50 Greatest Filipino Films Of All Time

"The movie that shatters any poor soul’s dream of making it big in the country’s capital city, Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag succeeds in being both a love story (Julio Madiaga’s search for the love of his life is one of cinema’s most tragic romantic stories) and a formidable social commentary (on neoliberalism, on exploitation of cheap labor, among others). The film has been restored and will be shown in Cannes soon and in the Philippines in the coming months."

"Yearly Holy Week TV reruns have made Bernal’s magnum opus thankfully accessible to most Filipinos. Himala’s depiction of a poor people yearning for a miracle is an immense filmmaking triumph."

"Arguably de Leon’s best work is a deeply troubling depiction of a dysfunctional family, featuring an imposing performance by Vic Silayan as evil personified."

"Famously banned by the Marcos government for portraying Manila in a “bad” light, Manila by Night is a profoundly impressive canvas featuring some of the city’s most colorful denizens."

"It’s a testament to the enduring appeal of this 1959 family melodrama that it’s still being appreciated by younger viewers. Rosa Rosal is unforgettable as the matriarch who acts as the bedrock amidst the never-ending tragedies that befall her family."

"Gallaga’s grandiose epic on the Second World War’s impact on the country’s landed elite is a powerful commentary on ordinary humans’ capacity for evil."

"Brocka’s searing treatment of a mother-daughter relationship in the slums is a perfect melding of melodrama and Greek tragedy. Features one of the best ensemble performances in local cinema."

"Some people have observed that Romero’s majestic picaresque tale was a precursor to Forrest Gump: its protagonist is a simple-minded young man who sets out on a journey from his quiet hometown, gets enmeshed in the country’s historical upheavals, falls in love, gets his heart broken, learns to forgive, and ends up a wiser man. Ganito Kami Noon is the more accomplished work."

"Made during the turbulent last few years of the Marcos regime, Batch 81’s exploration of a college fraternity acted as a stand-in for the larger socio-political climate at the time."

"De Leon’s debut film marked him as an intelligent filmmaker with an excellent grasp of cinematic language. Itim exposes both the appealing and creepy dimensions of organized religion."

"Brocka’s powerful commentary on middle-class Christians’ opinion and treatment of people in the margins is as biting now as when it was released."

"Tahimik’s satirical critique of postcolonial Philippines’ continuing obsession with Western conceptions of progress was made for a pittance yet has been extremely influential to young, politically conscious filmmakers."

"The highest-ranked film from the new millennium, Diaz’ patient examination of the lives of immigrant Filipinos in New Jersey, USA is considered the first modern Filipino classic film."

"Diaz’ sprawling micro-historical epic epitomizes the artistic freedom made possible by the then-emerging digital technology: it’s eleven hours of uncompromising yet tremendously rewarding viewing experience."

"Brocka’s relentless depiction of post-EDSA human rights violations was so incendiary it was banned by the Cory Aquino government and was only shown commercially after it was screened, and lauded, in Cannes."

"Bernal’s ethnographic look at life in an island was ahead of its time: Bernal was concerned less with narrative and more with mood and texture, crafting a film that merits multiple viewings for a richer reading."

"Known as much for star Vilma Santos’ career-defining performance as a burlesque dancer as Ad. Castillo’s virtuoso handling of the material, Burlesk Queen remains one of the most enthralling in Philippine cinema."

"Tatlong Taon… is a war film: it is set in rural Philippines at the onset of the Second World War. But it is above all an anti-war film: it forces Filipino viewers to empathize with an “enemy”, to realize that, in the grand scheme of things, we are human beings first before we are anything else."

"Avellana’s most acclaimed work takes a long hard look at post-war urban poverty and its ramifications on the lives of several people taking temporary shelter in the ruins of a cathedral."

"De Leon’s uproarious caper comedy features Japanese drug smugglers, Chinese mafia, and, way before Sister Act, dancing nuns. One of Philippine cinema’s most joyous outputs."

"Recently remastered and restored, Conde’s epic vision of the beginnings of Genghis Khan’s rise to power begs to be seen on the big screen for its grandeur to be fully appreciated."

"One of the best erotic films, Filipino or otherwise, Gallaga’s tale of surrendering to the call of the flesh when nothing else in life is as appealing has been imitated countless times but has never been matched."

"Diaz-Abaya brought to vivid life Ricky Lee’s version of a Greek tragedy, with incest, parricide, suicide, and infanticide all wrapped in one heady brew of a movie."

