Discoveries from Philippines World Cinema

Dreaming of a brighter future for her family, a mother who works as a domestic helper in Manila returns home to confront unforeseen changes in her life.

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

Ana, a five-year-old girl, treasures the beautiful dresses her mother carefully makes for her. Little does she realize these dresses gradually weave a dark cloak, clouding her innocence forever.

Tonya Dela Cruz recounts the story of why she is in prison

From the music of Filipino composer Teresa Barrozo, Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke crafts a story that conveys the architectonics of modernization and its effect on those individuals and communities who are forced to navigate shifting landscapes and social norms and expectations. 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.

A teenage boy who, while searching for his father and accidentally killing his best friend, gets his life turned upside down and learns the destructive realities about life, death, and beasthood.

A depressed college student wants to seek psychiatric help from her parents but they have other plans in mind

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

A comedy about a fumbling house detective who tries to snare five, sexy young girls in a crazy merry-go-round involving murder and seduction.

The life story of a kid diagnosed with Down syndrome. He dreams of being an artista; his family has to make ends (and dreams) meet.

Filipino movie about an invisible man.

WOMaN is a visual exploration of the becoming and realizing of what it means to be a woman in this day and age. An experimental film told from the heart of SUBLIMEBBABY and eyes of Angelo Bote — complex, strong, independent, aggressive, soft, vulnerable. We embrace both masculine and feminine aspects following the woman on screen. “To maintain an interest in life, to laugh at the little/big things. To embrace my feminine energy but let my masculine shine in coexistence. These are my promises to my younger self.”

A woman tries to cling onto dimming links to her past after inheriting a pygmy slow loris from her long-estranged husband; meanwhile, her niece prepares for marriage as the young couple ponders their gloomy future together. The present and the complex echoes of Vietnamese history are entwined before a contemplative and poetic perspective.

A poor girl named Mona was forced to work as a dancer in a night club and the life she led as a consequence of her work.

A light comedy drama for the family set in Metro Manila and Subic about the plight of children.

A famous dress designer who adopted the illegitimate daughter of one of her models. The little girl became her only joy after she turned into a recluse when she lost her fiance. Unknown to her that was only the beginning of her troubles with Dina. Dina returned from time to time with threats of blackmail kidnapping and other evil deeds.

Dedicated to the valiant Boholano hero Francisco Dagohoy, this film shows the real causes that impelled the Dagohoy Uprising.

A mother tells her young son that his grandfather has turned into a goat in order to cover up the grandfather's death.

JHUNNIFER juggles multiple odd jobs but never ends her day with enough for a livable lifestyle. When a “stable” job opportunity finally appears, she’s stopped by one requirement: a valid ID. What follows is a brutal, absurd journey that requires her to cross seas and climb mountains, revealing how the web of the system keeps people like her running in circles—with nothing to show for it.

She's lovely, she's cute, she's 'ismol.' But--look out. She's 'teribol.'

A female mosquito net vendor's life changes when she meets the boss of an office and makes her his secretary.

Juan Tamad is a humorous Filipino folkloric character whose seeming mission in life is to avoid work, such as waiting for ripe coconuts to fall from the tree, rather than climbing up to get them. In this film, which achieves a modern tone and temper, Juan finds himself elected to Congress where he is exposed to the corruption and venalities of politicians.

A story about a fangirl and a movie star.

A respected cop has been assigned to a what seems to be an unsolvable series of murder cases only to discover a pattern and the fate of her own.

Two street artists with contrasting intentions about the artform tell the relevance of street art in society while accompanied by an enigmatic graffiti writing, “Bon Jovi.”

A story about a young feisty female street vendor who undergoes a change when she became a helper of a rich family.

How far will you go for art's sake? Yogi Juan, Philippine Showbiz's Golden Boy, takes every role seriously. His devoted housewife Sari supports him and role-plays along. But when Sari learns that Yogi's upcoming role is a serial killer, can she revise the morbid fate that awaits her?

Escaping a life of poverty in the province, ambitious Bradley joins modeling contests, sells his body and hooks up with rich and gay “Mestizo”, to attain his dreams.

A 1991 Filipino action film starring Bong Revilla and Dina Bonnevie.

Paolo causes the accidental death of his wife Ana in a fit of jealousy. Later, he gets involved with Minda, a compulsively jealous woman, making him realize his awful treatment of Ana.

An athlete prepares for an upcoming chess match accompanied by her college best friend, coping with pressure along the way.

A story of a pragmatic escort who unexpectedly falls in love to one of his potential client.

Based on the popular legend of the Nibelungen.

In an alternate reality in 2019, the tyrannical President of the Philippines holds a mock snap election to regain the trust of his discontented constituents. Signs of a second Ice Age begin to loom in the background and a police intelligence officer takes radical measures to save the country.

Masyong Bagwisa, the feared bodyguard of the influential governor Montefalcon, is the youngest victim of a relentless blood revenge between two powerful family clans. After Masiongs death, his son becomes the governor's new bodyguard, but the unscrupulous Garduchi-clan does not shy away from any crime to assassinate Montefalcon.

This film explores how environmental issues like climate change drastically affect sea levels and to an extent, the locals who live in coastal villages. At the center of it all is a young boy who is orphaned due to a massive typhoon and loses his ability to speak.

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

In the Nineteenth century a were-cat is cursed to live nine lives unless he can perform an act of sacrifice.

A bloodthirsty killer is stalking a woman. But who is the maniac?

A doomed literature club's pride is tested when an AU writer happens to be their savior.

Everything happens for a reason. Your pain now can be the blessing of your lifetime… Love; Life…

Tucked at the edge of Metro Manila, a 67-year-old fisherman continues to resist and struggle against ongoing reclamation projects at the heart of Laguna Lake.

Wanting a perfect output for the film club's year ender film, the line between reality and fiction blurs as the highly ambitious director zones in shooting the film amidst external forces that make shooting more difficult.

Two friends, Princess and Kulas, set out to find the missing stars of the magical wish-granting jackstone.

Borrowing a beloved song from his own 1984 feature Sister Stella L., Mike De Leon made this video in a damning response to the victory election of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as president of the Philippines. In a prepared statement at the Cannes premiere of his recently restored Itim, he wrote, “Horror has now acquired a more sinister meaning. It is no longer about a ghost but about the monsters of Philippine politics, monsters that, after a long wait in the subterranean caverns of hell, have returned to ravage and rape my country all over again. The crazy thing is that we invited them back.”

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.