Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

Cara is on a mission to break the curse that has haunted her family for generations. During her efforts to break the curse and save her family, Cara falls in love.

A famous singer is conscripted and receives training from a barking veteran drill sergeant.

Set against the backdrop of the Philippines Government’s crackdown on illegal drugs, a SWAT-led police force launches an operation to arrest Abel, one of the biggest druglords in Manilla. Police Officer Espino and Elijah, a small-time pusher turned informant, provide the intelligence for the operation which quickly escalates into a violent and heavely-armed confrontation in the slums between the SWAT and Abel’s gang. Before the investigators arrive at the crime scene, Espino and Elijah walk off with Abel’s backpack full of money and methamphetamine.

A film about sexual frustrations, middle-aged problems, workplace tensions, and other challenges that beset married and unmarried couples.

A woman falls in love with a man, but is wronged by him and his brother. She then tries to exact revenge on him, his brother and his new lover.

A big question will leave us with the new series that we will most look forward to…And fate will bring this two individuals from different walks and status of life…..Meet the new characters that we will love in “The Heirs”.

A group of Filipino teenagers survive a plane crash and cope to live in an island.

A horror film starring Nora Aunor and Bianca Umali. Set in Siquijor, a Mananambal is a Filipino practitioner of traditional medicine, who is also capable of performing sorcery.

It’s all about emotion in this small but powerful drama about a father’s search for his missing son in the perilous backstreets of the Philippines

A collection of interwoven stories about life and violence in the Philippines, following a college professor, a university chancellor, a social worker, a police chief, two students, two mothers, and a lawyer.

A 1988 Filipino action film starring Lito Lapid.

This is the first Filipino feature-length film made by a Filipino director regarded as "Father of Filipino Movies" and is now lost forever. Dalagang Bukid is a story about a young flower vendor named Angelita, who is forced by her parents to marry a wealthy old man, Don Silvestre, despite her love for Cipriano, a law student.

The story of three siblings and their 28-year old stepfather. Lily believes that her stepfather caused the death of their mother. Rose, who has a strong personality, always speaks her mind . Sunny, who is gay, likes his best friend Dino, but Dino has a crush on Sunny's stepfather .

Two women who are unrelated and have never met but very much alike found their lives intertwined when people close to them mistook them for one another. Angela Pelayo was an innocent girl from the province trying to find a better life with a good job in the city while Anita Cornejo was a prostitute and girlfriend of a cold-hearted pimp. Both their lives are in danger but only one will be saved.

A story about an agent named Genghis Bond who was sent on a mission, the criminals mistook a coffin salesman who looked like Genghis Bond and held him captive now Genghis Bond needs to act like the salesman to safeguard his identity.

A professional horror movie extra prepares for her first ever acting award nomination.

Mr. Zerrudo is the newest teacher at Jodie’s school. Unfortunately, Jodie discovers that her heartthrob professor transforms into a hideous monster. Jodie must find a way to undo the transformations before the school becomes the monster’s prey.

Raymart Santiago stars as the title character of this thrilling biopic that chronicles a local thief’s action-packed reputation by emulating an infamous American gangster. When shady officials try to test him, he makes sure to show them that he’s more than just a namesake.

A film that stars Joseph Estrada, Pilar Pilapil and Rosemarie Gil based on Marcos' war on drugs.

A serial killer preying on unfaithful wives sets his eyes on an investigator's wife. The culprit is a debonair director, whose compulsion to prey on married women stems from a deep psychological trauma.

A 1981 Filipino comedy film starring Nino Muhlach, Sheryl Cruz, Andrea Bautista, Janice de Belen, and Lea Salonga.

Yolly, a flower vendor and her brother Efren, who works as a driver and hired hit man for ruthless money laundering lady Connie, live a hardscrabble and bleak existence in the underbelly of the tourist/fashion district of Manila. Escaping from a violent past from the provinces, the siblings world collide with Connie's gang when Yolly witnesses a rape and murder perpetrated by Connie's son and Efren decides to double cross Connie for her money.

