What makes a Filipino movie an Oscar contender? That is a decision for the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), which recently shortlisted seven movies as potential submissions for the 98th Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category.
The academy’s Oscar Selection Committee will select one out of the seven shortlisted films to submit to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States, which will be holding the Oscars in March 2026.
“The selection offers fascinating insight about the Filipinos as a nation struggling with the weight of the past and the gritty issues of the present,” said FAP director-general Paolo Villaluna. “It will surely be difficult to choose only one, but whichever feature we end up sending to the Oscars will be one any Pinoy can be proud [of].”
Among the shortlisted films is director Baby Ruth Villarama’s documentary Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea. The film, which documents the plight of fishermen and the Philippine Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea, made waves locally when its sudden pull-out from the PureGold CinePanalo Film Festival in March delayed its local premiere. It has since been screened nationwide and made its world debut at the New Zealand Doc Edge Festival, where it won the festival’s Tides of Change Award.
Green Bones, director Zig Dulay’s Best Picture winner at the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival, is also in the running as the Philippines’ official submission to the Oscars. The drama stars Ruru Madrid as Xavier Gonzaga, a young officer newly assigned to the secluded San Fabian Prison and Penal Farm. His black-and-white view of the world is challenged when he meets Dennis Trillo’s Dom Zamora, a longtime inmate accused of murdering his sister and niece. The film is co-written by National Artist Ricky Lee, with Angeli Guidaya-Atienza, based on a story by JC Rubio.
Hello, Love, Again, the much-anticipated sequel to the 2019 box office hit Hello, Love, Goodbye, is also among the contenders. Directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, the romantic drama sees Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards reprise their roles as nursing graduate Joy and Hong Kong bar owner Ethan. The two cross paths once more in Canada, after trying to hold onto a relationship strained by time, distance, and a global pandemic. It is now the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time.
The shortlisted list also includes Magellan, internationally acclaimed director Lav Diaz’s latest historical opus, which premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival earlier this May. It follows the Portuguese explorer (Gael García Bernal) on his ill-fated voyage to the Philippine archipelago.
Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, director Petersen Vargas’ lush fever dream about a group of young hustlers cruising the streets and cinemas of Manila, is also in the mix. The drama, starring Jomari Angeles, Argel Saycon, Tommy Alejandrino, Gold Aceron, and Miguel Odron, made its world premiere at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia in 2024, where it won the Best Score Award. It will have its commercial run starting this week.
Director King Palisoc’s musical drama, Song of the Firfelies, is another strong contender. Inspired by the true story of the Loboc Children’s Choir, Song of the Fireflies stars Morissette in her acting debut as the group’s choirmaster Alma Taldo.
Rounding out the shortlist is director Antoinette Jadaone’s Sunshine, which stars Maris Racal as the eponymous character whose path to the Olympics is seemingly cut short when she discovers that she’s pregnant. The drama, which won the Crystal Bear for Best Film at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, has been enjoying an extended theatrical run in national theaters. As of writing, Sunshine is in its fifth week of screenings, a rare feat in our industry today.
