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On March 27, 2025, Abs-cbn‘s Film Archives and Restoration and Ayala Malls launched A Rewind, their retrospective feature partnership which aims to make “timeless films accessible to the wider audience” according to their press release. This is a great opportunity to launch retrospective screens in commercial movie theaters because the practice is quite rare in the Philippines. They chose to begin with a film titled “Kailan Ka Magiging Akin.”

Released in 1991 by Vision Films, a company that was subsequently absorbed by the film giant, Star Cinema, “Kailan Ka Magiging Akin” adapts for the screen a popular serial radio drama. The title refers to a drama between characters whose motivations center on one child. Dolor (Janice de Belen) is hired by Jaime (Eddie Gutierrez) to temporarily take care of the child adopted by his cousin, Adul (Vivian Velez). On the side of this set up are two women with extreme attitudes toward...

In a bid to celebrate and preserve Philippine cinema’s rich heritage, Ayala Malls Cinemas has launched “A Rewind,” a special initiative in partnership with the Abs-cbn Film Archives and Restoration. The program brings restored Filipino film classics back to the big screen, offering audiences a chance to relive these cinematic treasures in their full glory.

Starting this April, moviegoers can experience timeless Filipino films at select Ayala Malls Cinemas, including Ayala Malls The 30th, Ayala Malls Cloverleaf, Ayala Malls Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls MarQuee Mall, and Ayala Malls Legazpi. The initiative is designed to make these classics more accessible, with special ticket prices of P180 for regular moviegoers and P160 for students upon presentation of a valid school ID.

The inaugural screenings of “A Rewind” will run from April 9 to 13, featuring two acclaimed films: “Kailan Ka Magiging Akin” (1991), directed by Chito S. Roño and starring Janice de Belen, Gabby Concepcion,...

The Filipino crime thriller has a unique approach that includes documentary-like realism in the narrative, in the style dictated by the likes of Lino Brocka, Mike De Leon, Brillante Mendoza and Erik Matti. Sonny Calvento, in his feature debut back in 2017, implemented a similar approach in “The Decaying” a film that won an award for its production design in the 2017 Cinemalaya.

The film begins with a man in a remote area witnessing a Westerner and a teenager throwing and burning parts of a bed in the same field, obviously trying not to be seen by anyone. A bit later on, the man, whose name is revealed to be Jason, buys a sack of cement and returns to his house, where the first thing he does is to fire the housemaid, Ingrid, who happens to be his wife's cousin. The woman is shocked but soon becomes suspicious as her cousin is nowhere to be found,...

Prolific Filipino helmer Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.’s latest big-screen endeavor “Mystery of the Night” is a supernatural folktale so beautifully atmospheric that one can almost overlook its escalating problems — for a while, at least. But this saga of an allegorical rape of Mother Nature by Western civilization, avenged by her forest she-creatures, eventually grows too humorlessly turgid to be as impactful as intended.

In the end, it’s an old-school Philippines cinema exercise in women weeping for the sins visited upon them by men, even if here the horror trappings allow for some payback. Those genre elements, as well as the film’s visual beauty, will be its major lure to non-Tagalog-speaking viewers.

After a brief flash-forward to climactic events, and opening credits that, in shadow-play style (performed by El Gamma Penumbra) illustrate the mythology of vengeful forest spirits (aka Aswang of Filipino folklore), the story begins in a...

You may think that “Captain Marvel” (2019) is an important contemporary film for females on screen, you may assume that Jacque Rivette pushed the boundaries for the portrayal of woman, but when you take a look at Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s “Moral”, you may come to a different definition of feministic movies.

“Moral” is screening at the San Diego Asian Film Festival:

The debut film of the Philipino director about a “gang” of four female friends – a lawyer, a drug addict, a housewife, and an ambitious singer – is a landmark that celebrates womanhood and companionship.

Thanks to a digitally restored and remastered version released by Abs-cbn in 2017, “Moral” shines with bright 4K images upon the screen, giving it the much-needed attention that it deserves.

Joey, played by Lorna Tolentino (“Magnifico” 2003), is a promiscuous drug addict, who is unable to connect to her student activist lover. Sylvia, played by Sandy Andolong (“American Adobo...

After the success of their previous installment, Philippine directing team Pegue Gallaga and Lore Reyes returned for their second turn at the popular anthology series. Released a year after the second entry, rather than take the gap that occurred between part one and part two, this third film in the series keeps the same tone and sense of fun as what had been in place from the first films.

Yaya

After moving into a new house, Lydia and her daughter Tanya become concerned something is in the house with them when they find their housekeeper scared out of her mind and raving about the grandchild not being safe. Realizing that she’s become the target of a vile Yaya spirit, she resorts to desperate measures to keep her child safe from the evil spirit.

This is an extremely effective way to start the film off. Within the first few minutes,...

"Ded Na Si Lolo" ("Grandpa is Dead") is the entry of the Philippines to the 82nd Annual Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Film category. The dramedy is written and directed by Soxy Topacio starring Gina Alajar, Elizabeth Oropesa, Dick Israel, Roderick Paulate, Perla Bautista, and Manilyn Reynes.

I'm proud of this movie! It blends comedy and drama well to tell the story of a death in a family told through the eyes of a child, Bobet (Bj Forbes). When his grandpa dies, Bobet learns our steep superstitious beliefs involving death.

Good luck to Topacio and company, I hope the Academy chooses this film, but for now, take a look at my movie review of "Ded Na Si Lolo" as seen on Balitang America in The Filipino Channel.