Desperate to win an award, a producer hires real supernatural monsters to act in his horror film — but their fee may not be the bargain he thinks it is.

Digs a no fuss, no frills kind of guy and idealistic achiever Sam who are friends turned lovers turned exes. Their relationship as a couple lasted for almost eight years until they both decided on an amicable breakup.

When Mike's father died, it was a surprise to find out that not only did he leave a family in trouble, he also was having an affair with a former student. Knowing more about her is the surprise of falling for her.

A poet hearkens back to his Philippine village after years abroad in Europe. Horrified to discover that the community has been buried under landslides, he wanders the countryside, reconnecting with friends, lovers, and family whose lives teeter on the brink of destruction.

Released from prison, a woman returns to her village and tries to face the four seasons of her past. The lack of welcome from the villagers, and even her family, leads her into a power that is hidden underneath the fog. Aiming to heal, a sexual assault survivor takes a journey to redefine her own meaning of home, family, and peace.

A teasing love story of naughty girl named Cecil. The story heightened when Venel, the soldier lover of Cecil, was assigned in Mindanao for a military mission. Days passed by, with the absence of his girlfriend's caring heart, he seeks sexual passion and attention with another lass... leaving Cecil with a broken heart and unfulfilled promises. Because of shattered vows, Cecil seeks affection in the persona of Venel's younger brother, James and had a forbidden relationship with a policeman in their town. After a couple of years Venel returned to his hometown wanting to resolve all the troubles he left, he found Cecil's discreet and unfaithful relationships with different men leading him to a discovery of sexual diversion.

A ritual performed by women to invoke the gods to grant the blessing of fertility by dancing around a Balete tree that was already a century old.

A dyslexic playboy falls for a mysterious woman who refuses to tell him her name.

A wealthy client tempts a hack occultist out of retirement.

Butchie sells water and meets Mike and Tess. Mike is framed and imprisoned. After his release, he is challenged to a fight by villains. The movie has a simple plot, action, comedy, and a friendly atmosphere.

A 1983 Filipino sex comedy starring Eddie Garcia.

It's the Holy Week, the end of Lent, a popular time for Filipinos to have a vacation. A young couple travels to Baguio to escape the Metro's summer heat. But before they reach the city proper, their jeep breaks down. Fortunately, they find a transient house with a room to spare. The housekeeper is a mysterious fellow, warm but dreadfully awkward. The couple doesn't mind him though and they even make it an adventure to find out more about their host by asking locals what they know about the house and its keeper. Come Good Friday, the day God dies, they will discover that adventures and vacations don't go well together all the time.

In the world of semi-pro basketball, a beautiful bookie recruits a naïve but promising player to the underworld of game-fixing.

Bad fortune and strange events plague newlyweds (Cristine Reyes, Carlo Aquino) who recently inherited a condominium located in a place many consider unlucky.

"Batas Militar" is a definitive documentary about martial law under the dictatorship of former President Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines.

Ordinary humans led by King Bantayan are being annihilated by the all-powerful evil king Bagulbol and his creatures of the dark. To end their tribulation, mankind’s leaders paid a mercenary with exceptional fighting skills to defend them. That mercenary is Exodus. Nearing their extinction, King Bantayan and the leaders of men dispatched Exodus on a quest to capture five elementals to aid them in the final battle against King Bagulbol.

From the music of UK composer Nainita Desai, Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza crafts a story about a widowed mother who tries to reconcile two brothers feuding over a piece of disputed land in Mindanao. This short film is part of the 2x25 Project of Film Fest Gent and the World Soundtrack Awards. The project commissioned 25 composers to compose a short piece of music, after which 25 filmmakers made short films that are the ultimate symbioses of music and cinematography, fitting completely within the DNA of the festival. The result: 25 exceptional films where the music inspired the form, narrative and texture.

Tired of getting fired from different odd jobs, Roberto "Robin", Ricardo "Ricky" and Rodrigo "Roy" decide to make use of their ability to make people laugh by working as clowns in a carnival.

Celebrating 15 years in showbiz, powerhouse vocalist Sarah Geronimo performs original hits and contemporary favorites at the Araneta Coliseum.

