JERRY OLEA
Nakatakda ang 99th Academy Awards o Oscars sa Marso 14, 2027 sa Dolby Theater ng Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Sa kasaysayan ng Oscars ay wala pang pelikulang Pilipino na na-shortlist man lang para sa kategoryang Best International Feature.
Ang Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) na pinamumunuan ni Director General (DG) Paolo Villaluna ang nag-o-oversee ng official submission ng bansa sa Oscars.
BIYAHENG OSCARS: the pinoy oscars pursuit
Nagpa-mediacon ang FAP para sa Biyaheng Oscars: The Pinoy Oscars Pursuit noong Hunyo 18, 2026, Huwebes, sa Seda Vertis North, Quezon City.
Ini-announce doon ni DG Paolo na simula na ang call of submissions para sa PH entry sa Oscars, at ang deadline niyon ay sa Hulyo 17, 2026.
Ia-announce ng FAP ang local shortlist sa Agosto 10, at ang napiling aspiring entry ng bansa ay sa ihahayag ng FAP sa Setyembre 2.
Ang Pinoy film na puwedeng isumite sa FAP for consideration sa kategoryang Best International Feature ay dapat may theatrical run for seven consecutive days sa isang sinehan, mula Oktubre 1, 2025 hanggang Setyembre 30, 2026.
Dapat sa sinehan iyon unang ipinalabas — hindi sa TV, streaming, VOD, DVD or online.
Otherwise, disqualified ito.
Kailangan na predominantly (more than 50%) non-English ang dialogue, at may accurate English subtitles.
Ang creative control ay kailangang largely in the hands of citizens or residents of the submitting country.
Dapat kumpleto at accurate ang disclosure ng netizenship, credits, or release info.
Kung hindi, malaki ang chance na ma-disqualify.
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Eligible na i-submit ang entries ng Cinemalaya 2025 at 2026, MMFF 2025, at Sinag Maynila 2026, among others.
Ang criteria sa evaluation para sa local shortlist ay artistic merit (50%), cultural relevance (30%), at capacity to campaign (20%).
Susuportahan ng FAP ang official Philippine entry to the Oscars para sa kategoryang Best International Feature. Puwedeng umabot sa P25M ang grant dito ng FAP.
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FAP SUPPORT FOR LOCAL FILMS IN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS
Sa bagong guideline ng AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) para sa 99th Oscars, eligible ma-shortlist sa Best International feature ang winners ng alinman sa mga award na ito:
Golden Bear for Best Film (Berlin International Film Festival)
Busan Award - Best Film Award (Busan International Film Festival)
Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival)
World Cinema Grand Jury Prize (Sundance Film Festival)
Platform Award (Toronto International Film Festival)
Golden Lion (Venice International Film Festival)
If ever, puwede rin silang mag-apply ng suporta mula sa FAP. (Of course, sa Pinoy films lang yung FAP support.)
Hindi lang sa feature film (more than 40 minutes running time) nakatuon ang pansin ng FAP, kundi maging sa mga kategoryang best animated film, best short film, at best documentary film.
May nakalaan na ring budget ang FAP sa pagsuporta sakaling may Pinoy entry sa alinman sa mga kategoryang iyan.
“We do not want to be myopic. We don’t want to just limit our support sa international feature,” sambit ni DG Paolo Villaluna.
Susuporta rin ang FAP sa mga gawang-Pinoy na pumasok sa Golden Globes at Independent Spirit Awards.
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NOEL FERRER
Ipinaliwanag ni FAP Director General Paolo Villaluna ang rationale ng Biyaheng Oscars: The Pinoy Oscars Pursuit.
“Baka isipin kasi natin, bakit ang laki ng focus sa Oscars, OK,” lahad ni DG Paolo.
“One, I need to contextualize this. The mandate of FAP, ang Oscars is just one of them.
“The large mandate is really creating a professional infrastructure and film workers support.
“But part of that ecosystem is understanding that in the global world view, ang laking contribution ng Oscar recognition sa mga bansang nangyayari, OK.
“May actual economic growth na nangyayari if the film wins or gets nominated sa Oscars.”
MEXICO AND BRAZIL AT THE OSCARS
Ang 2018 historical drama from Mexico na Roma ay nagkamit ng sampung nominasyon sa 91st Academy Awards.
Tatlong Oscars ang natamo nito, kabilang ang Best Foreign Language Film (dating tawag sa kategoryang best international feature), best director para kay Alfonso Cuaron, at best cinematography para pa rin kay Alfonso Cuaron.
First time iyon ng Mexico na magwagi sa best international feature.
“Roma, for Mexico, the audiovisual sector actually reached 7.3 billion dollars in total value and it created 77,000 more jobs,” sabi ni DG Paolo.
First time magwagi ng Brazil para sa Best International Feature with the acclaimed drama I’m Still Here, sa 97th Academy Awards. Sa 98th Oscars ay na-nominate muli ang Brazil para sa The Secret Agent.
“Sa Brazil, twice silang nag-ano, 2024 and 2025. It created a 15% growth in local theatrical attendance,” saad ni DG Paolo.
“OK, from 2023, 2% lang iyong raise nila annually. Suddenly it became 15%, the local theatrical attendance, OK.
“And then, yung audiovisual export nila grew to 19% annually after those two films.”
