Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

Alfredo S. Lim has just been awarded as one of Manila's ten most outstanding policemen. The celebration has abruptly ended when one of his co-honorees is killed while trying to stop a robbery. Lim tracks down these criminals which ruffles the feathers of powerful people. His work takes a personal toll on his marriage and also puts his family in danger.

An environmental action-drama-comedy that's also a tribute to the late Fernando Poe Jr.

Laarni is a journalist who has been assigned to write a news report about a ghost called Estrela from a village named Cavite. Estrela is believed to be the spirit of a young teenage girl who was brutally abused. Through her research, the reporter learns that before Estrela died by her own father's hands, she witnessed him murder her own mother. It now seems that the story of the ghost of Estrela is more than a myth. Her spirit has returned to seek it's revenge. Can Laarni discover the secret that fuels Estrellas rage before more lives are lost?

Join King (Adrian Lindayag) as he journeys through the highly traditional town of Marahuyo, meeting new friends and finding love along the way as he lobbies to create the first LGBTQIA+ org in their campus.

A self-centered influencer on his way to a gig finds himself babysitting a lost, loud-mouthed, 9-year-old girl who snuck into his van to find her way back home.

This movie is the life story of Rev. Jonard N. Pamor.

After receiving a letter from an estranged acquaintance, a masked man has to fight for his life to survive against a terrifying old foe. All the while, his friend's written words make him contemplate life and death.

The musings and works of artist Lamberto V. Avellana.

Carlos is to put to jail for several years because a young boy named Boying witnessed him fatally stab Totoy, his attacker and the brother of his girlfriends Ellen. After ten years in prison, Carlos has been freed and is now ready to start anew. He also befriends Boying who helps him defend their weak neighborhood. All is well until Boying’s father gets killed by a group of corrupt policemen. Boying finds a friend in Carlos who teams up with him to hunt his father’s killers. As they learn to let go of their bitter experiences in life, they will also develop a new friendship stronger than blood ties.

Two filmmakers take on a journey to explore the intricacies of the long-suffering Philippine agriculture, seeking for possible solutions as they figure out the factors causing the crisis.

In the slums of Manila, 11-year-old Ginto dreams of gang life over scavenging, rejecting his sister Asia’s care as she turns to sex work to survive. As Ginto falls for another boy in the gang, he’s forced to confront his identity and desires amid violence and poverty. Meanwhile, Dutch tourist Michael, consumed by dark impulses, descends into the city’s red-light district. When their paths cross, Ginto faces an impossible choice that will shape both their fates in a world where innocence is currency and survival comes at a cost.

After Luisa married Antonio, a man twice her age, her mother decided to left them. Enter Fidel, Antonio's son who not only bugged him with his financial problems but also on how to introduce him to his new wife. Things then turned more farcical after Fidel ended up marrying Luisa's mom and thus becoming his father-in-law.

The film explores the varying degrees, forms and issues of surveillance (the feeling of being policed) which are the heart of the relationship and conflict of a schizophrenia patient and caregiver, especially during the treatment phase.

Irene changes her identity to Becky after a tragic scandal. While living as Becky, she falls for Armand, but is eventually blackmailed by his family over her past. She then reinvents herself as Leah, a high-fashion model. She engages in an intense, manipulative relationship with Jaime, a wealthy hedonist. When she eventually reunites with Armand, she finds herself torn between the man she truly loves and the matchless sexual partner who has awakened her darkest desires.

Ready for a new life abroad, a woman's last trip home forces her to confront the crushing guilt of a past tragedy.

After moving into a new house, a mother and her daughter become concerned something is in the house with them when they find their housekeeper scared out of her mind and raving about the grandchild not being safe.

A 1970 Philippine film directed by Eddie Rodriguez featuring Ishmael Bernal's first writing credit.

Between nuclear reactors and military curfews, 14-year-old Jani lives in a dystopian world oppressively devoid of empathy. Together, she and her slippery new friend Kiefer the talking catfish gear up to strike a surreal blow for freedom.

