Star Powerhouse

  ShoutOut Pinas and Pelikulove held HERSTORY LIVE! Kampanya para sa Pagsulong ng Lakambini Bill on September 30 via Zoom, bringing together Akbayan Partylist representative Rep. Dadah Kiram Ismula, historian and educator Natasha Kintanar, women youth leader Lalaine Mengge, and actress and advocate Elora Españo for a digital press launch of the Lakambini Bill Petition Campaign under the theme “FROM THE BALLOT IN 1937 TO OUR CLASSROOMS TODAY.” The event linked the legacy of Philippine women’s suffrage to the campaign to institutionalize the study of Filipino women heroes in public and private school curricula. It took 30 long years for Philippine women to have won the right to vote. Finally, on September 30, 1936, marking its 90th anniversary this year, the Commonwealth Act No. 34 was approved, which provided for the women’s suffrage plebiscite held on April 30, 1937 that paved the way for Philippine women's suffrage to be passed into law. Today, the Lakambini Bill Petition Campaign...

   The stage is set for LAST DANCE – HUBO’T HUBAD , a new queer ensemble play presented by JAPS Collectives and World Theater Productions Guam / Manila . The production runs from September to October 2026 at Halxyon Club in Poblacion, Makati , offering audiences an intimate theatrical experience centered on identity, love, survival, acceptance, and chosen family. Written and directed by multi-talented theater actor, writer, and producer Jojo Urquico , LAST DANCE – HUBO’T HUBAD takes audiences inside the dressing room of a struggling male revue bar in Manila on what could be its final night. As a violent storm rages outside and the threat of a police raid looms, five performers prepare for one last show. Behind the glitter, laughter, and seductive performances, they confront the dreams they abandoned, the identities they concealed, and the sacrifices they made simply to survive. Through humor, heartbreak, music, and raw confession, LAST DANCE explores the lives of men searchin...

 From October 4 to 11, 2026, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, AECID Cultura, and other institutions, will present the 25th edition of PELÍCULA>PELIKULA, the Manila Spanish Film Festival, at Instituto Cervantes’ Intramuros branch (Casa Azul) and Power Plant Cinema in Makati City. Established by Instituto Cervantes in 2002, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA has grown into one of the most anticipated showcases of Spanish-language cinema in Southeast Asia. This year’s festival will feature 23 acclaimed films from Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines. This edition’s festival poster, a question that we have consistently cared for over the years, is based on a photograph by renowned Spanish artist García de Marina, depicting a mannequin wearing both a forward-facing and a backward-facing mask. In the artist’s words, one mask is “looking towards the past 25 years, and one looking towards the future,” symbolizing the festival’s milestone anniversary. To ...

Kokuho director Lee Sang-il at the opening night film screening The Japan Foundation, Manila (JFM) has officially launched the Japanese Film Festival 2026 , bringing a curated selection of Japanese films to audiences across eight cities in the Philippines from October 1 to November 29, 2026 . This year’s festival carries the theme “Shared Treasure. Shared Stories.” in celebration of the 70th anniversary of normalized diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan and the 30th anniversary of the Japan Foundation, Manila’s presence in the country . In partnership with SM Supermalls and SM Cinema , the Japanese Film Festival 2026 features a 16-film lineup that will be screened for free at selected SM Cinema branches, including SM Megamall, SM Manila, SM Cebu, SM Baguio, SM Iloilo, SM Lanang, SM North EDSA, and SM CDO Downtown Premiere . The nationwide film festival gives Filipino moviegoers an opportunity to experience Japanese cinema, culture, animation, traditional performing ...

  A decade after first stepping into the spotlight, Ylona Garcia looks back on the music, memories, and experiences that defined her career with ylona, so far. (live) , a nine-track live album arriving October 5, 2026 via Sony Music Entertainment . More than a collection of live recordings, ylona, so far. (live) revisits the songs that have accompanied Ylona from her formative years as a young performer to the artist she is today. Through fresh live interpretations of familiar tracks, the album allows Ylona to reconnect with music from different phases of her life, this time with a deeper understanding of herself and greater ownership of her art. “It feels like a healing experience, and that means the world to me,” Ylona shares about the project. Revisiting the music she has released over the years brought back both beautiful and difficult memories: from the opportunities she once could only dream of to the pressures of growing up in the public eye and navigating expectations fro...

