NOEL FERRER
Walong pelikula ang nasa shortlist ng Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) para maging kinatawan ng Pilipinas sa kategoryang Best International Feature Film category ng 99th Academy Awards o Oscars.
Ang mga ito ay ang mga sumusunod:
Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana
Lawrence Fajardo’s Silenced Nights
Carl Joseph Papa’s 58th
Jerrold Tarog’s Quezon
Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo’s I’mPerfect
Raymond Red’s Manila’s Finest
Jun Robles Lana’s Sisa
Jade Castro’s All the Things I Leave You (Patawid)
Pahayag ng FAP Director General Paolo Villaluna sa press release na inilabas ngayong Agosto 28, 2026, Biyernes:
“The films this year offer a spectrum of views of the Filipino experience.
“They look at our history, the issues we continue to face, and the ways Filipinos deal with questions of power, identity, love, freedom, and survival.
“Each one has its own voice and approach, showcasing our cinematic merit and any of them has the potential to connect with audiences beyond the Philippines.
“Whichever film we send to the Oscars will carry a Filipino story that we can be proud of.”
Ang contenders ay hihimayin ng National Selection Committee na kinabibilangan ng mga respetadong Filipino industry experts.
Ang committee ay aprubado ng Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Ie-evaluate ng committee ang mga isinumiteng pelikula base sa artistic merit, cultural relevance, at international campaign potential.
Ia-announce ng FAP ang napiling panlaban sa opening ceremony ng Philippine Film Industry Month sa Setyembre 4, Biyernes ng gabi, sa Shangri-La Plaza, EDSA, Mandaluyong City.
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GORGY RULA
Yung walong pelikulang nasa shortlist ng FAP ay pinili mula sa mga pelikulang isinumite.
May eligibility rule ang AMPAS na ang kalahok ay dapat may full theatrical screening nang pitong mula Oktubre 1, 2025 hanggang Setyembre 31, 2026.
Dahil sa alituntuning ito ay walang nag-apply sa mga kalahok ng Cinemalaya 2026.
FILIPIÑANA
Sa walong nasa shortlist, matunog ang satire na Filipiñana, kung saan bida ang napakahusay na si Jorrybell Agoto. Llamado!
Closing film ito ng 22nd edition Cinemalaya indie filmfest.
Na-edit out ang eksena rito ni Ruby Ruiz.
Ipinalabas ito umpisa Agosto 26, Miyerkules, sa select cinemas ng SM — Megamall, Mall of Asia, North EDSA, Aura, Fairview, at Seaside Cebu.
Sa Metro Manila ay PHP75 ang tiket, samantalang sa probinsya ay PHP230.
Filipiñana received critical raves from the New Yorker, ScreenDaily, and Vulture and received the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
SILENCED NIGHTS
Silenced Nights shakes a laborer’s life after witnessing the extrajudicial killing of a teenage boy by the police.
Ayon sa isang premyadong direktor na nakapanood, ang husay-husay rito ni Lotlot de Leon.
Nasa cast din nito sina Nico Antonio, Ina Feleo, Tanya Gomez, at Joel Saracho.
Ang sociopolitical thriller na ito ang first ever Philippine film selected for the Platform Programme at the Toronto International Film Festival — an Oscar-qualifying festival and one of the world’s leading film markets.
Maliban sa Toronto (Platform Award), ang lima pang festival kung saan ang winner na non-English-language film ay puwedeng ma-nominate para sa Best International Feature ay Cannes (Palme d'Or), Berlin (Golden Bear), Busan (Best Film), Sundance (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), at Venice (Golden Lion).
58th
Ang 58th ay nag-Philippine premiere noong Agosto 13, Huwebes ng gabi, sa Shangri-La Plaza, bilang exhibition film ng Cinemalaya 22: Reel Reflections.
Tampok dito sina Glaiza de Castro, Ricky Davao, Mikoy Morales, Biboy Ramirez, Marco Masa, and Zyren de la Cruz.
Dahil wala itong MTRCB permit, naudlot ang special screening nito para sa History Month na handog sana ng Quezon City Screen Commission.
May special screening ito sa Setyembre 5 sa TCL Chinese Theater sa Hollywood kaugnay sa Manila International Film Festival 2026 (na wala nang kinalaman sa MMFF).
58th revisits the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre through innovative rotoscope animation and archival footage, following Reynafe Castillo’s search for recognition of her father, Reynaldo Momay, as the massacre’s 58th victim.
The documentary won acclaim in international film festivals like Rotterdam and Annecy, and later received the Facing the Edge Award at New Zealand’s Doc Edge Festival.
QUEZON
Ang Quezon ay ikatlo sa bayaniverse ni Jerrold Tarog.
Nauna ang Heneral Luna (2015), na sinundan ng Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018).
Ang Quezon ay ipinalabas sa local cinemas noong Oktubre 15, 2025.
