Filipiñana, the Philippines’ official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, has reached its fourth week in theaters, with Filipino audiences continuing to show their support for the film.
Written, directed, and edited by Rafael Manuel and starring Jorrybell Agoto, the film has already established a presence beyond the Philippines. Over the past year, Filipiñana has become part of the global film conversation through its international festival run, recognition at Sundance, and expanding network of international partners, distribution, and press coverage.
Its Oscar selection represents another milestone in a journey that had already been gaining momentum well before the film was chosen as the Philippines’ entry.
Director-General Paolo Villaluna, congratulating the Filipiñana team following the Film Academy of the Philippines’ selection, pointed to the film’s ability to translate a distinctly Filipino experience into a story with universal resonance. For Villaluna, the film’s growing international critical recognition affirms both its artistic merit and “its capacity to carry a Filipino story rooted in universal questions of power, identity, and survival to a global audience.”
But what makes this moment particularly meaningful is what has happened since the film came home. Following its run as the closing film of Cinemalaya, Filipiñana opened theatrically in the Philippines and has now reached its fourth week in cinemas.
For a local film—particularly one that does not necessarily conform to the conventions of mainstream commercial cinema—sustaining a theatrical run for four weeks is no small feat.
This proves that Philippine cinema is not made up only of films that dominate the box office. A healthy film culture also needs room for work that is formally ambitious, challenging, unconventional, and capable of travelling beyond our borders. Filipiñana occupies that space.
Its international journey gives Filipino cinema another point of entry into the world, while its continued theatrical run demonstrates that there is an audience here willing to engage with it.
And that makes its Oscar journey a story not only about international recognition, but also about local support. Not every Filipino film gets a fourth week in cinemas. Filipiñana does.
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