Fresh from a strong showing at the 2026 Awit Awards , where they took home Album of the Year and Song of the Year , and the Filipino Music Awards , where they won Alternative Song of the Year , Filipino band IV OF SPADES returns with “ Rollercoaster ,” a new single that explores the exhilaration of surrendering to the moment and embracing life’s unpredictable turns. Released during the band’s US/Canada tour , “Rollercoaster” borrows from a colorful palette of sonic influences while retaining the inventive sensibility that has defined their previous work. A vibrant, psychedelic-leaning track, “Rollercoaster” integrates the rhythmic pulse of reggae with indie rock and Manila Sound sensibilities. It’s a buoyant, groove-forward song that veers away from the usual hit-making formula: carefree and laid-back, but brimming with summertime infectiousness. The song evokes an open-road journey: windows down, music turned up, and nowhere in particular to be. Its easygoing groove lends itself to ...

Stage productions often rely on familiar tropes, but Moryon offers something completely different. Set against the harsh backdrop of a wartime occupation and deeply intertwined with local Lenten traditions, this play avoids treating history like a boring list of dates in a textbook. Instead, it plunges viewers directly into the complex reality of a community facing extreme crisis. Several notable moments shape this theatrical experience. From the moment you step inside, the production establishes a realistic atmosphere. Unlike traditional, empty sets, the stage features a dirt floor and a functional kitchen. Just like walking past a neighbor's house on an ordinary afternoon, the actual aroma of cooking food wafts through the room, immediately shortening the distance between the audience and the actors. As the story progresses, emotional intensity builds through realistic portrayals of wartime conflict. A specific interrogation and torture sequence is played out with intense physica...

  Seven films from the 21st edition of Cinemalaya have earned a total of 29 nominations at the Gawad Urian Awards, recognizing the filmmakers, artists, and creatives behind some of the festival’s most compelling works. The nominations span major categories from Best Film and Best Director to acting, screenplay, cinematography, editing, music and sound, reaffirming the strength of the country’s indie filmmaking scene. The nominated films are Bloom Where You Are Planted , Cinemartyrs , Republika ng Pipolipinas , Paglilitis , Raging , Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan , and Child No. 82: Anak ni Boy Kana . All seven were part of the full-length category of Cinemalaya 21 (2025). Leading the nominations is Cinemartyrs by Sari Dalena, with eight nods, including Best Film for Kino Arts, Best Director for Sari Dalena, Best Screenplay for Sari Dalena and Keith Sicat, Best Actress for Nour Hooshmand, Best Production Design for Toym Imao, Best Cinematography for Neil Daza and Kiri Da...

  Filipino sociopolitical thriller “Silenced Nights” will next vie for awards in the Bangkok International Film Festival from September 15 to 27, following its historic selection as the first Filipino title in the Toronto International Film Festival’s juried Platform program. Executive producer Atty. Joji Villanueva Alonso confirmed the film’s upcoming selection in the Bangkok filmfest main competition, where it will contend for a $15,000 USD cash prize. Alonso also shared that the project is locked in for two additional European festival stops later this year. Written by Troy Espiritu and directed by Lawrence Fajardo, “Silenced Nights” tells the story of an ordinary gadget repairman (Nico Antonio) living in a Manila slum. His life turns upside down after witnessing police officers commit an extrajudicial killing of a teenager during anti-drug operations. Driven by conscience, he decides to help the victim's grieving mother fight for the truth. Nico Antonio with Dylan Ray Talon in ...

  Audiences in Hong Kong will get the chance to watch Richard Soriano Legaspi’s documentary “Ang Walang Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta” (The Untiring Journey of the Red Suitcase) as part of the Migrant Workers Film Festival 2026. Running from September 11 to 13, the festival brings community-focused cinema to several venues, namely the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Sha Tin, New Territories; KUC Space in Jordan Road, Jordan; and Bayanihan Centre in Victoria Road, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong Island. Set against the backdrop of Biella, a quiet province in northern Italy’s Piemonte region known for its wool industry, the documentary captures how a community of migrant workers transformed a foreign town into a home. As local textile mills faced factory closures and economic shifts, Filipino families continued to weave their own vibrant culture into the fabric of daily Italian life. The narrative traces back to Loreta Mercado, who arrived in Biella in 1978 carrying little mor...