Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

A nun leaves the monastery and experiences the pain of loving a man.

A story about a father's love for his family, making a supreme sacrifice to give them a new lease on life.

Minjae is a Korean-Filipino teenager who is often discriminated against for being mixed-blood. His utmost desire to belong to the homogeneous and hierarchical Korean society is tested when his single Filipina mother decides to send him to the Philippines one winter day.

A story between two women sharing the same man.

Inspired by a trip to Monument Valley and the Navajo Nation while en route to the Telluride Film Festival, Tahimik and his eldest son Kidlat Gottlieb Kalayaan use the "spaghetti machine" (Tahimik's nickname for his Bolex camera) to make their own "spaghetti western." The decade-long path of the film encompasses the assassination of Benigno Aquino and the subsequent Yellow Revolution that brought Corazon Aquino to power, the decommissioning of the US air base Camp John Hay, and the younger Kidlat's trajectory through school, all shown through a Third World Projector salvaged from a junk pile on Navajo land.

The interview which seems to be wholesome in the beginning will become uncomfortable for one of them when unusual questions and statements are thrown.

A 1982 drama by Lino Brocka set in the world of boxing, starring Phillip Salvador, Vic Vargas and Chanda Romero.

Two best friends document their daily lives through a digital camcorder until their lives take an unexpected turn, leaving one to hold on to the memories they created together.

A 21-year-old man, trapped in a suffocating and abusive relationship with a fanatically religious 60-year-old woman, reaches his breaking point and murders her.

A humble farmer turned town chief takes on the whole province either the authorities or bandits.

Apoy sa karagatan: Directed by Mauro Gia Samonte. With Jestoni Alarcon, Derek Dee, Tonton Gutierrez, Karra Kristel.

A mad scientist, plots to conquer the world by using a serum that can turn ordinary animals into giants.

In a collapsed world consumed by a dementia-like plague, a couple and their chronically ill daughter fight to stay sane, holding on to pain, memory, and love as they search for what remains of their humanity.

After their high school friend's wake, two best friends decide to 'pagpag' as they reconnect after five years.

Both moving family history and lively culinary adventure, Food Roots charts Chicago restaurant impresario Billy Dec’s journey to rediscover his Filipino heritage. After two of his family’s elders passed away on the same day in 2018, Dec set out to locate his grandmother’s last remaining sister in the Philippines and learn the culinary secrets of his ancestors.

After receiving an undetectable HIV status, Dexter finally shows up in a birthday party and reconnects with his friends, following a long and sudden ghosting in their milestones and lives.

Rhey say love could move mountains, and could expound the seas. love, being the greatest force that it is, could make you feel like this world, only revolves around love and lovers, that in this world, it’s only you and i, and that this world, is ours. if the world truly was owned by us, i would have released all the forces on my end, just to have you back.

When a six-year-old child finds out about her mother's debt, she starts collecting dried leaves to pay off what is owed until she learns that money does not grow on trees, changing her perception of the concept of money, debts, and reality.

The film is about EDSA MMDA officer Col. Bong Nebrija's life from a young boy until now . It depicts on how to live a life appreciating family, faith, love, integrity, discipline and determination.

An experimental short film by Luis Camas.

A movie musical based on the life of Jose Rizal.

After coming home from work, a young woman finds herself trapped in the madness of the pandemic. She struggles to contain her sanity and hysteria as she manifests symptoms of the virus, thus as an initiative, she forcibly submits herself to a quarantine. But after fourteen days, she finds herself in the middle of nowhere, desperately trying hard to breathe.

The plot is about Maria (Lovi Poe), a 16-year old girl who elopes with her boyfriend Ryan (Joem Bascon) to Baguio. While they are in a hotel in Baguio, they meet a terminally ill tourist (Jacky Woo) who is in Baguio beause it is where he met his ex-wife who is a Filipina. Maria develops a strange relationship with the tourist and she is later torn between the love of Ryan and the older stranger she has just met. Meanwhile, Maria’s father (Ricardo Cepeda) hires a private detective named Patrick (Jake Roxas) to look for his daughter. Patrick is a homosexual who is learning to deal with the promiscuity of his lover (Rico Barrera).

The unfinished movie of the late Celso Ad Castillo now a Cinema One Originals documentary film.

Linda, in her 70's, is a Chinese citizen who has been living in the Philippines since the Japanese occupation of their homeland. For a while, it was like she was building the perfect Chinese Family raising three children together with her Husband, Felipe, and a business tycoon who worked hard to increase their wealth to millions. A mysterious phone call from the unknown shaken their home that leads to their bankruptcy. Tragically, Felipe went in coma for 7 years and left Linda devastated. She tries to keep her family together until a revelation totally broke their home apart.