Outstanding NARCOM agent Armand Disierto (Ian) comes home to his violence-ridden hometown ruled by Mayor Mario Gaton (Paquito), his uncle whom he has a feud with during his childhood.

A Filipino thriller directed by Ian Loreños

Temujin, who later became Genghis Khan is wise, or sometimes cunning. He goes through several heroic episodes; competing at the Man of Men contest, falling in love with the enemy commander's daughter, and struggling to restore his demolished hometown. Meanwhile his steps guide him to be a great conqueror. Khan's witty, humorous side in his adolescent years before he takes the throne.

Ligaya Tatlonghari is a movie fan in every sense of the word she eats and breathes showbiz. She has two foremost dreams: to travel to the United States, and to join her favorite TV game show. The former is rather far-fetched but the latter is just within reach, only Ligaya is too cerebrally-challenged to even pass auditions. But she's far from giving up she forces Paul, her brainy neighbor, to be her contest partner. With Paul's smarts, he and Ligaya win the show's grand prize: a trip for two to the United States.

A back to back treatment of a malaise which has shocked Philippine society for the past so many years: the mysterious disappearances and killings of Filipino journalists and activists. The film focuses on a hard-hitting radio commentator and his conflict with a former classmate who is a suburban town mayor. The radioman’s story runs parallel to the tale of a student-activist on the run with his activist-girlfriend. These parallel stories are interwoven with a third story, that of the former military man , now their would-be assassin. This killer’s unexpected obsession with his wife leads to a climax of murder and mayhem.

Young, star-crossed lovers Levi and Anghel run away from home and end up as fugitives when Levi is revealed to be pregnant.

Queer couple Hans and Thea finally face the elephant in the room as they struggle to make their relationship work amidst the threats and judgment of society.

Two brothers together with a mission armed with the most deadliest weapon of them all, "Uzi," to uphold law and justice at all cost!

A science fiction film starring Anne Curtis and Alden Richards.

Once a renowned karateka, Sawi veers to a quiet life, teaching karate to a handful of slum kids.

Directed by: G.A. Villafuerte Starring: John Park, Marco Ronquillo, Kael Reyes, Lang Lopez, Ahvie Conjuangco Paolo Salvatierra, Marion Barrera, Yohan Villacorta, Mark Kenneth Reyes

A heartwarming story about nine kids who had run away from their homes.

Cecile travels back to the province to spend time with her Lola Pina after years of little to no contact, but she discovers that her Lola may not be the same as she remembers. Despite their distant relationship further stunted by Lola Pina’s declining memory due to her dementia, they are connected by one thing: music.

After a turbulent squall in the night, villagers wake up to the astonishing sight of the sea that has turned red.

A young girl's reality is intruded when her father who's been away abroad for almost a decade suddenly comes home as an animated doodle figure.

Anna Carballo returns from the States after four years to fetch her older sister Sarah from their Baguio mansion. Anna spends the night in Manila in a hotel and accidentally meets her former fiance, Roy Valdez. That night Anna has a weird dream where Sarah brings her to their dining room and their entire deceased family greets her, “Magandang gabi sa inyong lahat!” Anna proceeds to Baguio the next day and is gradually terrified as most of the things in her dream happen in reality.

Idol reveals a serious story about honesty, honor and integrity. Elly is a working student, scholar and is now a candidate to become the class valedictorian. His father is quite idealistic and incorruptible, which explains why his family still remains so poor. Charismatic Elly works part-time as a student assistant and he has indirect access to confidential school papers. He has earned the trust of the school staff, and because of this, it would not be difficult for him to get hold of this year's final exams-the one which his best buddy Simon and their other friends need to pass in order to graduate.

A young family breadwinner witnesses a crime and assumes a female identity to elude the criminals who doggedly hunt him down.

