Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

A war hero forced to participate in a smuggling ring meets a prostitute in the postwar ruins of Manila.

This is the life story of Mother Ignacia del Espiritu Santo, a Chinese-Filipina nun who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Religious of the Virgin Mary.

When a military plane is shot down in uninhabited jungle in an unknown Asian country, the men aboard have to contend with a mysterious house which, once entered, proves difficult to leave.

A professional killer working for corrupt Naval officials travels to Los Angeles where he finds himself double crossed and targeted for death.

About an antique shop where the pieces of the furniture each have their own stories from the past. The new owners get their little piece of horror. Aleli purchases an antique bed, not realizing that its previous owner of the bed is out to claim her son. A couple purchased an antique cabinet where a young man died inside before. An independent woman gets a possessed dresser out to take her soul.

After the death of her mother, a young girl had to face all sorts of hardships including mistreatment from an abusive father and stepmother. She ultimately decides to run away to get away from it all. Will she find true peace?

In the 1970s, a widow in a remote village takes over her husband’s barber shop. She becomes the laughing stock of the male-dominated community and in the process discovers freedom and liberation.

Made pregnant by Ric, Estella was forced to marry his mentally disabled younger brother, Val, to save herself from the shame of having an illegitimate child. But what was intended as a marriage of convenience became a fulfilling relationship that eventually opened the eyes and hearts of everybody to the beautiful soul hidden inside the young man nobody wanted.

Mark is a high school senior who makes a personal problem out of his parents break-up when his mother leaves home for another woman. The thought of being the butt of jokes for "having two fathers" horrifies him. All these worries and angst take the backseat when a new teacher comes to campus. Her name is Connie and she is an instant hit among the boys. It is love at first sight for Mark. However, Connie has an affair with Vincent, a married man.

Greg, tormented by his desire for his wife to bear a son turns to his student Tessie, fresh from a heartbreaking love affair with another young student, welcomes a more mature relationship and madly falls in love with Greg. Complications ensue.

A young college student is in a heated affair with his college professor. He attempts revenge after being stricken with grief and resentment by his professor's mother, and takes revenge on his professor's now settled family only to obtain her for himself

In World War II veteran Lolo Melo enjoys regaling his grandson Jobert with war stories, one of which includes Lolo's participation in burying the famed Yamashita treasure. When Jobert heads to Manila to unearth the cache, little does he know that he has competition: A shadowy G-man and a soldier of fortune are also in pursuit of the loot.

A loving but impoverished grandmother of an autistic child tragicomically loses everything and turns into someone society reckons her to be.

A former student activist returns to the Philippines to find the daughter she was forced to leave behind.

Tam, a diligent wedding venue staffer, discovers her husband’s affair on live TV. Rather than confronting him, she enlists a powerful spell master to win back his love. Tam’s daughter, Ha, pours her frustration into vivid fantasies of a brighter future abroad. Meanwhile, a mysterious House Spirit, visible only to the women, lurks beneath their cracked, leaky ceiling.

A young woman Aileen returns to her hometown in the province after living in the city for several years. As she navigates her complicated relationships with her family and friends, Aileen must confront the harsh realities of her past and the secrets that have haunted her family for years. The film's title, which translates to "Dirt on the Skin," refers to the painful memories and secrets that the characters carry with them.

Masarap ba ang bawal: Directed by Roland Ledesma. With Pyar Mirasol, Mike Magat, JC Castro, Camille Roxas.

"Puso 3" is a digital trilogy: "Lost and Found", "Siklo" and "Kulam". "Lost and Found," is an off-beat, out-of-the-ordinary story about a unique journey and surreal realizations. It's a quirky comedy about missing persons, "accepting the bizaare and discovering the nature of the people close to you during stressful moments." "Siklo," on the other hand, is an inspiring tale of optimism. It tackles domestic violence, with the victim joining a support group whose leader the victim becomes close to, sharing her heartaches and desires with her. A striking twist will make the victim realize that her life need not end in despair, knowing that after each love lost, life goes on. "Kulam," is a mystic and intriguing story about love and black magic.

An epic action-fantasy drama rooted in the soul of Cagayan, Philippines. Hawil, a warrior consumed by guilt after killing his own brother, embarks on a harrowing journey in search of redemption. Along the way, he confronts ancient forces, painful truths, and monsters... both real and internal that threaten to break him. Hawil learns that healing comes not from forgetting the past, but in accountability, self-forgiveness, and transformation.

When a mysterious train accident forces a man to change his plans, he is confronted with a series of choices. Each decision he makes leads to a different scenario, each one filmed by a different director with a different cast.

Sikil tells the story of two men and a woman who are involved in a bizarre love triangle. These three friends grew up in a small town south of Manila. Enzo is a young closet gay prostitute who's obsessed with his childhood friend who happens to be a call-boy and has a girlfriend. Other interesting characters are the bi-sexual pimp, a regular bathhouse customer, and a sampaguita vendor-pickpocket-shoplifter and caretaker of Adong's daughter.