A martial artist finds himself transported to another world where he must battle monsters, evil wizards, zombies, and other threats. Can he save everyone and get back to Earth?

Based on Francisco V. Coching's adventure comics novel, the film tells the story of Fernando (Cesar Ramirez), a handsome and dashing Spanish mestizo who goes back to the Philippines to exact revenge on his father whom he believed abandoned him and his mother Blanquita. There, he discovers the cruel and oppressive colonial government and joins the rebels in the fight against the oppressors as El Indio.

A story of a sad and insecure woman, who feels a need to win in a beauty pageant to prove herself worth and to fulfil her mother dying wish.

Sarah Gonzales, a grade school English teacher, joins the 150,000 Pinoy OFWs working in the United Kingdom to support her husband, Teddy Gonzales, in making a better living for their family. More than just a chronicle of the Filipinos experience working as nurses and caregivers in the UK, this story also charts Sarah's journey to self-discovery from a submissive wife who makes sacrifices for her husband's aspirations to an empowered woman who finds dignity and pride in a humbling job as a caregiver in London.

A plucky middle-class girl gets pregnant out-of-wedlock but refuses to let her misfortunes dampen her spirit and love of life. Against all odds, Rosenda brings up her daughter all by herself, rejecting offers from Robert Cuevas, the father of her baby.

A young man with Asperger's Syndrome falls in love with a sheltered young woman who suffers from Mitral Valve Stenosis, a congenital heart condition. Will his condition cause her demise or will his love be the greatest gift she can ever receive?

Dorina Pineda is a sampaguita vendor idolizing the most famous singing sensation in the country, Lavinia Arguilles. Lavina with her ego getting big, drives away her fans and even her boyfriend Nico Escobar. He later discovers Dorina as a wonderful singer and eventually falls in love with her. A simple die-hard fan at first, Dorina rose to the ranks and become the biggest singing star in the country, even becoming more famous than her idol Lavinia.

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

Myles is a woman in need of sexual healing until she comes across an erotic email sent to her. Echo is a sexually active email sender in search of the ultimate amorous encounter. While in hot pursuit to unravel the identity of her erotic e-mate, she's also bound to discover her hidden carnal creature- her sexual alter ego. As the two become constant chat mates, Myles' lust is finally re-awakened. Aided by the four fundamental elements: fire, water, earth and air, the two delve into amorous experiences far beyond their wildest dreams.

When her sister's pursuit of justice takes an unexpected turn, a young woman finds herself torn between loyalty and vengeance in a world where love and danger collide.

Hendrix dreams of hip-hop greatness, but he’s spiraling down a rabbit-hole of crime and poverty until he meets Doc, an old poet still haunted by his martial law past. Can they turn each other’s lives around before they’re swallowed by their circumstance?

A robbery goes wrong and the bank's teller Josie is abducted by the gunman Angelito Asuncion. A few weeks pass and Josie escapes to tell a tale of terror and mayhem. She asserts to have faked falling for him in order to win his trust while Angelito surfaces to claim otherwise.

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.

This action drama depicts the political development of one of the most celebrated leaders of the New People's Army "Ka Dante" or Bernabe Buscayno, who availed of the Aquino goverment's political amnesty program.

Three generations of women whose lives are connected by blood and fate as they cope with relationships with men. Bea is an architect who has just got promoted but this professional success exposes her husband's insecurity. Alex is the teen-aged daughter of Bea who enters into an abusive relationship with a boyfriend. Adora is the newly widowed mother of Bea who is about to come to terms with facing life alone.

Manila, Philippines. The loving American father Louis Halliburton desperate attempts to save his son from ruthless kidnappers. He is unable to do it alone and so calls up his wife's former lover, an ex-FBI agent to assist. Unfortunately, the former agent is devious and greedy. Fortunately, his new girlfriend Chrisitine Hall isn't.

50's melodies provide the soundtrack to this classic that had fans swooning and rooting for their respective idols, eventually rolling down the aisles towards the riotous ending.