Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

With the desire to help answer unresolved questions and heal lingering wounds, INAY investigates the flawed immigration pathways between the Philippines and Canada that kept so many Filipino children from their mothers.

A heartwarming tale about two runaway 'tambays' who encounter an unexpected companion in Manny, a blind street urchin with dreams of becoming a photographer. The adventure begins when Joseph and Samuel accidentally leave their phone in Manny's area while fleeing from the 'Baranggay Tanods.' Upon their return, Manny refuses to give the phone back, leading the trio to join forces and navigate the challenges of their lives together.

Amid his early self-discovery age, his family encountered a tragedy, where Boyboy had already witnessed how unequal society treated their kind.

The Documentary follows the 25 year old Samantha Domingo and her growth as an ate from her childhood and how it followed her to adulthood, to being an OFW in Belgium. As the film continues, it delves deeper into her life in Belgium and the life and family she left in the Philippines for a better life.

Faith renounces her Catholic faith but pretends to still believe to avoid upsetting her devout mother. When Faith faces a personal crisis, she finds herself drawn back to prayer and rituals as she grapples with her beliefs.

Filipino horror comedy from 1968.

A musical comedy starring Susan Roces

A man is in line to use the restroom, but the apocalypse begins and buildings start collapsing around him. He runs for his life in search of safety and a proper place to relieve himself.

Vilma Santos did Mga Rosas Sa Putikan for her own VS Films where she played a country girl forced into prostitution in the big city. The movie did fairly well at the tills. Good sign…” – Ricardo F. Lo, Expressweek, Jan 19 1978

A child catches a glimpse of an action film as it slowly devours his reality.

James a lowly college student living by the edge, along with his friends have found themselves in a rather deadly situation. As they embark on their trip, they find themselves drawn into a series of mysterious murders that shock them.

A diary film by Khavn.

A collaboration film by Raya Martin and Jim Lumbera. Shot on Super 8mm.

A kid plays with his real car and his toy car. Shot on Super 8mm.

Philippine kung fu movie

Reality can be unpredictable, and the unknown can be frightening. One ordinary day, a Japanese-Filipino man found himself sprinting down a street in the middle of nowhere. But as he continued running, he came to understand some of the most significant realizations in life.

A mother is abandoned by her husband, leaving her to care for her son. She finds comfort in the arms of another man, but that man has desires that will tear her family apart.

A tragedy hits a happy family. Naldo slaughters his parents and takes his wife hostage, claiming that strange creatures called 'Morogmon' have taken over their bodies. Authorities investigate whether Naldo is telling the truth or has lost his mind.

The true story of Gary, a young and vulnerable Filipino boy who loses everything in an attack on his village that kills his father. Desperate to find his mother and her tribe, Gary sets out on a perilous journey while battling hunger and solitude. Along the way, he gets caught up in the dangerous world of gangs and is eventually brainwashed into becoming a child soldier for a local rebel faction.

Three friends Aristotle, Toribio and Billy Jean will rescue their beloved women from a haunted house.

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Nag-aapoy na langit: Directed by Angelito J. De Guzman. With Katrina Paula, Sarah Gomez, Nick Alladin, Lyra Lorena.

A Jose Nepomuceno Creation Real Moro Actors and Thousands of Extras

A 2022 Filipino short film.

A full-length documentary that unveils the “Orang Suluk” (People of the Way), the Taosug people, and their way of life and perseverance amidst the landscape of bias and negative perception. It is the first attempt to feature the pristine and remarkable Kite culture in the Philippines, with a spiritual expression that may equal, if not surpass, that of the greatest civilizations of the world. As people remain true to their traditions and spirituality even after centuries of war and struggle, the annual kite-flying proves that there is more to freedom than liberation, not only against colonial powers but also against a government whose values and systems appear to be at odds with their way of life.

The story revolved around Dennis Durante, a 28-year-old retrenched writer who experienced major struggles because of the pandemic and the lack of opportunities thereof. Thus, Dennis had to try and work his way into the social media landscape, where he found part-time jobs—some were malicious—to aid his need for income.

On their way of seeking familiarity, two strangers find themselves in a casual encounter that steers their fate into eventually becoming a pursuit of certainty.

Shireen Seno’s video essay explores the transformation and commodification of nature through archival photographs from the American colonial occupation of the Philippines in the first half of the 20th century. These images testify to what the voiceover calls “the sticky relationship between humans and nature and their entanglements with empire”—an ambivalent dependence on natural resources that drives the colonial project and implicates photography, with its concurrent processes of preservation, transmutation, and destruction.

A teenage boy’s life is threatened when his cock-loving girlfriend asks him to push through with an unexpected pregnancy.

A short experimental film about how the government of the Philippines responded to the Corona Virus Disease pandemic. Hugas Kamay or Washing of Hands is an idiomatic expression in the Philippines which means refusing to hold responsibility for or involvement with.

This documentary begins in 1878 until the final days of Don Antonio Santos Bautista. He is a Bulakenyo, agriculturist, philanthropist, keeper of memories, and a true hero. The story tackles the Philippine revolution against the Spaniards and the road to the First Republic. In times of war or peace, Don Antonio continued the good fight for the welfare of his countrymen. Being rich or poor, it does not matter when it comes to patriotism. Our hearts are one with nationalism. Whatever your status in life let us all emulate Don Antonio Santos Bautista and dedicate our lives to noble goals for our beloved country the Philippines. Let us commemorate the legacy of Don Antonio Santos Bautista in our hearts and mind. El Heroe Verdadero.

