Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

A closeted gay discloses his inner baggage with a long time neighbor at his send-off party.

Two scorned women in a barrio are terrorized by the same monster.

A woman tries to write a song. She looks for the right words and melody in places and through people. Through a hand-drawn map from a woman thrice her age, she finds people who have found what she is looking for. They tell her about how they found them. She listens, then she sings. We hear not a song, but a cry for a sing-along.

In a rural area in Mindanao, a deaf-mute boy witnesses the mysterious drowning of twins in a river. As his brother helps him overcome the trauma induced by the event, the harsh truth rises from the waters.

A usual day for Blazo’s family until their unica hija, Ysabelle, unconsciously questioned her father’s work of living.

Love makes differences. Everyone deserves love. Time will come when one person holds your hand -- the one who will give you enough reason to let go of everything; the one who sees all your weaknesses. But what if that person you love will never be yours? Do you think you can still give more? Will you fight for a love you know you will not win? Is love supposed to be mutual? Will you give up when the reason no longer answers your biggest why?

A lady leaves her boyfriend behind to go to the big city and try her luck in movies. There, she falls for her co-actor and gets pregnant. The actor doesn't want to take responsibility so she returns to her hometown, uncertain of her future.

A young woman and her two children travel during the Covid-19 pandemic to reach her husband in her home country. A journey through lock downs and human rights violation.

Life in time of normalized killings and impunity is numbing. We fall in line, in random order, as we get busy living or dying.

Jake, a typical office worker spends most of his time either overworking or resting in his room, while his parents continue with their respective duties, preparing meals and maintaining the house. However, a certain gloominess fills the home and his days pass by in a blink of an eye. Until one day, something triggers a distorted memory and we see Jake in his true form.

A man is torn between two lovers: a gay man who has been supporting him for years, and a woman he feels real passion for. Things unravel quickly as jealousy comes into play.

Niño Muhlach and Hero Bautista were dutiful, loyal cops. They were also inept and were the main headaches of the police force of Baguio City. It was the luck of these bumblers, though, to stumble on a major case which had its origin in China.

A young boy narrates some scenes from his uncle’s rural wedding.

Jen, a daughter of a poor farmer really wants to go to school. Unfortunately, his father do not want to support her. Monica, a young rebel heard what happened and invited Jen to join the rebel movement, in exchange of helping her with her dream. When Jen arrives at the rebel camp, she realised that it was not the education she expected.

A simple, free-spirited farmer, barrio folk, Inut, yearned for an adventure, an escape. Drawn into "a world" driven by his desires, his frustrations, his fantasies.

A war between government and ISIS-affiliated jihadists in Marawi, Philippines, forced hundreds of thousands to flee from their homes. After the war, residents struggle to rebuild their homes and lives in a deformed city. The film unfolds as an emotional journey weaving together the stories of its protagonists over a period of two years. Displaced couple Yusop and Farhanna and their children yearn for freedom, income, and comfort after returning to their city. But even to return to normalcy is already a struggle. Nancy, a once wealthy woman, has to cope with her loss of home in an evacuation shelter where she will have to remain for years. An anonymous driver with striking insights shuttles back and forth between places and stories around a city which will never be the same again.

siti drayber (City Driver) retells the day-to-day experiences of city drivers in Manila. They tell stories of estrangement, aspirations, love affairs, friendship and the difficulties of surviving in Manila’s busiest streets.

Toto and his father lives in an island where the primary source of their livelihood is the ocean. He loves diving with his father because he wants to learn how to fish, dive and be one with the ocean. One afternoon as Toto and his father were diving, a group of fishermen throw dynamites around them. They hurriedly go home. Curious toto asks his father why they have to arise from the water if there are dynamite fishers. His father explains that some dynamite fishers are careless and that fishes swim away because of the noise so they have to arise because they have nothing to catch and they were in danger. Toto still continues to go with his father in the middle of the ocean. As Toto’s father dives, he notices that the ocean was too noisy and when he arises too early Toto asks him why. His father explains that perhaps the ocean was too noisy because it is either angry or happy.