Feast on eight gorgeous men, all raring to conquer your fantasies as Viva Entertainment unleashes the power of the Viva Hot Men sa isang special video na pinamagatang Viva Hot Men-The Video mapapanood sa video ang walong Viva Hot Men, na sina Alken Miranda, Dave Anquilo, Jayson Colis, Justin de Leon, McMiel Denisson, Miguel Garcia, Paolo Serrano and Allen Dizon – eight heavenly bodies and God’s gift to women. The other Hot Men are Adrian Zabala, Jerome Ocampo and Antonio Ramirez. The Viva Hot Men soon be conquering other fields of entertainment as well.

A provocative and bold indie film about a married man’s forbidden love affair with his mysterious handsome neighbor and his discreet sexual desire over a group of male buddies (“kumpares”).

"SEB" is the story of four couples who met through the internet. Funny, sad, bitter sweet and poignant are the four situations that reflect how the Filipino romantic has adapted to the world wide web.

A film of three intersecting love stories.

Benok, robbed off his childhood, had to work due to poverty. While his mother spends time on gambling. In his eyes, the world has changed where children work and adults play. Benok finds his way to experience how to become a real kid again.

Bambi was neglected and deprived of love as a child. As an adult, she used sex with men as a way to forget her troubled childhood, until she met and fell in love with Rafael...

An Interpol agent is killed by gangsters after he saves the life of a wealthy industrialist who stood in their way. When the rest of his family is killed in a car crash, the Interpol agent’s badly injured son is fitted with heavy-duty artificial limbs.

A revival of the classic Filipino horror film, "Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara".

A young woman from a far off province is sent to study in a prestigious Manila university. But she gets caught up in the wrong crowd and ends up becoming a high class prostitute. Her surprising skill gives her access to the most powerful figures in the government, which exposes her to corruption at the highest levels.

A heartfelt coming-of-age drama about a young man who unexpectedly encounters his 12-year-old self, leading him to reflect on his childhood frustrations and rediscover the immeasurable love, sacrifices, and memories left behind by his late mother.

A high-society woman (Fuentes) whose life is defined by her devotion to her family and her social standing meets a man of lower social origin (Garcia) who struggles with the pressures of her world.

A story about Lorelei a mermaid and Paing a fisherman.

Sisters live in a remote island when a group of sideshow performers washes ashore.

Rico owns the struggling coffee shop Kape Barako. The shop only has one regular customer, aside from a lady who orders nothing but ice water and leeches off their Internet connection. As a result, Rico is having trouble paying off his mortgage. He now has just two weeks to raise 120,000 pesos to keep the bank from foreclosing on the property. He tries a variety of things to raise the cash, even going as far as considering selling his body. Luckily, one of his baristas Jek accidentally stumbles on a solution to the shop’s problems. A prank goes wrong and a special ingredient ends up making their coffee a real hit among a certain section of their clientele.

Jungle Love follows a handful of people who have disappeared into the jungle: a woman who has kidnapped her sister's child; an urbane couple and their indigenous guide; a bored and horny platoon; and a nameless tribe. Disappearance has another meaning in Sanchez’s native Mindanao, where a decades-old conflict between the government and secessionists fighting for an Islamic state has made the region infamous for its kidnappings. Sanchez took inspiration from an incident in which a friend living abroad visited an exhibition, and found a photo of him labeled as one of the disappeared. Jungle Love is permeated with this sense of the uncanny, as narratives and identities fracture and fuse into one another in the reckless, lonely places people go to escape themselves.

The film follows an old man who looks back on a fleeting love that illuminated his life, only for it to vanish without a trace.

"Limang Libo" is a film about two people who lead normal lives and are unaware of each other’s existence; Susan, a midwife who is bound to her debts and Manuel, a scavenger who lives a simple life with his pregnant wife. Their paths cross when Manuel takes his wife to Susan’s home because of an accident that will endanger their child, letting Susan take charge of the whole situation. Both faced with unfortunate circumstances, both Susan and Manuel will be forced to act against their instincts.

A young couple's marriage is tested when wife is consumed by her career, and husband finds solace in his son's teacher.

Six single women and a priest's lives intersect when a bingo marathon is launched in their church for the barangay fiesta, turning expectations and relationships upside down and inside out.

About virginal barely-legal Myrna, who was forced to work as a torera (live sex worker).