12 Films That Put Philippine Cinema on the Map at Cannes

As 5 new Filipino films debut at Cannes, we revisit some of the Philippines’ boldest moments on the global stage

 

By Mel Wang

May 15, 2025

Rolling Stone Philippines

 

The 2025 Cannes Film Festival is proving to be a big milestone for Filipino cinema. Not only are three Filipino-produced short films — Agapito, Ali, and Bleat! — screening at Cannes, but the Japanese-Filipino co-produced drama Renoir and director Lav Diaz’s historical epic Magellan will also be premiering at the prestigious festival.

 

As this year’s festival kicks off, we’re revisiting some of the standout moments when Filipino cinema captured the spotlight on the Croisette.

 

Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975): Directed by legendary Filipino filmmaker Lino Brocka, Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag follows Julio (Bembol Roco), a fisherman who heads to Manila in search of his girlfriend Ligaya (Hilda Koronel). However, the chaos and harsh realities of the city slowly eat away at him. A restored version of the film made its world premiere at the Classics section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

 

Insiang (1976): The first Filipino feature film to be presented at Cannes, Lino Brocka’s Insiang, was screened at the 1978 Cannes under the Directors’ Fortnight section. The drama follows a young girl named Insiang (Hilda Koronel) whose life becomes almost unbearable when her mother Tonya (Mona Lisa), invites her boyfriend, Dado (Ruel Vernal), to live with them.

 

Others:

 

Itim (1976)

Bona (1980)

Bayan Ko (1984)

Anino (2000)

Kinatay (2009)

Independencia (2009)

Death March (2013)

Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (2013)

On the Job (2013)

Ma’Rosa (2016)

 

Link: https://rollingstonephilippines.com/culture/film-tv/12-filipino-films-cannes-film-festival/

 

14 Filipina Icons Who Mothered Philippine Entertainment

14 Filipina Icons Who Mothered Philippine Entertainment

 

Did they mother or did they mother? From the Diamond Star to the Star for All Seasons, these iconic women have left a permanent mark on the country’s entertainment landscape

 

By Mel Wang

March 07, 2025

Rolling Stone Philippines

 

How does one “mother”? For the uninitiated, the slang term “mother” describes someone who starts trends from ground zero and leaves everyone else taking notes. A mother serves. A mother slays. To use the term in a sentence, as both a noun and verb: “Oh, she’s mother — she’s truly mothering, I could never mother like her.” In short — a mother is a star who excels, and it is a huge honor to be deemed as such.

 

Any fan of Philippine film and TV knows that the local industry has its fair share of mothers. An elite group of Filipina actresses are so exceptional in their craft, delivering memorable performances again and again, that they’ve earned their own monikers: The Queen of All Media, The Star for All Seasons, The Megastar, just to name a few. These women have transcended mere stardom, becoming the benchmarks for the industry. Their roles go far beyond the screen, shaping culture and reflecting the complexities of Filipino life.

 

With that, we revisit some of Philippine entertainment’s greatest Mothers (with a capital M!) and explore how their careers shaped the country’s cultural landscape.

 

Hilda Koronel

 

Hilda Koronel’s cinematic journey has spanned decades, filled with exceptional roles and legendary collaborations. Her partnership with acclaimed director Lino Brocka yielded masterpieces like the violent drama Insiang, where Koronel’s performance as the vengeful titular character earned her the 1976 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actress Award. Other major Brocka collaborations include Santiago!, Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, and Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag. Although Koronel has been based in the United States since the early aughts, she recently returned to acting in director Jun Lana’s upcoming gritty historical thriller Sisa.

 

Why she mothered so hard: “Once, twice, thrice, gaano ba kadalas ang minsan?” Koronel delivered this iconic line in the 1982 drama Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan? where the actress gave a performance oozing in melodrama and heartbreak as Elsa, a woman torn between her husband and best friend. Koronel’s ability to pour raw emotion into her roles, often portraying women navigating complex relationships and intense heartache, has long made her a beloved figure among fans.

 

Others:

 

Vilma Santos

Paolo Ballesteros

Cherie Gil

Dolly De Leon

Vice Ganda

Nora Aunor

Judy Ann Santos

Lorna Tolentino

Ai-Ai delas Alas

Cherry Pie Picache

Sharon Cuneta

Jaclyn Jose

Maricel Soriano

 

Link: https://rollingstonephilippines.com/culture/film-tv/14-filipina-icons-who-mothered-philippine-entertainment/

 

Lino Brocka Was the Filmmaker of the People

As we look back on Lino Brocka’s 34th death anniversary, we remember how his films are imbued with social realities that make them so powerful and lasting until now

 

By Don Jaucian

May 22, 2025

Rolling Stone Philippines

 

Lino Brocka died in a car accident 34 years ago today. Born Catalino “Lino” Ortiz Brocka, the filmmaker was raised in Nueva Ecija. He was trained in theater during his high school days and at the University of the Philippines – Diliman, but couldn’t get roles because of his “provincial accent.”