Marco talks about his present life with his past

Martha joins her family in an online game night, but a serious problem is weighing on her. As the family plays, she makes multiple attempts to interrupt the fun and tell them about her problem. Later, she figures out a clever way to reveal it to the family.

A man rides a motorcycle at night. His lover waits for him at home.

In this novel retelling of an old story, Darna, the foremost Filipino female superhero, wakes up to discover that her magical stone has grown as big as her heart. Alone in a world where silence is her only companion, she learns to come to grips with the finitude of love.

A troubled man and his three special friends struggle to traverse the thin line between absurdity and realism in a world of loneliness and depression.

A look inside the Batanes traditional boat and how the Ivatans preserve their custom of constructing their tataya (boat).

Alipato is a portrait of Luis Taruc, the iconic Socialist leader of the revolutionary movement in the Philippines. It explores the political life of Taruc, the collaboration between the Wha Chi (Chinese guerrillas during the Japanese Occupation) and the Hukbalahap, and the politics of the revolution, the in-fighting among the revolutionaries, and the conflict between non-violence and armed revolt. The documentary includes interviews with revolutionaries and well-known personalities like F. Sionil Jose and Fr. James Reuter, S.J. More importantly, the film has revealing footage of Taruc, talking about his principles and concept of peaceful revolution. The voice and ideas of Taruc are like embers or alipatothat can spark insights and enlighten our understanding of history.

Set during the launch of the first space shuttle of the Philippines - an ordinary old couple living in the suburbs attempts to go about their life during this strange day.

Jodilerks, a gas station attendant is on her last day of duty. The night is young…

Discriminated by employers for being a gay misfit, odd Kaye struggles to make ends meet selling her bewildering home-grown beauty soap when her half-transexual best friend Bonn appears with her son for help.

Documentary about the growth of street dancing in the Philippines

Official entry to the first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1979 directed by Jun Gallardo and starred Lito Lapid, George Estregan, Dante Varona, David Aguila, Julie Ann Fortich, Lucita Soriano, Teroy de Guzman, and Yoyoy Villame.

Girls love him, the underworld hates him, and everybody agrees he's unbeatable. Meet the conquering hero Palito, in his new role as James Bone Agent 001, a hilarious action-comedy movie.

Two teachers from a private college clash on their opposing views on education.

Strikingly captivating and accessible short film by someone who tends to make more experimental and raw films, even though the situation in the film is raw enough as it is. We follow Piling, a young soccer fanatic, through a slum district of Manila. No ball or cleats, but a Coke can and flip-flops are the ingredients for a virtuoso demonstration of the football art. Only at the end does it become apparent why the little ball juggler will never be a Ronaldinho.

Lea, in her late 20s, finds herself caught between loyalty to her country and her humanity as she entertains Japanese soldiers, discovering the true cost of war and the price of survival.

A journalist attends a one-on-one interview with a mysterious painter whose radical medium forces her to face a nightmare from her past.

When a chaos happened to a young overseas filipino worker during his labor, an aftermath that he needs to go through as his housemate depart and triggers his psychological perspective.

A group of guerrillas kidnap a group of young girls, daughters of millionaires, on the paradise Island of Pearls. Despite their various attempts, they are unable to escape and will have to wait for their parents to pay the ransom or for a specialized group of army commandos to free them.

A two-part film adaptation of Dr. Jose Rizal’s sequel to Noli me Tangere.

The film captures the ritual motions of the women in a family preparing for the wedding of seventeen-year-old Ayesah who is betrothed to a man she barely knows. As preparations for her union is underway, Ayesah is reunited with her childhood tutor Maguid who returns to the village as a militiaman after five years, reawakening Ayesah’s past memory of childhood infatuation. Throughout Ayesah’s confinement her precocious and rebellious eight-year-old sister Saripa becomes her eyes to the world beyond her room. Her mother Amina keeps her composure despite the fact her husband sleeps with his second wife half of the time, finding solace in the belief that it is both her religious and familial duty to be an obedient wife. Ayesah’s aunt Farida is tasked to ensure that she is prepared for the wedding. However, Farida’s dark past challenges Ayesah’s resolve finding herself choosing between love and loyalty to tradition and family.

For a cash prize and a new home, three displaced Filipino creatures join a reality competition show where they must scare their way to the top for a chance for a new lease on life.

The oldest surviving Filipino film produced by the "Father of Philippine Cinema," Jose Nepomuceno. The film tells the love story between Jose (Rogelio de la Rosa) and Ligaya (Mari Velez) who live contentedly on an island until a stranger named Wong comes with a gang of his men, wanting the lovely maiden for himself.

Facing the imminent death of her people, the leader of a group of young rebels must decide whether she will take the risk of freeing her people by challenging their oppressors: an aging tyrannical king and his loyal knight.

Faced with their slum's demolition, a resourceful 10-year-old gay boy must choose between loyalty to his chaotic, hustler family and risking everything for a more dignified life.

A country boy and lass fall in love, much to the chagrin of their elders.