Hina-highlight nila ang South Korea bilang halimbawa kaugnay sa pag-unlad ng turismo at cultural exports vis-a-vis sa pamamayagpag ng mga pelikula at TV shows.
“Sa Seoul, they added Parasite filming sites sa official tourism promotions nila, with 15% visitor increase,” sey ni DG Paolo.
“Can you imagine? 15% sa national tourism. And then for Brazil, 53% of international travelers went to Brazil because of those two films, OK, because of the recognition.”
Siyempre, ang pagwawagi sa Oscars ay may positibong domino effect sa iba’t ibang bagay.
“National pride and global visibility, elevating the country’s image, storytelling talent and social issues resulting in talent awareness and spotlight,” salaysay ni DG Paolo.
“Investment and co-productions. Prestige. Grow streaming money, ito yung mga streaming sites natin.
“Netflix and other streaming sites will actually invest more everytime a country is nominated, or shortlisted nga lang, e.
“They understand suddenly, ‘Ay! Professional itong industriyang ito.’ So actual streaming sites, they actual invest more.”
Sa ngayon ay healthy ang pag-i-invest ng Netflix sa mga gawang-Pinoy.
“Dumadami ang productions but can you imagine if we actually get shortlisted or nominated?” pagmamatwid ni DG Paolo.
“And then sa Korea, what happened was, when Parasite actually won, there was a 20 to 30 percent raise ng mga workers nila.
“Suddenly they were more professional and more prestigious. Industry confidence, of course.”
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GORGY RULA
Na-slash ang budget ng gobyerno para sa Sining at Kultura.
Ganoon din ba sa Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP)?
Tumango si FAP Director General Paolo Villaluna, “Strangely, October 2025 lumabas yung budget namin for 2025. So, nagkaroon kami ng continuing fund.
“May konti kaming elbow room this year. So the hope is for next year, nag-budget deliberations na kami sa DBM [Department of Budget and Management], we do not know kung gaano kalaki ang ii-slash.
“May financial crisis naman na nangyari because of the oil thing. So we kinda expected it will be slashed. Let’s hope hindi ganun kalaki, kasi ayaw nating makalimutan yung sector natin.
“We contribute to the economy. The audiovisual workforce is really big. So, parang the last statistics na nakuha namin, parang nationally there’s like 187,000 workers na reliant on the industry.”
SUPPORT FROM First Lady LIZA MARCOS-ARANETA
“Iniligtas” ni First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos ang Cinemalaya 2026.
Pinatunayan ito ni Cinemalaya President Laurice Guillen, maging ni Direk Jose Javier Reyes na chairman ng Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).
Tumulong din ba si First Lady LAM sa FAP? Sino pa sa gobyerno ang tumulong sa kanila?
“The First Lady, my God, is really fundamental yung support niya sa Film Academy,” pagsisiwalat ni DG Paolo.
“I had the opportunity to speak with her, and her support is not only sincere.
“Her support is really... for lack of better word nga, aggressive yung ano. ‘Gawin yan! Gawin yan!’
“And you have to understand, we’re not friends prior to my appointment. But because of her desire to help the sector, I met with her and, yun nga, grabe. Grabe yung suporta.”
POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR OSCARS
Maliban kay DG Paolo, panelists sa Q&A ng mediacon sina Chuck Gutierrez, Direk Baby Ruth Villarama, Bianca Trinidad, Achi Bautista, at Nessa Valdellon ng GMA Pictures.
Sabi-sabi, malaki ang chance na makasama sa local shortlist para sa Oscars ang 58th ng GMA Pictures, at ang Filipiñana na pumukaw ng pansin sa Cannes last May.
“Ahhh because sila yung mga pelikula right now na merong international caché, they can apply,” tugon ni DG Paolo.
“Whethey they are the ano, I do not know. It’s the selection committee yung pipili. But meron silang good opportunity to really campaign.”
May iba pa bang Filipino films na malaki ang chance sa local shortlist? Yung may buzz sa international filmfests?
“Ganito, up until July, August, September, OK, even if you apply kasi, pero yung screening mo, August or September pa, that’s OK. Basta you applied formally.
“Meron pang Venice, meron pang Tallinn. Meron pang Shanghai, meron pang Toronto. So, marami pa yan, you’ll never know.
“I’ve been hearing several films na medyo umiingay din. So let’s hope.”
Pero sa ngayon, yung 58th at Filipiñana pa lang?
“Right now, yung dalawa ang maingay. Pero I do not know if they will be locally shortlisted. But I hope they apply,” sabi ni DG Paolo.
Kumusta ang network ng bagong FAP na lumawak nang mag-Cannes sila noong Mayo?
“Nagulat ako na they were so positive. In fact when they heard that the government is very supportive, when they found out na, 'Uy, may budget ang Pilipinas for a campaign, talaga?'” lahad ni DG Paolo.
“They were, like, ‘Talaga? Totoo ba iyan?’ And then yung support for the film workers, doon sila mas naano. Parang, ‘Ay! This is a unique agency na protection of workers.’
“In fact, we’ve spoken with several Southeast Asian institutes and agencies, we kind of want to create a network for guilds naman.
“And then we can have an Asian network of guilds, yun. Maganda yung feedback.”
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