When a kidnapping goes wrong, a desperate father risks everything to save his daughter from the men who hold her captive.

Macky Galvez is a depressed young man contemplating why he had several failed relationships. Galvez meets Ces Bricenio, a modern-day woman who is afraid of commitment.

Stealing a middle-class woman’s smartphone is the biggest mistake in the petty-criminal life of Jestoni "Jess" Biag . It not only gets him locked up and waterboarded, but also gives him a crash-course in the workings of the deeply corrupt system personified by his nemesis Inspector Domingo. The phone’s memory contains an embarrassing video, which makes the owner Grace Rosuello determined to get it back; her persistence lands Jess in custody.

Kimmy and Dora (both Eugene Domingo) are identical twins but are as different as night and day. Kimmy is the smart, dictatorial type while Dora is the slow, dumb-wit sister. Kimmy has always been jealous of her sister as Johnson (Dingdong Dantes), the man she really likes, only has eyes for Dora. All hell breaks loose when their father(Ariel Ureta) gets a heart attack and makes Dora the majority owner of their family business if in case he dies. Kimmy thinks this is unfair and gets the help of their lawyer Harry (Baron Geisler) to take care of "business". A misunderstanding brings forth a plan to kill Dora but they kidnap Kimmy instead. Now Kimmy must find a way to get away from her captors while Dora must act as her tough sister and control their corporation in order to hide the truth from their father.

A kung fu master battles an evil snake queen and her army of savage little people.

A rich mining baron threatens the peace of a small town in the Cordilleras by opening a mine on sacred ancestral land of the Maranggani tribe. Local police chief Ricardo and his team of native cops stand up to the baron and his goons to reclaim their homeland.

#WriteToLove (2025) is a documentary that travels the meaning of writing as an artistic expression of love. Creative views are featured from Dir. Joel Ferrer, Mr. Troy Spirit, and Bb. Noreen Capili, reflecting the power of writing to express emotion, inspire, and build a connection.

A coming of age story of a fishpen boy who is learning to dream big, triggered by his sexual awakening from his boss’ new lover. He starts to find ways to elope with the woman. But his dreams will only produce devastating results, not only for him but also for people around him.

Tragedy strikes when the helicopter that Nickis riding suddenly crashed in a remote island and authorities reported no survivor. The apparent death of Nick caused great grief to Vanessa, a socialte already betrothed to the young man. On the remote island, Nick meets Dr. Mallari, a marine biologist. Because of his memory loss, Nick introduces himself as Darwin. Dr. Mallari takes Darwin to his home where he introduces his daughter, Diosa, a beautiful painter. Darwin admits that he cannot recall his past and Diosa initially doubted his story. However, as time passes by, the two develop feelings for each other and have a child together. Darwin becomes involved in another accident that triggers the return of his past memories. He remembers that he is a wealthy businessman named Nick who is about to marry his beloved girlfriend Vanessa. With the return of his memory, Darwin's identity as well as Diosa and their child no longer exist in Nick's recollection.

Daniel and Cynthia, a young couple with a child on the way, experience some hard times in Manila. They head back to Baguio, where Daniel is originally from, to start over again. Through the kindness of Alex, Daniel's well-to-do childhood friend, they get to stay in a large house, rent-free; and he gets a job offer as well. Everything seems to be falling into place for them - or so they think - until strange things start to happen in their house.

This is a dramedy that tackles the friendship of five ageing prostitutes who live together in an old house despite their ripe age, they continue being sex trade workers along the bridge that serves as a hang-out spot for customers who are oftentimes tagged as “outcasts”. the story unfolds from the viewpoint of dalena, the central character. by day, she works as an albularyo (traditional healer) outside church, but works as hooker by nighttime. they say she is possessed by mary magdalene. in the midst of their struggles, we get to see how the five friends tackle. life has never been any easy for them… but they live on for the better.

Cult Filipino spoof of the classic 1987 sci-fi action film 'Robocop'

In three tales of extreme horror, a young couple hires a mysterious nanny for their baby; a young woman discovers that her sister has been dead and been made alive again; and a student unwittingly brings home from a beach field trip the egg of an alien monster.

The big, brawling story of a crooked man, an honest man, and a young man called Batang Matadero.

A neglected and unloved orphan raised by poor relatives in the slums of Manila is wrongfully convicted of murder that resulted from a heist he was compelled to join. Unable to prove his innocence and his minor age, he is thrown into the cruel, perilous and horrifying world of death row where he is introduced to other inmates all awaiting their execution by lethal injection. One of them is a 70-year-old man who detests the jungle of jail and is feared by all the convicts. He would serve as the boy’s protector and savior and in the process touch and shape enormously the violated youth’s life in prison and beyond.

