Despite persistent reports since the early 2000s, Filipino cinema is not dead, nor does it sleep. No doubt, Filipino filmmakers face countless obstacles, including meager funding or support from the powers that be.
Many Filipino films, even acclaimed ones, also get unceremoniously deleted from streaming platforms. What’s worse, some of these filmmakers have no idea that their films have been removed.
Still, their passion pushes them to continue in their cinematic endeavors. Here are some great Filipino films that you can still watch from the comfort of your own home (with English subtitles). Some are available for free on YouTube, but are also available in better quality on the listed subscription-only streaming apps.
Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay (Pagpag: Nine Lives) (2013)
If you look up Filipino movies, your search results will be dominated by Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla’s films. The former couple, known as “KathNiel,” ruled Filipino pop culture together until their breakup in 2023. You’ll probably only see their romance films in the results, but Pagpag—a lean, mean teen slasher—is worth a watch too.
It’s the pair’s first and only horror flick, a smash success when it came out but now rather underrated compared to their rom-coms. Director Frasco Mortiz tells JoySauce that Pagpag is like Final Destination with a Filipino culture twist, weaving Filipino funeral superstitions into its creative kills, adding a unique touch to genre fare.
Where to watch in the United States: YouTube (free); iWantTFC (subscription)
Mahal Kita, Beksman (I Love You, Beksman) (2022)
Dali (Christian Bables) is a fashion designer with flaming red hair. He lives happily with his big queer family above their beauty salon. However, he’s forced to come out…as straight, after he falls for a woman, Angel (Iana Bernardez). Everyone around him, Angel included, reacts to this news with shock and horror. But Angel gives him a chance to woo her.
The film is campy beyond imagination, with a bold sense of humor. But it also tackles generational trauma, toxic masculinity, and gender nonconformity. It’s charmingly sweet and earnest, taking a vibrant, rainbow-hued approach to heavy themes. Beksman bagged Best Non-U.S. Release at the 27th Online Film Critics Society Awards in January 2024, winning alongside the likes of Oppenheimer.
The film’s proudly gay director, Perci Intalan, tells me, “I love that international audiences get to watch our film, Mahal Kita, Beksman! It’s a film with many layers, thanks to our writer Fatrick Tabada. It’s a reverse coming out story, so people hopefully realize just how preposterous it is to keep boxing in someone just to conform to our prejudices.” He concludes, “Ultimately, it’s a pure and simple love story that reminds us all that who we are is enough to be worthy of love.”
Where to watch in the United States: VivaOne (subscription)
Ang Dragon sa Capanganuran (The Dragon in the Clouds) (2023)
Most period films in the Philippines are centered on Tagalog history. On the other hand, Dragon is a multilingual—with dialogue in Cebuano, Spanish, Hokkien, Chavacano, and Hiligaynon—drama set in 1898. It follows a mix of real and fictional historical figures in the Philippines’ Visayas region, during the dying days of Spanish colonial rule.
The roster includes a young man who has just survived the deaths of his lannang (Chinese Filipino) community and a cutthroat female revolutionary. The film even features a fictionalized version of León Kilat, a real-life hero who led Cebu’s uprising against Spain, only for pro-empire traitors to kill him in his sleep when he was just 24. Dragon had a tiny, crowd-funded budget, but delivers solid visuals and acting. These chapters of Philippine history are definitely worth learning about, too.
Where to watch in the United States: Cinemata (free)
Iti Mapukpukaw (The Missing) (2023)
In the Philippines, this Ilocano film is widely hailed as revolutionary due to its mixed-media (mainly rotoscoping) animation. Despite its amazing visual style, Iti Mapukpukaw is tough to watch. Carlo Aquino stars as Eric, an animator without a mouth. He lives with his loving mother, Rosalinda (BAFTA nominee Dolly de Leon, Triangle of Sadness and Nine Perfect Strangers).
Eric’s crush on his officemate blooms into a sweet romance. As the two men’s relationship progresses, however, Eric starts to lose more body parts. It’s a harrowing representation of trauma due to childhood sexual abuse that Eric experienced at the hands of his late uncle. While the film deals with extremely serious topics, it also has a message of hope and healing.
Where to watch in the United States: Netflix (subscription)
2 Cool 2 Be 4Gotten (2016)
This coming-of-age film’s gay themes earned it an undeserved R-18 rating from the Philippines’ Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. The board claimed that the film was “psychologically disturbing” and had “no social redeeming value.” Its story is dark, sure, but this visually stunning, tragic tale of first love has value aplenty.
2 Cool takes place in the late ‘90s, in the Philippine province of Pampanga. Felix Salonga (Khalil Ramos), a high school boy, is grappling with everything the Mt. Pinatubo eruption took from him a decade prior. He finds solace in his intense, obsessive bonds with the Snyder brothers, half-white newcomers to the area. While Felix shares tender moments with Magnus (Ethan Salvador), Maxim (Jameson Blake) has murder on his mind. 2 Cool is a compelling slow-burn thriller that explores repressed desire and the effects of colonialism alike.
Where to watch in the United States: iWantTFC (subscription)
Di Ingon ‘Nato (Not Like Us) (2011)
Di Ingon ‘Nato was the palate cleanser I needed after being disappointed by 28 Years Later. While the latter promised zombies, what I got was mostly glorified cavemen. Di Ingon ‘Nato has none of that big-budget Hollywood sheen, but it delivers on the zombies. The film knows what it is and isn’t trying to be anything else.
Set on the island of Cebu, the film follows its residents as a zombie outbreak overwhelms a village. The characters and events feel realistic, almost with a found-footage vibe. The film’s team also worked hard on the practical effects, creating fantastic zombies with a microbudget. It captures rural, provincial life in the region really well too, with dialogue written purely in the Cebuano language.
Where to watch in the United States: YouTube (free)
BONUS: Love Bites (anthology series since 2022)
Love Bites is a glossy made-for-YouTube series—each 20-minute episode practically a short film in it of itself. Its pilot episode, “Lost But Found,” stars Vivoree Esclito as a smitten college girl. Esclito is so good in every project; her tan skin and non-Eurocentric beauty are refreshing. Sadly, the industry often sidelines the young actress. Love Bites gives her the rare chance to shine.
It’s a recurring pattern in this series. These short films lend the spotlight to actors and stories that mainstream Filipino media usually neglects, if not outright rejects. For example, trans male actor Concon Felix is the romantic lead in feel-good story “First and Last.” And fan favorite episode “Stand-in Love” is a happy tale of love between two women.
Where to watch in the United States: YouTube (free)
