Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

Upon her retirement from being a school teacher, a mother slowly realizes that her children are already grown-up and she now is faced with the dilemna of being part of their lives

An innocent child Yumi is suddenly introduced to the world of womanhood when she witnesses her older sister Chloe feel pain in her body.

A man leaves his children to his older sister when he goes to Saudi Arabia to work. The sister maltreats the children, so they all leave her home.

Tomas Padilla and his men are sent on a mission that turns out to be a personal vendetta by General Montalban against a governor. When it does not go as planned, Montalban sets them up as the perpetrators of the death of the governor to the media.

A high school princess is cursed by the geek whose affections she toyed with.

Based on the popular comics by Mars Ravelo, Roberta is a battered child taking care of his brother in an impoverished setting.

The film explores the sexual awakening and coming-of-age journey of a young woman named Niña. Growing up in a small town with her repressed mother, Turing, and her permissive, aging grandmother, Senyang, Niña begins to explore her sexuality. This includes both a lesbian relationship with her classmate Elsa and a subsequent charged, romantic tension with a newly arrived man named Ariel.

The lives of the three Soriano brothers, Dennis, Chip, and Jeff, changed when Atty. Aga Agaton informed them that they would inherit the fortune of their grandfather, who was based in the United States. However, to claim their inheritance (according to the will), the brothers must graduate from high school, and if not, the lawyer would claim it instead.

After the Coronavirus pandemic impairs the world, a spirited couple finally unite for a new life in Canada. A recovering economy deals financial trouble for the two, fueling a desperate collusion with an old friend. Death cases rise in their new hometown as authorities investigate.

A Batman takeoff.

Stuck at a crossroad, will Malaya fight for the love she found, or will she choose to set her heart free?

A film based on a real life story of children ages 10-15 years old being used by a syndicate for underground wrestling.

A girl lives alone in a rural area of the Philippines and works as a prostitute. Many of the male villagers in the area want to have sex with her or have crushes on her, and most of them barge their way into her house and assault her, where, after 30 seconds or so, she gives in and has sex with them, which she appears to enjoy greatly. One of the boys has a crush on her, and gets mad when she continues her job as a prostitute, and tries to get her to give it up.

Two amateur ghost hunters are hired to surveil an alleged haunted house. Nothing much happens. But just because you can’t see the patterns of strangeness, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

Empoy, a young Filipino who inherits powerful alien battle armor from his dying father, the original Combatron, to defend Earth from alien invaders like the tyrannical Death Metal and his robot army, guided by his robot dog Askal.

A story about two brothers, one deep in the underworld with his gun, his fists, and his hate the other atop the world with his songs, his music, and his beat.

This story revolves around a smart student named Guia Sison (Julie Ann Fortich) who is moving heaven, earth and hell just to reach her goal. Guia happened to be Lydia's (Boots Anson-Roa) favorite student and Larry's (Eddie Rodriguez) lover and tutor who teaches her the sanctity of love-making.

Shh.h.h.h.h. You shouldn't tell Nenita's got a CRUSH on Manding.

A grandfather is on the brink of bankruptcy and brings his grandchildren back to the community that made nd shaped him, only to find that the place is no longer the same.

Claire is a young interim doctor in a provincial hospital. Once, she encountered a female patient who is suspected of carrying a deadly flu virus. Afterward, she began to experience demonic visions, eventually, one demon entered her and began to take control on her. Claire's aunt brings her to Father Ronnie, who evidently was Claire's ex-boyfriend. Their relationship rekindles as they battle the demons out of Claire's body.

Twins Anton and Elmo form an uneasy truce to take down big time smuggler Laroza and his henchmen.

Adapted from the komiks serial by Carlo J. Caparas, this film is about the fugitive, the singer, and the song that sparked their passion. A man escapes prison to kidnap a singer that he has become obsessed with and they embark a passion-filled life on the run.

A story about a group of impoverished people struggling to make ends meet while searching for happiness.

A police goes undercover as an activist in a town in Sierra Madre looking to uncover the leader of the bandits that are wreaking havoc.

An English-speaking manananggal (a malevolent, blood sucking monster) spreads terror in Manila. The manananggal is a Philippines mythical creature described as scary, often hideous, usually depicted as female, and always capable of severing its upper torso and sprouting huge bat-like wings to fly into the night in search of its victims.

A macho dad learns to accept the real identity of his gay son before it gets too late.

A humble provincial girl, Lily, ekes out a living selling flowers in bustling Manila when she musters the courage to present a single bloom to Miguel, a kind-hearted young architect. Their innocent romance blossoms amid family disapproval and the temptations of city life, but when a jealous rival schemes to tear them apart, Lily and Miguel must fight to protect the fragile beauty of their love “because of a flower.”

The film follows the life of Miggy and Laida after their break-up which occurred after the events in the second film. Miggy, is now in a relationship with Belle while Laida is now a fiercer woman after living in the United States. They try to co-exist in the same company while Laida tries to oppose Miggy's business decisions through a series of events which made them realize the real definition of true love.

An adaptation of Sinai Hamada's short story. A Japanese farmer living in the Cordilleras hires a Bontoc woman to work at his farm, and eventually marries her.

