Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

A documentary on the life and works of Ishmael Bernal

Bayani S. Makapili is an ordinary guy who is a big fan of action movies, especially the ones starring Bida, the #1 action hero in the land. One fateful day, Bayani’s life imitates that of his idol, but with different results. The audience is presented with five-and-a-half different endings.

The night before the lockdown, while reviewing some unused footages from my latest film project (Hinulid), a small box from an anonymous sender arrives. The box contains a Bikol translation of the Tagalog long poem, Ibong Adarna, and an egg.

Sa Mata ng Balita looks back on the 50 years of television history, from the pioneers James Lindenberg of Bolinao Electronics Corporation and Antonio Quirino of Alto Broadcasting Corporation in the 1950s to the merging with the Lopezes' Chronicle Broadcasting Network to form ABS-CBN. From the rise of President Ramon Magsaysay to the Oakwood mutiny during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, this expansive documentary featuring interviews with some of the country's esteemed broadcast journalists shows that the history of television is also the history of the nation.

Inday, a young teenager, is faced with a problem - an untimely pregnancy. As she and her boyfriend contemplate the consequences and the effects of this turmoil in their young lives, their conversation suddenly leaves the fate of their unborn child to a game of chance.

Set in the world of high-stakes cockfighting, gamblers place their money and lives on the line.

There are 10,000 people dying everyday due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by Globalization.

A deaf boy, an abusive father, and a friendship with a kid in town lead to a dangerous quest for freedom.

Caught in a creative struggle, a painter confronts her traumatic past and unfulfilled dreams when commissioned to paint seascape art, leading her on a journey of self-discovery through the depths of the sea and uncharted waters of her own.

Two young girls travel through time to assassinate a barangay dictator to revise history. This is Babylon.

Set in a guerrilla garden patch tended by Chinese immigrants abutting the FDR Highway in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, this 16mm film tracks the appearance and disappearance of a set of handmade paper butterflies. The paper butterflies are ritually set on fire, allowing them to cross the threshold into another world.

Friends of Los Otros make a group output during a 16mm film workshop conducted by visiting filmmakers Dianna Barrie and Richard Touhy of nanolab.

A film essay on life within and beyond the prison walls of the Marcos dictatorship. Features interviews with former political detainees who all expressed their desire to be reintegrated to the mainstream of society, while keeping alive their commitment to social transformation.

A rising basketball star faces ruin when the price of fixing games pulls him into the brutal core of Manila's betting empire.

When their father vanishes with their mother's urn, Joaquin and Ara uncover an unfinished storybook she wrote, leading them on a journey through restaurants their parents once visited, in a desperate search for their missing father and answers.

Interventions in the state of transportation in both our and Rizal's time through primitive intellectual montage. From José Rizal's "El Filibusterismo."

This play unpacks many events chronicling the Victory at Mactan in 1521.

A man who wants to be the best father. A son who hopes to be the best he can be. A devotion that raises these hopes to the level of prayer. A journey. 'GAYAK' is a movie about a father's unconditional love for his son and the son's journey towards self-discovery set in the backdrop of one of the most unique practices of Catholic devotion, the 'Pagsa-San Juan.' The movie explores intimate relationships-- father to son, son to father, brother to sister, between cousins, and among members of a rural community within the context of faith, love and hope.

A story of a man with two different personalities. One is a blind cook accused of mass poisoning that killed his older lover, and the other is the smart, jolly imaginary friend of his six-year-old son.

A short film that explores the cutthroat coping mechanisms of Manila’s homeless.

A simple notebook can reveal one's secret, just like what happened to childhood best friends, Elena and Miggy.

In Dahican Beach in Mati, Davao Oriental, where the hunting of endangered turtles is commonplace, a group of surfers called "Amihan sa Dahican" have taken it upon themselves to safeguard the marine life in the area.

On Christmas of 1990, a man returns to the village where his lover was laid to rest, but in a community determined to erase their love, his mourning becomes a quiet act of resistance.

A story about a girl and a boy who found comfort in a radio station. How is it that someone we meet only once can feel so familiar, so deeply connected to us? Maybe destiny exists for a greater purpose—one that brings us together at exactly the right time.

The film follows Sinta, who struggles to confront Sayang about his one-sided affection for him, and Sayang, who notices hints of these feelings. Fearing rejection, Sinta musters up the courage to finally confess, before revealing it was only through “Pandama”, a highly immersive virtual reality.

A Serene Film

In a village where rumors of a manananggal are making rounds, a girl goes through experiences that alienate her from the rest of the townsfolk.

A thesis short film by Julianne Reyes.

A glimpse into the Mt. Banahaw spirituality of the Tagalogs in the Philippines. This is a journey to visit the spiritual sites up the holy mountain in Luzon, guided by Anthropologist Dr. Prospero R. Covar, the leading expert in the field of Filipino spirituality. It is also a personal recollection and reflection to unravel a belief system the filmmakers grew up with. The documentary celebrates the Filipino genius and the complex realms of beliefs they navigate in order to have a peaceful life free from want and difficulties, and to attain spiritual bliss and salvation in the “other“ life.

