Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

This story follows a young woman returning from the city to her provincial hometown. She expects a comforting homecoming but instead finds tension with her mother who fails to recognize the present and different version of her. Driven by anger that is hard to place, this prompts her to experiment with experience and identity. As anger recedes, she makes an effort to reconcile with her mother. By the time she leaves for the city, a sense of connection to home returns to her. For even when they struggle to fully translate each other’s language for identity and love, they are, after all, home for each other.

My Fellow Heroes

A recently deceased teen meets other ghosts at a nearby convenience store. The three of them learn about each other’s horrifying deaths which seems to be all caused by the same entity.

To save his village from hunger, Datu Anoy challenges the laws of nature - only to face a forest that fights back, echoing the forgotten wisdom of his ancestors.

A clinical assessment in a rural rice shed forces a psychology student to confront the disconnect between western psychometrics and the daily survival of a Filipino farmer.

In a land where the sea rises and hope sinks, families fight a daily battle against polluted waters—crafting desperate solutions to survive. This documentary reveals their resilience, their sorrow, and the undeniable cost of climate change.

A student becomes the target of a bully whose harsh behavior is rooted in a troubled past.

Stealing her from the present and her love—petrichor—triggers the shower of nostalgia, overwhelming the rhythm of her dance. Rain, a contemporary dancer, is dedicated to competing in her school’s contest; she preserves her memories by writing them on stones ritually—yet they only come alive when she rereads them. As her past and present blur, will she remember who she truly danced with?

A poetic documentary that follows the quiet grief of two brothers during gulgol, an Ilocano post-burial cleansing ritual in flowing water, as their mourning mirrors a community confronting drought and the slow disappearance of the river that sustains them.

This documentary compares the traditional way of life of the Tingguian people with their modern-day experiences. It explores old customs, daily life, beliefs, and livelihoods, and contrasts them with how things are now, shaped by tech, education, and social changes. The film shows how tradition and modernity coexist, highlighting the challenges and adaptations the Tingguian community faces in preserving their identity.

After returning to his dorm following the holidays, a quiet college student spends an ordinary day restocking food and walking through town with a friend, while silently carrying the weight of a loss he has yet to confront.

A daughter’s search for validation transforms into a cultural rediscovery as she uncovers the legacy of her father, ‘Uncle Pete’—a veteran radio personality, from humble beginnings but whose prime-time dramas, once conceived as a Catholic evangelization program, became a lasting voice of Christian values and community identity for generations of Cordillera highlanders as well as the Ilocandia lowlanders.

A hopeful taklobo collector sets out to gather these rumored treasures, dreaming of newfound riches. But the question remains: can he turn his haul into the fortune he seeks?

Seemingly lost Bruce Lee parody filmed 'mostly' in colour!

Set against the controversy of a ₱500 Noche Buena, overlapping voices from officials, activists, celebrities, and ordinary Filipinos accompany a set of footage of a slowly collapsing inflatable Santa, mirroring the collapse of dignity, hope, and illusion in a nation struggling to survive.

An annual tradition of advertising: politicians appearing everywhere on the streets, but does their smile and their colours truly reflect their real intentions? The experimental film captures the perspectives of those who have lost hope through broken promises and repeated disappoint-ments. In a tiring cycle of posters, parades, and campaign pledges, the longing for change is manipulated. The film serves as a cautionary commentary: it calls on viewers to question critically, choose consciously, and remain true to their own truth. At its core lies the question of whether power truly serves the people – or if self-serving motives hide behind the smiles.

The film follows two drag queens whose unbreakable bond is tested when one of them suddenly goes silent. As they navigate the vibrant world of drag and the weight of unspoken pain, the film explores identity, friendship, and the silent battles we carry.

A detective, revisiting his memories of an unsolved murder case he investigated with his partner ten years ago, is still searching for the suspect.

As unspoken emotions rise and past choices echo through the present, the film explores the weight of love, guilt, and unresolved expectations within a home. Inspired by real accounts, it offers a heartfelt reflection on the complexities of family—and the longing to be seen, heard, and healed."

A year after the war, a girl was reminded by her deceased mother.

A student journalist clashes over a spiked article in her upcoming issue—torn in unearthing the truth or obeying the restraint that threatens her voice.

Orphaned writer Imaw and his uncle Baste grapple with the weight of injustice, bringing a painful end to a bond that was never truly whole to begin with.

Lolo Andres tells his grandson, Nonoy, that an ancient prophecy is starting to unfold. The seas will burn and rise. The land will dry up, the animals will vanish, and man will live his last days breathing the dark air of an impending apocalypse.

A local farmer and an old pancit cook from Tuguegarao City, recalls the modifications in the ingredients of the local noodle delicacy that reveals a story of adaptation, progress and the impacts of climate change.

As he declutters his house for a move, a grieving man faces the ghosts tied to his belongings.

A young man comes home to Manila after time abroad and recounts his past with his city from years ago.

Following the lives of environmental defenders in the Philippines as they continue to fight for justice amidst the country's growing culture of impunity.

Myra is a bright and energetic girl who dreams about flying over the city- playing with a bird similar to her favorite stuffed toy. However, something small and black keeps on following her.

The legendary hero of the Philippine jungles who championed justice against tyrannies and oppression during the Spanish era.