 

He eventually joined the Philippine Educational Theater Association in 1972 and directed plays, such as the Filipino adaptation of Nick Joaquin’s A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino, called Larawan. Brocka directed his first full-length film in 1970, Wanted: Perfect Mother, starring Dante Rivero, Boots Anson-Roa, and Liza Lorena. It was an entry to the 1970 Metro Manila Film Festival. A decent copy of the film is available through the Solar Films YouTube Channel.

 

Brocka went on to direct the defining films of Philippine cinema, some of which have gone on to compete in prestigious film festivals such as Cannes. When asked what the classic Filipino films are, most people would mention Brocka’s films: Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, Insiang, Tinimbang ka Ngunit Kulang, and Jaguar. In 2013, the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers polled critics, filmmakers, archivists, academics, and film workers for the Best Filipino Film of All Time list, which crowned Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag as the top film. His other films, Insiang and Tinimbang ka Ngunit Kulang, were also in the Top 10. 

 

Apart from his films, Brocka is remembered for his activism, which seeped into his films that spotlighted ordinary people living on the fringes of society, from people in the slums, night workers, and rebels.

 

“I am fighting for an atmosphere wherein I could make the films I’d like to make, with the least compromise,” Brocka said in the documentary Signed: Lino Brocka. “And to do that, you have to change the system. You can’t just confine yourself to the problems of moviemaking […] like censorship and taxes and all that. In the beginning, I did not get myself involved with the parliament of the streets. I felt and I thought that by not cooperating with the government, everything would be okay. My conscience was clear and clean. Nobody can tell me that ‘You cooperated with the government that did not respect human rights, a government that declared martial law and took away the rights of its citizens’ […] All that changed one day when I read about people being imprisoned because of the president’s decree called Preventive Detentive Action. I suddenly realized that it was not enough to act individually.”

 

As generations of audiences and cineastes emerge, as well as techniques in film preservation, many of Brocka’s films are now reaching more viewers and even markets abroad. Last year, his underseen film Bona, starring and produced by the Superstar Nora Aunor, was restored by the French distributor Carlotta Films and boutique film distributor Kani Releasing. The film was part of the Cannes Classics line-up that year.

In the same year, his crime classic Jaguar, starring Philip Salvador, was restored through the collaboration of the Philippine Film Archive and Cité de Mémoire in Paris. It premiered at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon, France. It was the first film to be nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or when it competed in the 1980 Cannes Film Festival.

 

Just recently, it was announced that Carlotta Films and Kani Releasing are working once again to restore Brocka’s 1988 classic Macho Dancer, starring Daniel Fernando, Allan Paule, and Jaclyn Jose.

 

Remembering the National Artist for Film during his 34th anniversary, it is important to remember that Brocka was clear in the kind of artistry that fueled his practice. He was for the people and freedom of expression. He said, “You cannot separate what is happening in the country, the realities around, with the realities of filmmaking.”

 

Link: https://rollingstonephilippines.com/culture/lino-brocka-death-anniversary/

 

This Lino Brocka Film is in IndieWire’s ‘The 100 Best Movies of the 1970s’

The entertainment-focused publication ranked one of Lino Brocka’s most influential films, Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, 93rd on its list of the best 100 movies of the 1970s

 

By Mel Wang

August 22, 2025

Rolling Stone Philippines

 

Since 2022, IndieWire has published an annual list ranking the best 100 movies of each decade. This year, the publication has finally made its way to paying homage to ‘70s cinema (https://www.indiewire.com/lists/best-70s-movies/the-sugarland-express-dir-steven-spielberg-1974/), and one of Lino Brocka’s most influential films has made the cut.

 

“Born from the chaos of the 1960s and screaming headlong into a future that still seemed to be up for grabs,” wrote the IndieWire staff in their list’s introduction, “the films of the ‘70s reflect a world that was trying to make sense of its own potential.” The list presents itself as the combined insights of IndieWire’s staff writers and contributors, avoiding any claims of being a definitive ranking of the best of international ‘70s cinema.

 

Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag ranks 93rd on the list, with IndieWire’s Sam Bodrojan praising the 1975 masterpiece for its ability to defy genres and capture the urban decay of a Marcos-era Philippines. It is also the only Filipino film to be included on the list. The film follows Julio (Bembol Roco), a young man searching for his lost love Ligaya (Hilda Koronel) as he navigates the dark underbelly of urban Manila.