For fear of being rejected as a transgendered woman, an overseas Filipino worker father hasn't returned to her family in 10 years. One day, she finally gets the courage to come home. Is she going to be accepted by her family?

A short film from Sagay National High School - Negros Occidental.

A young girl tells the story of her home street.

Joshua Chan is a 17-year-old closet gay who suffers from self-loathing. Reserved, distant and always anxious nobody really knows him until he writes a story, revealing his inner self.

A humorous but serious film about the "GARBAGE" in our country.

John Torres repurposes documentary footage captured from the sets of various Filipino productions (including the likes of Lav Diaz and Erik Matti) into an eerie, elliptical sci-fi narrative about human avatars controlled by apps.

Agustin Vergeire, a lustful sepak takraw player, is badly injured causing paralysis in his lower part of the body. He is taken good care of by his caregiver, Carlito Mariposa, who is set to marry his girlfriend. The two, however, develop an unlikely attraction to each other and things get complicated as Carlito discovers his true self.

This heart-wrenching documentary looks back on the collapse of the Hyatt Terraces Hotel, as told by witnesses and survivors of the 1990 Baguio City Earthquake

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This is a story about Ram who is a discreet but promiscuous gay guy who frequents malls, bars and third-run theaters in search of a sex partner until he meets Jay who works as a truck driver and falls madly in love.

1988 film

An outcast college student strikes an unlikely friendship with a street-smart cigarette vendor with a shared passion for poetry.

A short animated film about Martial Law in the Philippines.

On unearthing the identity that we've buried in the efforts to level ourselves with cultures that are not our own: In the struggle to move forward, we’ve been misled into situations causing us to be pitted against one another, and ultimately we end up losing our land, our way of life, and our identity. Yet our rich and beautiful culture is still inside of us is just waiting to be heard. If only we could realize that acknowledging and learning from our roots could contribute greatly to attain true liberation and proper development as a nation.

A slice-of-life workplace comedy following the lives of technical support call center agents in the span of six months. Speaking with a fake American accent is a prerequisite for the job. This ensemble comedy is an inside look into the maddening, sleep-deprived, caffeine-fuelled lives of those who ply their trade in the call center industry.

A straightforward story of a grandfather and grandchild who work as fishermen in Bacoor, Cavite.

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.

Goodbye Philippines surveys an undead landscape, textured by phantoms. It is as if this feeling of a legacy regards tradition and cultural custom as memories repossessed by the setting.

On his first day as a beggar, Jepoy is dropped off on the streets as his new life working under syndicates begin.

Official entry to the first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1985 directed by Willie Milan and starred Anthony Alonzo, Charito Solis, Gina Alajar, Tommy Abuel, George Estregan, Raoul Aragonn, Juan Rodrigo, Rex Lapid, Daria Ramirez, Fred Moro, and Roi Vinzons.

Official entry to the first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1984 directed by Jose Antonio Alonzo and starred Anthony Alonzo, Marianne dela Riva, Fred Montilla, Tita Munoz, Alicia Alonzo, Max Alvarado, Joonee Gamboa, Renato del Prado, and Rodolfo 'Boy' Garcia.

Official entry to the first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1981 directed by Eddie Rodriguez and starred Charito Solis, Dindo Fernando, Elizabeth Oropesa, Chanda Romero, and Gina Alajar.

Official entry to the first Metro Manila Film Festival in 1979 directed by Cirio H. Santiago and starred Charito Solis and Vilma Santos.

The filmmaker is fairly young, otherwise you could say this extremely long film is Khavn’s life's work. Because it is so long and the maker is Filipino, you might think he is following in the footsteps of Lav Diaz, but this is very different, more experimental, documentary-surrealistic cinema. A collection of images like Jonas Mekas also makes, although Manila is not New York. Khavn started shooting this diary 22 years ago, and in the course of time he has made recordings with all sorts of cameras, from analogue video8 via mini-DV to iPhone. He does not present the recordings in chronological order, however.