The story follows Juan, a beloved businessman in his provincial town known for his countless acts of generosity to others. His heart of gold also caught the attention of the town’s seamstress, Akang, as he becomes her secret admirer—constantly giving her gifts to show his affection which always ends up in silly mishaps.

Andrea Gonzaga is about to marry a man she doesn’t love when a mysterious guest arrives and suddenly reminds her of the man she truly loves.

Sid is a guy who suffers from insomnia. Through the many lonely nights, he meets Aya. Who is she, really? And how will she change Sid’s life?

Jerry, an undercover agent, has successfully infiltrated a bigtime drug syndicate. He gets assigned, however, to liquidate Roselle, the lone witness to a murder. In a dilemma, Jerry has to protect Roselle without blowing his cover.

Despite obvious differences, easy-go-lucky kitchen naive Ronnie (Zanjoe Marudo) and chef restaurateur Benjie (Empoy Marquez) have been best friends since high school. When Benjie decided to put up his own restaurant La Luna Sa Hungry, Ronnie has never left his side – especially now that Benjie has joined in the shady “Kusina King Challenge” to save the restaurant.

Hopeless romatic Cyd met three versions of the same man, until she was in for a rude awakening.

Episode 1: Mahiwagang Banga Decapitated, murdered and buried in the jar, the witch doctor promised to come back and seek revenge... Episode 2: Ang Lalaki sa Salamin Debora longingly believes that at midnight she will see the face of her future husband in a 100 year old mirror. Curious, she chants to a mirror and see Fidel... Episode 3: Mga Laruan ni Kiko, Tito and Toto Kiko, Tito and Toto were trapped in the mall after it closed for the night. Here, Michelle, the mannequin, and Toy Guardians come alive... - Written by cinelamour

Filipino film directed by Jose N. Carreon. Starring Lito Lapid and Ara Mina.

Merlie is a playful girl whose imagination makes her drawings come alive. As her home, their community, faces the threat of demolition, she makes her bravest decisions in her final bid to mark their space in a cruel city.

Circumstances tempt a young carnival worker to take the wrong path in life.

After saving a drowning child 13 feet under the sea, a man has to adapt to living with his developing scales and gills.

Ambush is a 1988 Filipino action film directed by Francis 'Jun' Posadas and written by Jerry O. Tirazona. It stars Ronnie Ricketts, Dick Israel, Sonny Parsons, E.R. Ejercito, Leo Lazaro, Bobby Zshornack, and Beverly Vergel. The film depicts an armed struggle between the New People's Army's Sparrow Unit and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The story of an indigenous Igorot woman who traverses the complex path of life to the playful line of destiny.

A nighttime attempt to sabotage a Japanese munitions store in the little town of Santiago goes wrong when Gonzalo (Fernando Poe, Jr.) discovers that the schoolhouse they are about to blow up is filled with women, old men, and schoolchildren.

When a highschool student Primo Tiñana suddenly goes missing for unknown reasons, his classmates Amara and Nyx take it upon themselves to search for answers. As they dig deeper into his disappearance, they begin to uncover hidden truths and long-buried secrets that connect to Primo in unexpected ways. With suspicions rising and stories starting to clash, the line between truth and rumor becomes increasingly blurred—leaving one question lingering: in a situation where everyone seems to have something to hide, who can truly be trusted?

The first team-up of Richard Gomez and Carmina Villaruel, playing Ardo and Rosel in this action flick, which is at the same time Ishmael Bernal's last film that is an attack on the religious establishment. Together, they become a part of Manila's petty underworld. After all the ordeals they encounter, they realize that they lost their innocence as they brush with evil and corruption. But they still survive the ordeal and make a new life somewhere else.

After moving into his new digs a ratty apartment in a decrepit building Marvin senses that something is amiss. Every night, domestic violence occurs at the home of his neighbors: an alcoholic cop, his wife, Anna, and their daughter, Lara. When bloody apparitions of Anna and Lara flash before Marvin's eyes, he begins to question his sanity in this atmospheric horror film.

After fleeing an abusive partner, a loyal real estate finds refuge with a stranger whose quiet kindness blurs the line between friendship and intimacy.

This stirring crime drama features Raymart Santiago as the under-aged delinquent who gets employed at a police precinct to avoid being the center of petty brawls in his area. But getting involved with corrupt individuals on the inside may take him to a worse path.

This is the story of Visayans coming to the MetroManila area in search of greener pastures. Dodong Valderama, a jack-of-trades orphan, and Santo Nino devotee, sis among them, trying his luck in a different place. He meets Inday and her Lola Angeling, also Visayan immigrants, who are fish vendors. Angeling dreams for her daughter to become a popular singer , and hopefully one day, this will get them out of the slums. Angeling is pursued by town widower Max. Dodong, whose idol is the late Flash Elorde, eventually finds a full time job as janitor in a boxing gym. Inday fails to win the town singing contest, much to the disappointment of Lola Angeling.With the help of friend Lao, Dodong pursues Inday until they become sweethearts, then husband and wife.

Bold Sari enlists with Josh, a young man whom she barely met. They set from Metro Manila to Leyte to find the owner of a letter she found and see the fulfillment of its vow. They discover that the journey is just as relevant as their goal.

When a budding girl is tasked with identifying the different parts of a flower, she unexpectedly confronts probing questions about her own body.