "This is the problem today, just because you are a public figure, they have the freedom to make a story."

"Many things were lifted out of context and insertions there were quite, sometimes malicious," she said.