A horror story about a fortune teller who used to betray all her clients then eventually haunt her down...

After a series of unpleasant events in her life, Pascalina receives news that her Aunt Taba is dying but cannot do so unless she passes on a curse. Pascalina visits her dying aunt thinking that the news is only a big joke. But Pascalina begins to experience changes in her life that will push her to the edge of madness and monstrosity.

Built around found stories of relatives, acquaintances and even strangers, this documentary paints a compelling portrait of a gay OFW who lives in Paris for 25 years and dies there alone.

Short film by Raya Martin, published as part of After Cinema Words, a project considering the work of director Carlos Reygadas, here responding to a still image from the 2005 film Battle In Heaven.

A long-term couple moves in together, filled with love and hope for their future; as they unpack their new life, unspoken tensions and resentments begin to surface, forcing them to confront the cracks in their relationship.

Kat, a wheelchair user, navigates a city where access is improvised and progress remains uneven. Para-Paraan (Finding a Way Through) turns silence into protest, revealing how every workaround conceals a larger truth. Kat’s silence is not defeat but defiance, a quiet hope that someday, resilience will no longer be the only way forward.

The film explores the personal narratives of the Tingguian basket weavers of Uguis, Nueva Era, Ilocos Norte—Indigenous artisans who skillfully craft the iconic baskets. As they navigate the challenges of dwindling resources and the physical demands of their craft, these women embody resilience and cultural pride. In this documentary, we let the baskets speak. We let the souls of the baskets speak. Through their personal stories and the intricate weaving process, including detailed designs, the film highlights how each basket carries generations of Tingguian tradition, ingenuity, and identity. A tribute to the Tingguian weavers, this documentary emphasizes the crucial role of their craft in sustaining their heritage and community in a rapidly changing world.

Alon Likha follows Alvin “Tulala” Vergara, a pioneering Caviteño battle rapper who built a haven for artists through Ingay Likha—until its sudden end forced him to confront the silence left behind.

Forced to flee Gaza, two Filipino-Palestinian mothers recount their repatriation journey to the Philippines and attempt to recreate the concept of home in a land both foreign and familiar.

Lolo Magno, once a celebrated analog photographer, now runs a struggling film processing lab in the midst of the digital era. As he develops film rolls for customers like Roy, a young man dealing with a lingering heartbreak, and Anna, a curious and aspiring analog photographer, Magno finds unexpected moments of connection and quiet introspection.

An experimental film on food, cycles, and life processes.

As her family prepares to welcome an unexpected suitor, a young Filipina must confess to her secret lover that she may be soon bound to an arranged marriage.

In a coastal village in the Philippines, a fishing family struggles as climate change affects their way of life, with rising sea levels, unpredictable weather, and fewer fish. Despite these challenges, the mother stays hopeful because they are next in line to inherit a rare, ancient plant passed down through generations. This plant, seen as a good luck charm, represents strength and hope. Families have gathered around it in hard times, finding comfort and believing it gives them protection, shields them from bad luck, and brings prosperity. To keep the plant alive, they must follow certain rules, as their luck depends on the plant’s health.

Before he runs out of time, struggling working student Nikko will do anything to fulfill his ailing grandma’s wish to see him receive his diploma— even a fake graduation eleganza extravaganza!

Prepare to rush into a special P-pop milestone as the dynamic boys of Alamat celebrate the anniversary of their first major concert. The Magiliws are in for an electrifying performance that only Taneo, Mo, Tomas, R-Ji, Alas and Jao can bring to the stage.

In a world shaped by hardship and resilience, Antonio clings to a simple yet unbreakable hope: that his family’s love and humble labor will help them survive a merciless cycle of poverty and oppression. But as unrest sweeps through their factory, Antonio’s life takes a drastic turn, revealing a hard choice between loyalty and survival.