Star Powerhouse

FEU alumna filmmaker Zarrina Fernandez at ACFM in Busan   A recent graduate from the Far Eastern University Department of Communication represented the Philippines as one of the delegates for the Platform Busan in South Korea from October 10 to 13. Zarrina Fernandez also earned recognition as a scholar of the Film Development Council of the Philippines under its International Film Festival Assistance Program. Organized as part of the Asian Contents & Film Market during the 31st Busan International Film Festival, Platform Busan serves as a global networking space for emerging filmmakers to collaborate, pitch projects, and learn together with their peers from other parts of the world. Fernandez’s path to Busan was built on persistence and a deep commitment to storytelling. Coming from a household where choosing a creative field carries unique risks and uncertainty, earning a spot on a major international platform served as a significant personal milestone. “Platform Busan made me...

The Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc., a nonprofit organization representing film and television directors in the country, has officially announced the Top 10 selected film projects from the Philippines for its DGPI Pitch X-Pand program. Powered by the Quezon City Film Development Commission, QCinema International Film Festival, and the Film Academy of the Philippines, DGPI Pitch X-Pand serves as a platform to elevate, refine, and connect promising Filipino feature film projects with potential co-producers, investors, and international collaborators. The 10 selected projects and their respective filmmakers are “Again, Again, Again, Again” by Natts Jadaone; “Apple” by JR Reyes; “Bato Bato sa Langit, Ang Tamaan Magagalit” by Eve Baswel; “Bukod Kang Pinagpala” by Eric Cabahug; “Dance of the Pigeons” by Arjanmar Rebeta; “Divine Cannot Decide” by Benjar V. Ramos; “Dreamland” by Joseph Vitali; “Luzonensis at Floresiensis” by Karl Glenn Barit; “Maria’s Loft” by Donnie Sacueza; and “My...

  The 2026 Migrant Workers Film Festival has opened conversations about what it means to leave the country, during its Philippine leg screenings across university auditoriums, cultural centers, and film labs. Following its run in Hong Kong, the festival has turned its lenses toward the complex web of labor, displacement, family sacrifice, and resilience that defines the Filipino diaspora. The event, organized as a cultural and educational initiative by the Concerned Artists of the Philippines with support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, featured a curated lineup spanning nearly four decades of migration cinema. The program included “Migrante” (AsiaVisions, 1987), “Modern Heroes, Modern Slaves” (Marie Boti and Michelle Smith, 1997), “Rhose” (Nawruz Paguidopon, 2008), “Rhose, Where Do Your Dreams Go?” (Paguidopon, 2012), “Ang Walang Kapagurang Paglalakbay ng Pulang Maleta” (Richard Soriano Legaspi, 2014), and “Gusto Nang Umuwi ni Joy” (Jan Tristan Pandy, 201...

  A student film from Alaminos, Pangasinan has put together a string of victories across both local and international film festivals.   “Under the Table,” co-directed by student filmmakers Branden Josh Domingo and Gian Carlo Ducusin, recently bagged the Best Short Film award at the International Student Film & Screenwriting Festival 2026, presented in association with WILDsound Festival TV.   The project, produced through the Hundred Islands Film Festival (HIFF) FILMLAB, took home Best International LGBTQIA+ Film at the Urbanite Arts and Film Festival in New York, USA last August. The film was also screened at the Duemila30 International Film Festival in Milan, Italy.   On the local front, “Under the Table” dominated the Senior High School Category of the CineMapúa Film Festival, clinching Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, and Best Actor for lead actor Christopher “Cj” Cerezo, Jr. It also got the Jury Prize at the Prim...

  A silent film, which explores the delicate line among the stillness between breaths, the deliberate weight of unspoken grief, and the unsettling beauty of obsession, has been officially selected to the LAGIM! Benilde Film Horror Festival, which runs from October 28 to 29. Co-written by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde student filmmaker Paul Venj Coralde with fellow Benilde frosh Nicolo Jacinto and co-produced by ATBP Pelikula, Agaw-Dilim Projects, and Chikamalaya Studios, “Pomegranate” frames devotion not as a gentle sanctuary, but as something raw, visceral, and inherently dangerous. The story follows a bride, brought to life by executive producer and actor Rhed Bustamante, as she stumbles upon a solitary pomegranate in an open field on the eve of her wedding. The fruit quickly morphs from an innocent discovery into a vessel of haunting recollection. As sweet memories of tenderness with her past lover, played by Samuel Dias, clash against startling visions of violence, the b...

  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...

  Misamis Occidental turns into a vibrant hub for independent cinema as the 6th Oroquieta Film Festival showcases 28 selected works from across the Visayas and Mindanao from October 12 to 15. Among the entries chosen for the Lumayagan Shorts Competition is “Those Little Things,” a sci-fi short film hailing from Negros Occidental. Produced under Kwentista Produksyon, the short film transports viewers to the year 2222 in a cyberpunk version of Bacolod. The plot follows a teenager (Ynez Arceo) navigating a seemingly routine day with her father (Bon Cerbo), completely unaware that a surprise awaits her. Beneath its futuristic exterior, the film balances speculative technology with deeply human warmth, exploring the quiet bonds between parent and child against a high-tech backdrop. John Arceo plays different characters as a supporting actor. Co-directors and co-producers Poli Gonzales, who also supervised the visual effects team, and Massah Gonzales-Gamboa, who also wrote the screenplay...

Film enthusiasts in Manila are set for a cinematic celebration as the Italian Film Festival 2026 returns to the city from June 26 to July 1, 2026 , bringing six acclaimed contemporary Italian films to the big screen at Shangri-La Red Carpet Cinema in Mandaluyong City . Organized by the Embassy of Italy in Manila in partnership with Elephant Pictures, Cineforum Robert Bresson, the Philippine-Italian Association, and Shangri-La Plaza’s Red Carpet Cinemas, the festival aims to showcase the diversity of contemporary Italian cinema while strengthening cultural ties between Italy and the Philippines. A major highlight of the Italian Film Festival Manila 2026 is its lineup of recent films from some of Italy’s notable filmmakers, including Academy Award-winning director Paolo Sorrentino , known for The Great Beauty and Youth , and acclaimed filmmaker Paolo Genovese , director of Perfect Strangers . The festival opens with La Grazia (The Pardon) by Paolo Sorrentino, a political drama cente...

Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership with the Freedom Flame Award The Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership has been recognized as one of the recipients of the 2026 Freedom Flame Awards, highlighting its continued efforts to promote good governance, ethical leadership, and meaningful youth participation in Philippine public life. The recognition was given by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Philippines (FNF) during its 40th anniversary celebration and the 15th year of the Freedom Flame Awards, held under the theme “Kalayaan Noon, Ngayon at Bukas – 40 Years of Freedom in Action.” The ceremony gathered advocates, policymakers, leaders, and artists at Decagon Events Place in Pasig City. Former Nagcarlan, Laguna Vice Mayor Amie Hernandez and fellow Kaya Natin! core member Marian Pastor Roces accepted the award on behalf of the movement. FNF recognized Kaya Natin! for inspiring future leaders to lead with integrity, serve with...