Nasa cast nito sina Jericho Rosales, Karylle, Mon Confiado, Arron Villaflor, Nico Locco, Romnick Sarmenta, Cris Villanueva, JC Santos, at Iain Glen.
Tungkol ang Quezon sa political rise ni Manuel Luis Quezon mula sa pagiging sundalo at abogado, hanggang maging senador at Presidente ng Philippine Commonwealth.
Ang historical drama ay nagwagi sa 9th EDDYS noong Hulyo bilang best picture, best director (Jerrold Tarog), best actor (Jericho Rosales), best screenplay, at best production design.
Abangan natin kung aariba rin ang Quezon sa tatlong awards ceremony sa Oktubre — Gawad Urian sa Oktubre 8, PMPC Star Awards for Movies sa Oktubre 25, at FAMAS sa Oktubre 27.
Ang FAP o Luna Awards ay sa unang linggo ng Disyembre nakatakda.
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JERRY OLEA
Nakalulumbay na wala tayong full-length film na nagpakitang-gilas sa 79th Cannes filmfest noong Mayo 12-23, 2026.
Ang Cannes (Palme d'Or) ang pinaka-prestigious na filmfest. Kasama nito sa top 3 na most prestigious international filmfest ang Venice (Golden Lion) at Berlin (Golden Bear).
Kung Big Four film festivals ang pag-uusapan, pasok diyan ang Toronto (Platform Award).
Iyang Big Four na yan ay kabilang sa anim na qualifying rounds.
Gaya ng nabanggit, ang dalawa pa ay Sundance (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize) at Busan (Best Film).
Ang Top 15 international filmfests ay Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, Sundance, Telluride, SXSW (Austin, Texas), Tribeca, Locarno, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, Busan, New York, BFI London, at Sitges.
Narito ang apat pang Pinoy movies na nasa shortlist ng FAP para panlaban sa Oscars…
I’mPERFECT
Ang I’mPerfect ang best picture ng Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2025, at ang lead actress dito na si Krystel Go ang itinanghal na 51st MMFF best actress.
May special jury prize ito bilang best ensemble.
I’mPerfect tells the heartfelt story of two young adults with Down syndrome fighting for the right to build an independent life together.
Nag-special screening ito noong Agosto 4 sa 27th Lucania Film Festival sa Italy.
Maliban kay Krystel, tampok sa I’m Perfect sina Earl Amaba, Sylvia Sanchez, Janice de Belen, Lorna Tolentino, Joey Marquez, Tonton Gutierrez, at Zaijian Jaranilla.
MANILA’S FINEST
Pinakamaraming awards ang Manila’s Finest sa MMFF 2025.
Kabilang sa walong tropeo nito ang 3rd best picture (katabla ang Call Me Mother), best cinematography, best production design, best sound, best original theme song, best musical score, Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award, at best float (katabla ang Unmarry).
Sa 9th EDDYS, wagi ito sa mga kategoryang best sound, best musical score, best theme song, at best supporting actor (Rico Blanco, katabla si Will Ashley ng Bar Boys: After School).
Manila’s Finest is a period crime drama set in 1969 Manila, where a police captain’s investigation into a series of murders reveals a wider conspiracy and underlines the vicious cycle of local corruption.
The film had its international premiere at the 25th New York Asian Film Festival.
Nasa cast ng Manila’s Finest sina Piolo Pascual, Enrique Gil, Ashtine Olviga, Cedrick Juan, Kiko Estrada, Rico Blanco, Joey Marquez, Ariel Rivera, Soliman Cruz, Rica Peralejo, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Ethan David, at Dylan Menor.
SISA
Sisa follows a woman believed to be mad and secretly working as a spy for Filipino revolutionaries during the Philippine-American War.
The historical thriller premiered in the competitive section of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and then won Best Screenplay in the Director’s Week section of the 46th Fantasporto International Film Festival.
Comeback film ito ni Hilda Koronel.
Kasama niya sa cast ng Sisa sina Eugene Domingo, Jennica Garcia, Tanya Gomez, Barbara Miguel, Romnick Sarmenta, Angellie Sanoy, Jorrybell Agoto, at Nico Antonio.
Ipinalabas ito sa local cinemas noong Marso 4, 2026.
ALL THE THINGS I LEAVE YOU (PATAWID)
Ilocano language ang All the Things I Leave You (Patawid), na syinuting sa Laoag City at San Nicolas sa Ilocos Norte.
Originally ay six-episode BL series ito, pero ipinalabas bilang isang pelikula sa mga filmfest, at noong Hunyo 17, 2026 sa local cinemas.
Bida rito sina Benedix Ramos at Justin Paul Basobas na apat o limang beses nagdampi ang mga labi.
It follows two young men who work together at a family-run restaurant where they uncover a decades-old love story that unfurls into an exploration of class, intimacy and migration.
The BL film premiered in NewFest in New York, was screened in India and Argentina, and won Best Episodic Film at the 37th Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival.
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