Nico, a reclusive, anxiety‑stricken writer, struggles under his overworked sister’s care. As a deadline looms, he retreats into vivid visions of a sunlit meadow—his one refuge slipping reality away. His script unnervingly begins to echo his fractured life, pushing him deeper into madness. Determined, he fights through the turmoil to complete the story. But when he types the final word, the silence that follows is unnerving—like the ending he feared has already arrived.

As a man discovers the truth about what he thought was a reality in the midst of Fake News and abuse of power, his roommate is more than contradictory to what he has to say.

Among petals and tree trunks, a young woman’s curiosity blossoms, only to find herself searching for something deeper than touch.

In a nation where thousands of seafarers set sail for a better life, some never return.

A dedicated teacher braves a 28km motorcycle ride, treacherous lake crossing, and grueling hike to reach her Aeta students, determined to break the cycle of poverty through education.

In hopes of building a closer relationship, a girl sits down with her mother, seeking to hear her experiences and aspirations growing up. What starts as a revisit of her mother’s past turns into a revelation about love and the weight of unspoken needs.

Living in a world where justice and punishment is inescapable, a group of men boldly executed a heist in need of money. Fearing a vigilante in the midst, to punish them.

A trio of college students in Indang, Cavite, relearn the definition of desire as they try to live with their new enigmatic boardmate.

An ordinary, ingenuous expert along the street of Quiapo's Hidalgo serves as an advocate for a traditional art seemingly eclipsed by a single flick.

A trio of lifelong friends sets out for the city with big dreams and only a thousand in hand. Can they survive, or will the thousand test their dreams and friendship?

Two individuals ask questions about life and death over a game of beer pong.

A short documentary tracing the journey of the Filipino jeepney—once a cultural icon, now caught between tradition and modern reform. USAD captures the shift through the eyes of those who live it, revealing the quiet cost of progress.

Ambitious and driven, Solano excels in everything he tries but struggles to master anything. As the pressure to succeed builds, his world begins to unravel, leading him to question what truly matters.

"Sampit sa Kahayag" tells the story of Hannah, a teenage girl silently struggling with abuse and trauma. On the verge of giving up, a day spent with her close friends Carlene and Joaqui reminds her that she’s not alone. Through shared laughter and quiet concern, Hannah finds the courage to speak up and seek help proving that even small moments can save a life.

A stop-motion short film by Cole Matthew D. Navarro.

The sounds of the busy city start to merge with the environment, before consuming the city whole.

Displaced by martial law, a mother tells her daughter a shadow puppet story about a monster, only for their terrifying tale to turn to reality and must confront their darkest fears.

i made an overlapping series of clips of the road along with the other vehicles

On a quiet summer night in a bustling city, Art, a passionate singer with a soulful voice, finds himself drawn to a small café where he decides to serenade the crowd. Among the listeners is Jillian, a beautiful woman whose heart is quietly aching for something more. As Art's melodies float through the air, their eyes meet, sparking an unexpected connection. What begins as a chance meeting under the glow of streetlights unfolds into a magical evening filled with laughter, shared stories, and whispered dreams. With every song and every glance, they discover a rare kind of harmony—one that might just bridge the gaps in their lives. But as dawn approaches, they must ask themselves: can this fleeting night of music and romance lead to something lasting, or will it remain a beautiful memory sung only in their hearts?

Do you ever think about dying?

For generations, the rugged slopes of Hapao stood as an unyielding fortress against colonial conquest—until the quiet invasion of modernity began to seep in. The Ifugao people, guardians of a time-honored rice culture and masters of intricate woodcraft, now find themselves at a crossroads. As waves of tourists spill in from the gateway city, ancient traditions begin to fade like carvings left to weather. The elders who once held the stories are vanishing, while the youth drift toward apathy. In the face of this cultural unraveling, the tribe mounts an unexpected resistance—not with spears or shields, but with cameras. Kidlat de Guia’s Tribal Videos is both an archive and an alarm: a tapestry of grassroots filmmaking that captures not just what remains, but what must endure.

Acting as a 24-minute time capsule of Baguio’s art scene throughout the years 1988 to 1998, the short film presents short snippets of artists’ daily lives through market runs and group gatherings.

Around 30 years ago, In the mist of Baguio’s mountains, a troubled teenage girl, Mira, struggles to suppress her special abilities through medicine — dulling her true self. The strict control of Helen, her mother, strokes the fragile bond shared by their family of two. As family traumas surface, their clash unleashes a force that threatens to destroy not just their relationship but everything around them.

In the quiet of prayer, three girls wait for the blood that might set them free.

In a spacious classroom, Ms. Canlas, a calm and collected 15-year-old teacher in a small frame, teaches a class of unruly middle-aged students, clad in crisp private school uniforms, about the danger of rising sea levels demonstrated with a miniature city model and a ruler. As Ms. Canlas teaches, she steps on an opened water bottle spilling water. She questions her class, but most of them are unresponsive. She tries to leave the room to get a helper to clean it but when she tries to open the door, the doorknob seems to jam. Leaving her no choice but to leave the wet spot on the floor as it is.

As relentless heatwaves and prolonged drought plague the Philippines, Ava, an aswang who has vowed to consume only animal meat, faces a moral crisis as food scarcity pushes her to consider surrendering to her predatory nature.

Grieving the loss of his friend, Mark discovers a commercial for "Pheus", a pill that gives you the ability to take control of your dreams. Are you ready for a trip of a lifetime?