Magellan, the famous navigator, met his untimely death in the Philippines before he could circumnavigate the globe. Ironically, it was his slave and translator Enrique who most likely was the first to achieve the historic feat.

A young effeminate boy attempts to find his place in a dying world of men with the help of a miraculous jackfruit.

Mysterious disappearances of people rise as earthquakes shake Mindanao. 13-year-old Munya investigates the strange phenomenon after her mother goes missing during a solar eclipse. Fantasy becomes reality and reality becomes fantasy as the mythical serpent dragon, “Bakunawa", devours a seemingly tranquil world.

Two cousins rediscover the mysteries of their missing aunt's golden teapot.

Poignant and funny, this is a music-filled tale of three male senior in a Home for the Aged who come out of retirement to perform as drag queens, just so they can pay for the Home after the death of their landlord.

Paolo’s sex life began at the age of 14 in the men’s room. Since then, his life has been divided into a world of light and shadow. His sexual awakening is also a political manifesto. Only in gay nightclubs can he be free. It’s a world of imaginary lovers, dancers in the dark, who don’t exist in the daytime for society.

An experienced archer meets a rich man who helps her settle in the city.

A story about the heroism, redemption, and sacrifice of both sides of the Mindanao conflict.

When an ongoing apocalypse halts the production of Gabby's new film, she escapes to see her artist friend Tona in La Union, a former booming beach town and strategic site for a US military base.

In a road crossing in McArthur Highway, three growingly distant friends navigate their relationship as they reunite at their old spot during one's graduation.

Dream Town is a feature film that explores the complexities of dreams, the enchantment, and its hidden power manifesting through human consciousness. Following Maya in her adventure at a magical place called Dream Town, meeting Yumi who runs the whole place. Together, they tackle the challenges of reality with help of the characters Maya has made and written for the past years. Dream Town is all about rediscovering your dreams and revisiting the forgotten ones.

Set in the 1960s, where Caloocan stands at the cusp of transformation, there’s a story of an ordinary Filipino family who faces their own reckoning with change, the Asuncion family. Iris, the middle child, returns home after receiving news of his mother’s death, stepping back into a home—and a city—that feels both familiar and distant.

As tensions rise between a married couple, they both try to seek stress-relief through peculiar methods that may end up revealing dark secrets.

A story of inspiration about a dedicated husband and wife, Mr. Ofemio Rangel (PWD) and Mrs. Relyn Rangel, who defy obstacles in creating sustainable eco-friendly charcoal briquettes. Through ingenious use of water hyacinth and coconut shells, they champion environmental preservation and societal inclusivity. From harvesting water hyacinth and repurposing coconut shells, join the duo as they share the profound impact of collaboration in fostering a greener future.

Have you ever wondered why Filipinos dominate the billiards world? Take a glimpse of the Pinoy’s passion for billiards outside the ESPN Spotlight. Meet Bodyi, a natural- born billiard player. His life is as exciting and colorful as the game itself. What happens at the table that night is hard to believe. Everything has changed because of that one last game—that one last ball – the nineball. The cue sticks could pierce your heart and the balls could break your head. Watch carefully.

The first talkie from the Philippines.

When the mystical land of Kaak crumbles into the gloomy brink of extinction, two crossbreed and outcast creatures coincidentally meet and team up in quest for the mythical power found at the Rainbow’s End to free the land from a sinister force and restore the magic to its former splendor.

A look back on a legendary Philippine mythical creature and a mischievous child, let’s witness their journey through the woods after a calamity hit their village, Unamuno. How did their paths crossed as Ron Ron’s innocence and honesty rises up among their biggest misconception.

Makartur believes that if you study hard, you will be able to achieve your dreams. But when he meets Maginhawa, a homeless orphan who spends her days in the playground, Makartur realizes he has to help her. After all, not being able to go to school should not get in the way of getting an education.

Jay wakes up in Manila, yet he dreamed of Athens. He has a nightmare, during which he has a special quest: to save his two daughters from a dangerous surgery. In his attempt to rescue them, he roams around Athens’ cityscape, seeing things under a very different light.

A touching ode to Leonardo de la Cruz, the filmmaker's late father, who died earlier this year of lung cancer at the age of 65, the film is a personal meditation of sorts. It is at once dark, yet not unrelieved by poetry on the mysteries of life, existence and mortality.

The fall of one nation.

The soul-searching story of a man torn between 2 Lovers, 2 Hates, 2 Vows.

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Before graduating, high school sweethearts Ralph and Angelo face their final test: the rise of AI, love in turmoil, and the choices that could define their futures.