SINEGANG.ph's Best Filipino Films of 2024
SINEGANG.ph’s Best Filipino Films of 2024
Feature art by Joaquin Prudente
There’s something in the air: a buzzing sound, a palpable excitement. You’re at the cinemas, and you’re ecstatic to receive this once-in-a-lifetime gift. Flash, swoosh, click.
Philippine cinema in 2024 was, as the kids say, cooking. Major festivals Cinemalaya and the Metro Manila Film Festival celebrated decades of championing the Filipino story. ‘Hello, Love, Again’ set a new record for the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time. And Marvin and Jolina reunited.
Yet setbacks are inevitable. The bureaucratic threat of censorship and capitalist distribution strategies hounded filmmakers and audiences alike. One cannot help but ask, para kanino pa ba ang pelikulang Pilipino?
— Dapat para sa lahat.
We are privileged to have witnessed some of the best that Philippine cinema has to offer in the past year. Documentaries lingered in our hearts and minds, as we continue to contend with distorted realities perpetuated by ruling powers. Short films from emergent talents stood tall among full-length features from established names. We hate to play this game, but Bea Alonzo is right: we have our favorites.
Without further ado, here are SINEGANG.ph's best Filipino films of 2024, listed alphabetically:
Edita Burgos, the mother of director JL Burgos and his brother Jonas, in ‘Alipato at Muog’
Alipato at Muog
Dir. JL Burgos
Filmmaker JL Burgos made this powerful documentary as a poignant tribute to his disappeared brother Jonas and all other political victims of enforced disappearances since Martial Law. As a modem of insistent vigor, Alipato at Muog is a riveting humanization of our brave citizens who spoke truth to power, and an indictment brimming with frustration at the incompetence and callousness of our authorities. As an indicator of our current Philippine film industry, the film is essential; for a time, it was flagged as X-rated by the MTRCB for “[undermining] the faith…of the people in their government.” It has since been reclassified as R-16. If Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo put the American military on trial for what they did to our country, Alipato at Muog does not go easy on our own Philippine military, deeply influenced by the Western militarization ideals that it has jeopardized national truth itself. The film is truly a singular cinematic piece, anchored by slick editing and compelling animated recreations and is set to be one of the most important national portraits of the decade. – Thandie Aliño
Read our full review: ‘Alipato at Muog’ REVIEW: On the Endless Search for Justice
Vice Ganda in ‘And the Breadwinner Is…’
And the Breadwinner Is…
Dir. Jun Robles Lana
A comedy-drama helmed by Jun Robles Lana, And the Breadwinner Is… offers a refreshing addition to Vice Ganda's filmography. Full of heart and rooted in themes of sacrifice and familial love, the film’s humor lands effortlessly while never overshadowing its emotional depth. Known for his mastery of drama, Lana writes a poignant monologue near the end that captures the heart of hearts of being a family’s breadwinner. Watching the film feels like a rollercoaster ride, seamlessly transitioning from laugh-out-loud moments to deeply affecting scenes. It teaches us that breadwinners are more than just providers — they are everything to their families. Bambi, the protagonist, isn't just a one-dimensional character; they embody the roles of a mother, father, sibling, worker, and artist. Above all, Bambi is a breadwinner! – Ejhay Raguindin
Don Rishmond Cerbito and Arkin Torres in ‘Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo’
Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo
Dir. Miko Biong
Making sense of the violence caused by development aggression can be overwhelming, especially if you are a child living in those heavily affected or threatened areas. Miko Biong’s Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo recontextualizes the popular Filipino game of the same name and connects it to the subtle intersectionality of a child’s loss of innocence and violence by development aggression. It is understated yet profound storytelling. The short film stands out for its ability to create a deeply affecting narrative through understanding children's behavior in these situations. It doesn’t delve too much into the political side of the problem since the short film is framed on how these political events affect their relationship with each other or their intimate spaces. That in itself is already political. – Christ Dustly Go Tan
Ruru Madrid and Dennis Trillo in ‘Green Bones’
Green Bones
Dir. Zig Dulay
At the heart of every film is its story. And Green Bones isn’t short of telling a compelling humanistic story that focuses on its characterization and circumstances to further advance the message of what it means to be good in a world, where evil lurks and hides in places that appear to be virtuous. What seems to be at opposing ends of law and justice are interconnected, both seeking redemption and a chance to reconcile with their respective pasts. Director Zig Dulay, fresh off the success of 2023’s Firefly, together with writers Ricky Lee and Anj Atienza, prove that resonant stories make us reflect on our judgments of the characters of other people. – Ralph Regis
From left to right: Nikko Natividad, Enrique Gil, and Red Ollero in ‘I Am Not Big Bird’
I Am Not Big Bird
Dir. Victor Villanueva
Penises, dicks, cocks, tite…(Editor's Note: To uphold our publication’s professional standards, some more explicit terms of the male genitalia written by our staff member have been removed) is what I Am Not Big Bird is all about. It’s chock-full of phallic humor and imagery—enough to fill the gaping hole of today’s local sex comedies. But the film doesn’t just sling them as jokes; it also uses the Thing as a tool to highlight the pressures surrounding masculinity and how the concept of a man’s “big” or “small” manhood often breeds insecurities. Victor Villanueva's latest comedy offering is one big proof that local sex comedies that pride themselves on being unapologetically raunchy and crude are still a hit. Maybe after this, our local film industry will grow big enough balls to dip into this classic art once again— and produce loads of them. Oh, ten stars talaga sila sa akin if ganun! – Linus Masandag
