Star Powerhouse

The Filipino music community is coming together for “Alingawngaw Para Kay Echo,” a fundraising gig for Echo Singson, a longtime fixture in the local music scene who is recovering from a stroke. Echo has long been part of the Itchyworms family, with ties dating back to when his older brother, Chino, joined. In 1999, he co-founded Boldstar with Jazz Nicolas, Marie Jamora, and Justin Sunico.   Over the years, Echo has worn many hats in the industry, including host, sound technician, production assistant, and lighting crew member. Apart from his behind-the-scenes work, he has remained a valued presence in the Filipino indie music community as both an active participant and supporter.   On September 19, Echo suffered a stroke while hosting a March of the Penguins gig at Mow’s. He was rushed to East Avenue Medical Center, where he received medical care before being discharged. As he continues his recovery, he has shown small signs of improvement, offering hope to his family, friend...

  The Negrense independent short film “Those Little Things” has been selected to this year’s Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival as part of FRAMES: Filipino Short Film Exhibition. With the theme “Walang Kawala,” the festival spotlights filmmakers who harness cinema to challenge systemic violence, demand accountability, and safeguard human rights. The film transports viewers to a speculative, cyberpunk-infused Bacolod in the year 2222, weaving futuristic sci-fi worldbuilding with an intimate story about family and quiet resilience. Produced by Kwentista Produksyon, the narrative follows a teenager navigating an ordinary day with her father, using everyday interactions to shine a light on broader social realities, human dignity, and the profound emotional weight of lived experience. The production showcases a collaborative team of talents from Negros Occidental. Co-directed and co-produced by Poli Gonzales, who also handled the visual effects, and Massah Gonzales-Gamboa, who wro...

  De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde alumnus Vahn Leinard C. Pascual’s first full-length feature “Status: Rejected” is set to make its international debut at the 30th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, after winning at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival 2026. Competing as an official selection in the First Feature Competition, “Status: Rejected” is the sole Philippine entry at this year’s FIAPF-accredited A-list festival, which runs from November 6 to 22.   The narrative focuses on Virginia “Biring” Divinagracia (played by veteran actress Ruby Ruiz), a 69-year-old widow feeling increasingly invisible inside her family’s home. After facing four consecutive U.S. tourist visa denials, her hopes of reuniting with her son abroad dim. Encouraged by a friend, Biring turns to the digital space, where she encounters an American named Steve Johnson. What starts as an online romance blurs the line between hope and delusion, forcing Biring to reckon wit...

  With refined grace, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) continues its 42nd concert season, Modulatio , with CONCERT II: ELEGANCE on October 16, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., at Manila’s historic Metropolitan Theater. Guided by the baton of renowned Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, the PPO reinterprets timeless compositions by Filipino conductor Redentor Romero, German-British Baroque composer George Frideric Handel, and Polish composer Zygmunt Noskowski with renewed elegance and sophistication.  The second installment of the concert series features Filipino classical pedal harpist Vien Ignacio in a world-class performance. A repertoire evoking the warmth of home The PPO sets the stage with the heartwarming nostalgia of Romero’s Philippine Portraits . Reflecting the composer’s profound love for his homeland, the piece passionately weaves iconic local romantic melodies into a rich symphonic tapestry.  In his legacy as the country’s pioneering conductor who made his mark on the int...

  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...