Ana and Alex fall in love in nostalgic Ilocos. But their individual dreams and responsibilities get in the way of their relationship.

A biopic movie based on the titular figure.

Seven friends with different backgrounds face their respective problems to join a talent competition.

Rica has been very protective of her sister Cecil even giving up her one true love Bong JC de Vera for her sisters future and after a freak accident 8 years ago at their little Party store for Fireworks, but as they grow up under the care of their grandmother Gina Pareño their parents comeback Tonton Gutierrez and Cherry Pie Picache as they comeback and they are all grown up Rica has a fear that she's losing Cecil's love as a sister and who raised her like a parent, and even falling in love for Edzel Luis Manzano will the sisters grow apart after having people come into their lives?

Loosely based on a rape case that happened to two sisters in Cebu, Visayas, Philippines in late 1990s.

A faithless Filipino American FBI agent comes to the Philippines to bury his estranged Father but gets tangled in a case where a serial killer is murdering people according to the Stations of the Cross.

A mentally-challenged guy was put into trial after allegedly raping his teacher. And as Amanda, Julian, and Ronald try to mount a convincing defense, they discover soon that they're all connected in more ways than just the case.

The film, set in the 1980s, is centred upon a young student, from 1982 as a freshman and ending in 1986. The background is the last years of Martial Law in the Philippines where the Marcos dictatorship was at its peak.

The night before their huge fan meet, a group of influencers and content creators gather for a collab in a luxurious mansion, but as the night wears on, they discover that two of their own are shape-shifting monsters with a taste for human flesh.

Living near the American military-controlled Clark Air Base, Corazon de la Cruz dreams of a better life in America until the unspeakable happens.

Two filmmakers try to create a film venturing on the life of Jose Rizal. Before they do that, they try to investigate on the heroism of the Philippine national hero. Of particular focus is his supposed retraction of his views against the Roman Catholic Church during the Spanish regime in the Philippines which he expressed primarily through his two novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The investigation was done mainly by "interviewing" key individuals in the life of Rizal such as his mother Teodora Alonso, his siblings Paciano, Trinidad, and Narcisa, his love interest and supposed wife Josephine Bracken, and the Jesuit priest who supposedly witnessed Rizal's retraction, Fr. Balaguer. Eventually, the two filmmakers would end up "interviewing" Rizal himself to get to the bottom of the issue.

Life turns riveting for Nanong when the tabloid-format reality TV show, AKIN ANG KORONA chances upon his curious life in a sleepy seaside town in Catanauan Quezon. Nanong agrees to film his daily life drying herring, with a deal that they would help find his lost father. Nanong’s quest for a missing parent will become a search of truth, of wonder, of the self-wrapped in the direction framed for and by the TV program.

Trining and Mario are a young married couple who are happy with their lives. However, Aling Badang, the titular mother-in-law who did not laugh, is very serious all the time. Will she ever feel happiness and laughter or just become frowning serious woman forever?

Ayra comes home to bury her dead father and later discovers that her family's estate had been taken over by Edwin, her childhood sweetheart and the son of their former overseer. Though terribly disappointed, she agrees to marry Edwin just so she could keep her hands on what was supposed to be inheritance

The directors want to shoot a film about a man known as the son of god. But what starts out as a practical joke, extends to become a curious portrait of what could either be a petty fraud or the world’s most secret miracle. A film crew tracks his bizarre pilgrimage as magic and religion, faith and doubt, real and unreal blur and melt to the point that one of the director becomes one of the characters. The film traverses all descriptions, before ending as both an affirmation of faith for the faithless and a criticism of faith for the overly faithful.

The story of the Filipina domestic helper who was hanged in Singapore for allegedly killing her fellow maid is chronicled in a film that operates on various personal, social, and political levels. Both controversial and critically acclaimed, it has brought Nora Aunor numerous citations for her intense portrayal as the fallen heroine of the story.

Tales of young, romantic love intertwine and reflect both the idealism and the naivete of youth.

Honey and Sweet, a Filipino mother and daughter arrive in Copenhagen, uncertain of what the trip might lead to, but Sweet certainly does not trust her mother's Danish fiance, Fergus.

A group of unsuspecting teens are menaced by assorted creatures from Philippine mythology. The screen eventually becomes a virtual peep-through Jurassic Park of horrifying creatures from the netherworld.

‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎

An accidental affair leads to an extraordinary story of a unique family set up where the two characters play mother to the same child.

"Ninja Party" is a coming of age story of two teenage coeds who find themselves in a comprising situation when they get involved in secret debauchery.

After the hero Julio Valiente was ambushed by Señor Escobar, there was no stopping him from being the head of San Basilio and thereby claiming all the lands, when people are tired of his doings a new Julio Valiente appeared in the person of Islaw and saves San Basilio from the tyrant hands of Señor Escobar.