Eight Films Contend for Philippine Entry to the 99th Oscars

 

Eight films are in contention to become the Philippines’ official entry to the Best International Feature Film category of the 99th Academy Awards. The films were chosen from local submissions for consideration that was announced by the Film Academy last June 18 in its Byaheng Oscars press conference.

The contenders are Carl Joseph Papa’s 58th; Jade Castro’s All the Things I Leave You (Patawid); Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana; Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo’s I’mPerfect; Raymond Red’s Manila’s Finest; Jerrold Tarog’s Quezon; Lawrence Fajardo’s Silenced Nights; and Jun Robles Lana’s Sisa.

“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,” Film Academy of the Philippines Director-General Paolo Villaluna said.

The Contenders

Carl Joseph Papa’s 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.

Jade Castro’s Ilocano-language All the Things I Leave You (Patawid) 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.

Rafael Manuel’s Filipiñana follows a teenage girl whose fascination with the president of an exclusive country club leads her to discover the violence beneath its pristine surface. A sharp satire that underlines class disparity and exploitation, the film 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.

Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo’s I’mPerfect tells the heartfelt story of two young adults with Down syndrome fighting for the right to build an independent life together. The progressive film about inclusion, starring actors with Down syndrome in lead roles, won Best Picture at the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival and was also featured in a special screening at the 27th Lucania Film Festival in Italy.

Raymond Red’s 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 received several awards at the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival and had its international premiere at the 25th New York Asian Film Festival.

Jerrold Tarog’s Quezon traces the political rise of Manuel L. Quezon, from soldier and lawyer to senator and eventually President of the Philippine Commonwealth. The historical drama recently won Best Picture at the 9th Entertainment Editors’ Choice Awards, with Tarog and lead actor Jericho Rosales also taking home Best Director and Best Actor, respectively.

Lawrence Fajardo’s Silenced Nights shakes a laborer’s life after witnessing the extrajudicial killing of a teenage boy by the police. The sociopolitical thriller made history as the 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.

Jun Robles Lana’s Sisa follows a woman believed to be mad and secretly working as a spy for Filipino revolutionaries during the Philippine-American War. Legendary actress Hilda Koronel’s comeback film, 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.

The contenders will undergo a rigorous selection process led by a National Selection Committee convened by the Film Academy of the Philippines. Composed of respected Filipino industry experts, the committee has been approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) and will evaluate the submissions based on artistic merit, cultural relevance, and international campaign potential.

The Film Academy of the Philippines will announce the country’s official entry to the 99th Oscars on September 4, 2026, during the opening ceremony of the Philippine Film Industry Month with the Film Development Council of the Philippines.