 

“The most striking aspect of the film is the infrastructure,” wrote Bodrojan. “The dirt piles next to a construction site, the market stalls built from sheet metal, the hand-painted menus at a restaurant. Brocka’s camera focuses so intently on these spaces because he cares so passionately for the people whose spirits threaten to be crushed by merely inhabiting them.”

 

Maynila, sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag went on to win a total of nine accolades at the 1976 FAMAS Awards, including Best Picture and Best Picture. In 2013, the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers named it the greatest Filipino film of all time, based on a poll of critics, filmmakers, archivists, academics, and film workers.

The film was later restored by a partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines and the World Cinema Project, a restoration program led by Martin Scorsese’s nonprofit, the Film Foundation. This restored version of the film made its world premiere at the Classics section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. A retrospective on Brocka’s films is currently running on the Criterion Channel.

 

Link: https://rollingstonephilippines.com/culture/news-culture/maynila-sa-mga-kuko-ng-liwanag-indiewire/

 

Hilda Koronel – Movies, Theme Songs & Blog

Hi everyone,

 

I’ve curated a special collection celebrating the illustrious career of Hilda Koronel, one of Philippine cinema’s most iconic stars. ✨

 

·         🎬 Movies & Films: A playlist of her unforgettable screen performances

 

 Hilda Koronel (Movies / Films): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJGOl7l4uojZ9TSzhtg9I6EokAmgWGe2z&si=0jhP4viGa5O1MboI 

 

·         🎶 Theme Songs: The timeless music that defined her films

 

 Hilda Koronel (Movie / Film theme songs): https://music.apple.com/au/playlist/hilda-koronel/pl.u-06oxM6ATXxbLDx 

 

·         📝 Blog: A space where I’ve shared articles and reflections about Hilda’s remarkable journey

 

 Hilda Koronel (Blog): http://hilda-koronel.blogspot.com/

 HiLdA KoRoNeL 

 

Each image includes a QR code for quick access. But if the QR codes don’t work, you can explore directly through these links:

 

🔗 Hilda Koronel – Movie / Film Theme Songs
🔗 Hilda Koronel – Movies / Films
🔗 Hilda Koronel – Blog

 

This collection is a heartfelt tribute to an actress whose artistry continues to inspire across generations.

 

Enjoy! ~ Cielomar

Hilda Koronel Receives First Monty Manibog Lifetime Achievement Award at the Inaugural Manila International Film Festival in Hollywood

The inaugural Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in Los Angeles honored legendary actress Hilda Koronel with its first-ever Monty Manibog Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating her extraordinary contributions to Philippine cinema.

 

The award is named after the late Monty Manibog, an Olympic athlete, trailblazing attorney, and the first Filipino American elected to public office in Southern California, serving as both city council member and mayor of Monterey Park. His legacy of leadership and community service now finds a fitting parallel in Koronel’s artistry and enduring influence.

 

As part of the tribute, the festival unveiled an official poster designed by Elton Lugay and Adam Lang. The artwork, composed of hundreds of stills from Koronel’s acclaimed films with National Artist Lino Brocka—most notably Insiang and Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag—symbolizes her indelible mark on cinema. A closer look reveals Brocka himself alongside Koronel, a poignant reminder of the Philippines’ finest filmmakers and storytellers.

 

Koronel received the award before an audience of over 600 at the Directors Guild of America, with luminaries including Piolo Pascual, Tirso Cruz III, Christopher de Leon, Dingdong Dantes, and several Philippine officials in attendance.

 

“It’s fascinating and I’m very happy for all the Filipinos who make it everywhere in the world, especially now that they’re here. It’s really thrilling,” Koronel shared.

 

With a career spanning more than 50 films, Koronel has long been celebrated as one of Philippine cinema’s most gifted actresses. Her last screen appearance was in 2012’s The Mistress, a performance that earned her multiple accolades. Now at 66, she revealed on the MIFF gold carpet that she is considering a return to acting—news that delighted fans and industry peers alike.

 

The Manila International Film Festival’s recognition affirms Koronel’s place not only as a multi-award-winning actress but as a cultural icon who has carried the Filipino voice onto the global stage. Her artistry continues to inspire generations of filmmakers, actors, and audiences.

 

Congratulations, Hilda Koronel—your star shines brighter than ever. ~ Cielomar

Hilda Koronel Honored with the Natatanging Gawad Urian at the 47th Gawad Urian Awards

At the 47th Gawad Urian Awards held on June 8, 2024, the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino bestowed its highest honor, the Natatanging Gawad Urian (Lifetime Achievement Award), upon the legendary Hilda Koronel—a tribute to her unparalleled artistry and enduring contributions to Philippine cinema.