Read our full review: ‘I Am Not Big Bird’ REVIEW: Enrique Gil soars high and mighty with cinematic comeback
Aicelle Santos in ‘Isang Himala’
Isang Himala
Dir. Jose Lorenzo Diokno
Nothing short of a miracle, Jose Lorenzo Diokno's stage-to-film adaptation of Ishmael Bernal's 1982 classic Himala is — from a personal perspective — a faithful conversion of Ricky Lee's understated source material, despite the criticisms of restructuring it as an indulgent musical. The minimal switches and changes to the original script have been proven to evoke an equally powerful narrative as the ensemble's stories and songs reverberate like recurrent hymns in a cathedral. While it may be a huge cross to bear to level with Nora Aunor's performance, Aicelle Santos’ Elsa shines bright in her evocative portrayal alongside theater artists Bituin Escalante (as Aling Saling), Kakki Teodoro (as Nimia), Neomi Gonzales (as Chayong), and David Ezra (as Orly), who all deservingly share the spotlight, showing off their theatrical prowess to bring Isang Himala to life. In awe of the visually striking set design and the chroma-painted backgrounds reminiscent of Baroque-style paintings, the film undeniably sets the stage for grandiose religious fanaticism and mass hysteria to fittingly take place. As these themes weave through melody and dialogue, Isang Himala’s straightforward lyricism can be seen not as a flaw, but instead, a purpose-driven feature that rings a bell on the koro and tugon in church mass and the pabasa during Holy Week — both of which are relentless Filipino traditions on faith and the divine. – Arri Salvador
Still from ‘Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat Ha Langit’
Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat Ha Langit (Objects Do Not Randomly Fall From the Sky)
Dir. Maria Estela Paiso
Bursting with creativity at every frame, Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat Ha Langit (Objects Do Not Randomly Fall From the Sky) is another showcase for Maria Estela Paiso and her particular brand of mixed-media short filmmaking. A young girl transforms into a reverse mermaid—fish head with human legs—and narrates the struggles of the fisherfolk in her hometown of Zambales as they face harassment from the Chinese coast guard in Scarborough Shoal, and ruminates on the ineffectual, bootlicking response of the Dutertes. The film is dripping with wit and whimsy: the sky is rendered in bubble wraps, fish are taken from Knick Knack biscuits, and the nine-dash line is rendered as a red thread knitted onto a map, as every frame is swathed with a specific tone of blue reminiscent of cyanotype photography. Yet just like Paiso’s previous short, Ampangabagat Nin Talakba Ha Likol (It’s Raining Frogs Outside), all that whimsy is in service of radical politics raging against imperialists and the fascists that allow them to encroach on our territory through the power of collective action—further emphasized by a banger track from Tatz Maven, Calix, & U-Pistol that plays at the credits. Langit is a funny, energetic, and energizing short that will have you chanting, “Atin ang Pinas.” Not for the foreigners nor the spineless, opportunistic government officials, but for the Filipino people. – Kieff Iporac
Bullet Dumas in ‘Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos’
Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos
Dir. Gilb Baldoza
Celso: father, husband, man, factory worker. Nothing about Celso screams significant in humanity’s societal measurements. But when he starts to see a vision in the sky and loses pieces of his body in the process does his story become a way for us to understand why people work and live through unforgiving circumstances to provide for their loved ones. Gilb Baldoza crafts a timeless third-world fable around Bullet Dumas’ Celso, in a performance that captures an everyman’s extraordinary love in an ordinary life. – Philéo Victor Ko
Read our full review: QCShorts International 2024 (Program A) REVIEW: A Bolder Vision for Short Films
A spread of photos of the missing sabungeros in ‘Lost Sabungeros’
Lost Sabungeros
Dir. Bryan Kristoffer J. Brazil
The release of Lost Sabungeros is momentous for multiple reasons: it is one of two Filipino documentaries blocked from screening at last year’s Cinemalaya due to unspecified "security concerns." Eventually, it wound up at QCinema and was greeted by rapturous response and sold-out screenings. Sabungeros is also the first investigative documentary feature released by GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs. While it’s apparent that the film’s format is more suited to the small screen, the longer runtime allows for a more expansive storytelling that wouldn’t have the same effect had it been shorter and interrupted by commercials. News and social media have already covered the mystery of the 34 missing sabungeros during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting investigation that led to a Senate probe implicating Atong Ang and his vast gambling empire. The film funnels this information into an urgent and furious narrative that attempts to piece together the horrifying fates of the cockfighting enthusiasts, humanizes the victims beyond their moniker, and chronicles their families’ search for justice under a criminal justice system that doesn't serve ordinary citizens. It paints a damning portrait of a nation where the rich and powerful are allowed to act with impunity. – Kieff Iporac
Read our full review: ‘Lost Sabungeros’ REVIEW: The Documentary Exposé of Charlie "Atong" Ang
John Lloyd Cruz in ‘Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge.’
Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge
Dir. Khavn
Khavn once more applies his rebellious formal experimentation to the pages of Filipino history in Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge, a surreal yet meaningful headtrip that fills the gap of a lost, vital piece of national literature. The film’s primordial celluloid texture represents its displacement from the past, so does its loose, absurd metatext where a shared desperation between a writer and his characters becomes apparent in ways beyond words. On a purely sensory level, it’s as wazak as the rest of Khavn’s oeuvre has ever been, finding transcendence through its phantasmagoric freewheeling, which makes its title aptly fitting. – Martin Yenko
Read our full review: ‘Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge’ REVIEW: Successful Reconstruction of its Own Accord
John Lloyd Cruz in ‘Moneyslapper’
Moneyslapper
Dir. Bor Ocampo
Such an unconventional style as shown through Bor Ocampo’s lens shouldn’t work often, but as is the case with his latest outing in Moneyslapper. One begins to understand how defiled and destructive the morals of Philippine society are when its heroes’ best assets are money and machismo. The film just oozes with bleakness and scattered anger enough to certainly polarize audiences, but its core message never wavers as does its allegorical ties. Anger and vengeance as displaced and irredeemable. – Jay Cruz
Read our full review: ‘Moneyslapper’ REVIEW: A Convincing Display of Wealth
Ronnie Lazaro in ‘Phantosmia’
Phantosmia
Dir. Lav Diaz
In this broader political culture steeped in historical revisionism, there’s no better time than now to engage with our tumultuous past—it’s the only way to find our way back to the present and further forward to alternate futures. Lav Diaz’s latest film plunges us into the point-of-view of a soldier (played by Ronnie Lazaro) from the Martial Law regime of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, someone who willingly harnessed state-sanctioned violence to brutally silence his fellow Filipinos. He believes that his actions are justified, that they are for the greater good of the country. And yet he’s racked with guilt, and all he can smell now is the putrid stench of burning flesh. Could there be any path to redemption for someone like him—for every other Filipino like him? – Jason Friedlander
Read our full review: ‘Phantosmia’ REVIEW: The Scent of Moral Redemption
Still from ‘Please Keep This Copy’
Please Keep This Copy
Dir. Miguel Lorenzo Peralta
When breaking down the distinctions of what materials define film as an art form, editing is arguably the core element that makes the medium. Miko Peralta’s Please Keep This Copy fully utilizes the pure power of every cut, foley, and school memorabilia as signifiers of repression: explicitly, in the confines of a Catholic school, implicitly, under the insidious changes of the Duterte regime. For Peralta, the personal is the political, therefore, every experience—both juvenile and traumatic—is colored by the anxieties of conservative and religious tyrannies. Please keep this copy of a brilliant short film. – Ian Cruz
From left to right: Carlos Siguion-Reyna, Elora Españo, Nonie Buencamino, Shamaine Buencamino, Harvey Bautista, and Therese Malvar in ‘Pushcart Tales’
Pushcart Tales
Dir. Sigrid Andrea Bernardo
The most out-of-the-box and unexpected from the Puregold’ CinePanalo festival lineup, and arguably Sigrid Bernardo’s best film. Pushcart Tales pushed the boundaries of being a film festival entry. The fantastic ensemble, composed of Nonie and Shamaine Buencamino, Carlos Siguion-Reyna, Harvey Bautista, Therese Malvar, and Elora Españo as a diverse group of people stuck in a grocery store during a disastrous typhoon, shines through. The film delivers a plethora of stories through six individuals finding solace in each other and basically just keeping each other company. – Arman Florence Cristobal
Read our full review: ‘Pushcart Tales’ REVIEW: Sigrid’s Best
The Ati community of Sitio Kabarangkalan in ‘Tumandok’
Tumandok
Dir. Richard Jeroui Salvadico, Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay
Despite being the credited co-directors, Richard Jeroui Salvadico and Kat Sumagaysay don’t claim Tumandok as their film; rather, it’s of the Ati community of Sitio Kabarangkalan. The reason being that it’s not their story to tell, and they’re not interested in making the Ati dance in ways that they, the outsiders, want them to. Instead, Salvadico and Sumagaysay hand them the power to tell their stories in their own way, giving them the rare opportunity to recount their experiences in fighting for legal ownership of their ancestral lands, and how they are met with indifference, violence, and intimidation from those in power. Blending real-life footage and stripping the scripted parts down to their raw, understated form, Tumandok refuses to sensationalize its subject matter and inclines to present the story as is, highlighting how the current system and the authorities who run it fail those they serve, and making the Ati people’s call for action clear and resonant. – Justin Caunan
Read our full review: ‘Tumandok’ REVIEW: Dreaming of a perfect world