A young man is tormented by a mysterious creature in his bedroom. Its eventual capture later becomes a personal revelation.

A story of Mirna, a mother and an OFW, together with her children, as they struggle to rebuild a family that has been shattered by white lies and distance. (A Stage Play Musical)

With closed eyes, a woman stands in serene stillness, her skin becoming a canvas where neutral pigments intertwine. She dances and reclines, embracing vulnerability as she finally opens her eyes and confronts the cruel world within her soul.

We revisit the lives of Aponibolinayen and Aponitolao,now married they have a son and the hero of our story. His life as an obedient son, a bird and a young adult finding his true love that brings him back as a human and as a son to his parents. An adventure filled story mixed with culture and traditions of the Tinguian Tribe.

When Gaspar, a crippled man, returns to their ancestral house, he is haunted, not just by his dark past, but also by a troop of nature spirits called Umalagad.

A film about a teenage girl who is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness amid the pandemic. Stuck at home with her family, she struggles to deal with the stigma that surrounds her condition. Will she be able to get past her biggest anxieties and fears?

Celebrate the holidays with Sarah Geronimo-Guidicelli and Matteo Guidicelli in a special music event filled with Christmas Spirit. Joining them is the renowned acapella group Acapellago and the icon of Pinoy Christmas, Mr. Jose Mari Chan.

Anton and Davey are best friends and business partners. They realize that there is something more between them when Davey kisses Anton on the cheek. Should they finally recognize their growing feelings for each other or remain as just friends?

A runaway daughter comes home, in need of money for an operation. She asks her for money but her mother strongly refused and just scolded her. So she stole her mother’s rooster but immediately bonded with the chicken. While her mother frantically searches for her lost rooster, she finds it on the hill, with Lilian standing beside it. Lilian confesses her real situation. Unexpectedly, she receives the reassurance that she needs, something that she would never have thought of earlier.

Feeling lonely and isolated in a secluded home in the barrio, Pedring and Iska grapple with the reality of losing their only son to build his own family in the city. Until one day, in an effort to reconnect with him, a mysterious girl appears out of nowhere and intends to change the couple's life forever.

A young entrepreneur meets a group of coffee farmers and finds the inspiration to continue despite the pandemic.

An ailing biker takes to the rail for one last adventure that pits him against nature and the woman he desires.

A road film about living positively.

A story of how these two barangays have opposed all measures for a bridge to be put up to link them together and make life easier and productive for them.

“Taphaw” (from the English word “top how”) tells the story of those living in the shadows, quietly overlooked. When asked if they are part of the top or honors, or have achieved notable success, the answer is always the same: “taphaw ra” — still low-key, still unseen. A Cebuano/Bisaya humor, the phrase is often used jokingly to downplay one’s standing while masking quiet resilience beneath self-deprecation. Rooted in humor and resilience, the film follows Elsie Daayon, played by Abby Aparicio, a fresh nursing graduate in Cebu far from home and chasing her dreams alone. As her mother battles cancer and her younger sister waits, Elsie works tirelessly by selling art, taking online gigs, and singing at a bar to support her family, all while preparing for the PNLE Board Exams. Each day tests her strength and spirit, yet she keeps going, holding on to hope and the promise of becoming who she dreams to be. But after every obstacle and sacrifice, will she reach the top? And if she does, how?

Experimental short film about a donut going through a manic episode as it travels into space.

Haunted by a toxic past, Kimberly Salazar sees the damage yet remains entangled in its patterns. Desperate for escape, she takes a job that ultimately leads her back to the very place she tried to leave behind.

Presented as a documentary, the film revolves around scenes from the life of Consuelo, a 71 year-old widow, captured through the lens of her grandchild for what she claims to be a school project. The two women speak and interact as they work together to make the film. Along the way, they reveal to one another the small desperate ways they hold onto things that have since slipped away from their grasp.

In 2044, a middle-aged gay man finds himself ageing out of the Manila rave scene. A chance encounter with a mischievous ex-lover changes the tune of his last dance.

"Davao is a place that’s been named “The Safest City in the Philippines”. Yet some groups of Filipinos don’t seem to agree. A filmmaker then took on a journey, to stay alive in this city relying solely on the kindness of his fellow Filipinos. All to see if the safest city has his back."

Elle and Vince received an unexpected and distressing news that Vince will leave anytime soon for an unsaid reason. They spend the day together that might be their last, having little to no clue of their relationship's future.

A woman gets caught in a love triangle.

In a desperate attempt to solve her problems, a girl seeks help from a known miracle worker.

The quest of a scientist in exploring loss, tragedy, and aspirations, on the land of where memories were crumpled and collapsed.

With the changes, a heat melts ice and dries up streams and rivers, and scorching temperatures that equals an ocean of fire—the rising global climate acts as an anchor to the feet of the poor, those who are trying to climb out of the ocean of poverty.

A shy young boy faces the dilemma of having to be circumcised, but who will he ask to go with if he only talks to his pet Goldfish--Junior?