 

Widely regarded as one of the country’s finest actresses, Koronel’s career spans decades of acclaimed performances that helped shape the golden age of Filipino filmmaking. She is best remembered for her iconic collaborations with National Artist Lino Brocka, including Insiang—the first Filipino film to screen at the Cannes Film Festival—and Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, hailed as one of the greatest films in Philippine cinema.

 

Throughout her career, she has been recognized with numerous awards from FAMAS, MMFF, Luna, YCC, and PMPC Star Awards, in addition to five Gawad Urian nominations. In 2005, she won Best Supporting Actress at the Urian for her remarkable performance in Nasaan Ka Man.

 

Even as she made her last screen appearance in 2012 with The Mistress, Koronel’s legacy continues to shine brightly, inspiring generations of artists and audiences alike. Her recognition with the Natatanging Gawad Urian not only honors a lifetime of cinematic brilliance but also celebrates her place as a timeless icon whose work has carried the Filipino spirit onto the global stage. ~ Cielomar

Hilda Koronel reclaims the spotlight with ‘Sisa’

Hilda Koronel reclaims the spotlight with ‘Sisa’

DIRECT LINE CONVERSATIONS - Boy Abunda - The Philippine Star

February 2, 2025 | 12:00am

 

Hilda Koronel has always been perceived by some people as aloof while others deem her intimidating.

 

The seasoned actress recently flew back to the Philippines from the US for “Sisa,” a historical thriller under the helm of Jun Robles Lana. It is an international co-production of IdeaFirst Company, Octobertrain Films, Quantum Films, Cineko Productions, CMB Films, and the Myanmar-based film outfit Forever Group.

 

“I don’t even know why,” said Hilda regarding her thoughts on misconceptions about her during her guest appearance on “Fast Talk with Boy Abunda.” “I am a very shy person. If they think about me that way, what can I do?”

 

Even in her heyday in Philippine showbiz, you wouldn’t see photos of Hilda on red carpets or award-giving occasions considering her stature as one of the country’s finest actresses.

 

Her shyness would always get in the way, she amusingly shared. As a result, part of the clause in her contract would oftentimes include attending awarding ceremonies.

 

It was the late director and National Artist for Film Lino Brocka who honed Hilda into becoming one of Philippine Cinema’s acting gems. She began her acting career in 1969 as a talent of Lea Productions.

 

Direk Lino took notice of her acting skills and they initially worked together in “Santiago” in 1970. They also did a weekly drama show titled “The Hilda Show” It’s a well-known fact that direk Lino was not a fan of acting workshops and he could make a film without a script.

 

“Yes, we did not have (workshops) but we had ‘The Hilda Show’ for almost six years if you can still remember,” she ruminated.

 

“And we did ‘Insiang’ as one of the episodes for ‘The Hilda Show,’ which was also made into a film. I was only 16 then and Lino said, ‘I promise you, by the time you reach 18, before you reach 18 (years old), I’m gonna make you go to the top as the dramatic actress that you will be.’”

 

“And he did,” added Hilda who also starred in multi-awarded Lino Brocka films, including “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” (1974); “Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag” (1975); and “Insiang” (1976), all highly-acclaimed classic films in Philippine cinema.

 

Hilda said Lino had his style as a director. He was not the type who would dictate how to attack a role. She recounted how he would talk to her about a scene and what he wanted from it.

 

“Kung gusto niyang kaliwa lang ‘yung tears ko or sa kanan. The lighting was very important to Lino, so, ‘Gusto ko dito bumagsak ‘yung luha,’ So, I’d do my best.”

 

In addition, Hilda said that the famed director knew her inside and out, including her heartaches and pains, so he would encourage her to use her experiences when acting out a role.

 

“He knew all my stories, my personal stuff. I trust him with that. Parts of ‘Insiang’ are parts of my life, and some of the movies that I have done, like ‘Hello Soldier,’ are part of my life. So, he picks a little bit of that and expands it to become a film. Alam niya kasi ang story ako talaga.”

 

The toughest part of being an actress is getting out of the character, Hilda articulated. “Even after work (shooting), my adrenaline is still high so it’s hard that even when you’ve already removed your makeup, naiisip mo pa like I’m thinking if I did it (role) right.

 

“Even when people say it was excellent already, I’m always nitpicking that’s why I don’t watch my movies,” revealed Hilda who has won acting honors from such award-giving bodies as Gawad Urian, FAMAS, Luna, and Metro Manila Filmfest, among others.

 

What is her piece of advice to the young generation of actors?

 

“Just work hard and love your craft. It takes a village to make a movie, so treat everybody with respect — lahat ng crew. And just be on time,” replied Hilda, whose real name is Susan Reid Moore.

 

She and her husband, Ralph Moore, Jr., are based in the US. Hilda has six children, namely, Karen Patricia, Ixara, Leona, Isabel, Martina Gabrielle and Diego.