"Diaz-Abaya was a very influential figure in Philippine cinema, with her films offering a clearly feminist perspective that’s largely absent in the male-dominated film industry, and Moral, in showing the individual travails and triumphs of four female friends, is the quintessential Pinoy feminist film."

"Perhaps the Jose Rizal movie that Rizal himself would most appreciate, Bayaning Third World entertainingly deconstructs the man behind the myth."

"De Leon shows how a deeply political film need not feel didactic or be artistically deficient."

"The movie that is known to make grown men cry, Magnifico introduced moviegoers to the precociously talented Jiro Manio and established the career of gifted screenwriter Michiko Yamamoto."

"The critical and commercial success of Maximo Oliveros encouraged young independent filmmakers to make more films and ushered in what is now regarded as the Third Golden Age of Philippine Cinema."

"Jeturian’s hilarious skewering of mainstream cinema’s sexploitation films is still as fresh today as it was thirteen years ago."

"The movie that Roger Ebert calls the worst in the history of Cannes takes viewers along a harrowing road trip to hell and back."

"Castillo and co-writers successfully adapt (albeit unconsciously) Romeo and Juliet to a post-WW2 rural Philippines."

"This is Avellana in his prime as a filmmaker, transporting mostly Christian Filipino viewers to an unfamiliar milieu (Tausug and Badjao relations in Southern Mindanao) and successfully crafting an absorbing tale of love triumphing against all odds."

"Gina Pareño stars in the role of her life as a no-nonsense jueteng collector. The film marks the beginning of influential screenwriter Bing Lao’s foray into real-time mode (later seen in films such as Foster Child, Serbis, and Kinatay, among others)."

"Diaz’ nine-hour opus examines the value of art amidst a tragic natural devastation."

"Bernal’s biting commentary on social hypocrisy, Hinugot stars Maricel Soriano as a woman faced with a moral dilemma amidst intense social pressure."

"Probably the most enjoyable film in the list, Bagets proved to be wildly popular among the country’s teenagers, who soon began imitating the hair and clothing styles of the lead stars."

"Aguila is epic moviemaking at its grandest, condensing 80 years (from the 1896 Revolution to the 1970s) within 3 and half hours of solid, engrossing storytelling."

"The first part of Deocampo’s Ang Lungsod ng Tao ay Nasa Puso trilogy, Oliver follows a female impersonator who supports his family by performing in Manila’s gay bars during the Marcos dictatorship. The film is one of the best illustrations of the fluidity of sexuality, as well as of the power of human agency in times of hardship."

"Banned by the Marcos government upon its release, Bayan Ko has not lost its urgency and relevance today."

"Bernal’s examination of the life of a kept woman and her increasingly tenuous relationship with her lover provided the template for the recent spate of mistress films churned out by mainstream cinema."

"Possibly the most romantic Pinoy film of all-time, Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising features Hilda Koronel at her loveliest, Christopher de Leon at his dreamiest, and Baguio City before it became uncool (literally and figuratively)."

"Brocka’s landmark film on gay parenthood made viewers realize that love does not discriminate. Features what possibly is Dolphy’s best performance ever."

"De Leon’s gripping political drama based on the real life story of the eponymous hero set the standard for much of the political films that came after it."

"O’Hara’s magical realist take on people living in one of Manila’s polluted breakwaters is a welcome respite from the spate of social realist melodramas that came before it."

"One of the wittiest and most quotable Pinoy films ever, Salawahan shows the lighter side of Bernal, telling the story of two young male cousins who decide to trade courtship styles to hilarious consequences."

"Brocka directs Aunor in one her iconic roles: that of a suffering martyr who gets her comeuppance in the end."

"De Leon’s masterful adaptation of Jose Rizal’s sequel to Noli Me Tangere brought to life the characters that most Filipinos are familiar with from their high school literature classes. Pancho Magalona delivers a towering performance as Simoun."

"Avellana’s adaptation of Nick Joaquin’s landmark play about an upper-class family’s struggles on the cusp of WW2 captures the spirit both of the play and of the human condition of a bygone era."

"Fernandez’ engaging family melodrama features a feisty Charito Solis as the youngest and only female sibling of a family beset by misfortunes."

"Mendoza’s lyrical evocation of the peaceful Badjao culture features a transcendent performance from Nora Aunor as a devoted wife who goes out of her way to satisfy her husband."