The 2027 Oscars may be taking place in March 2027, but that hasn’t stopped the awards season buzz from kicking in, especially with how countries are starting to announce their picks for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards. And among the selected entries are not one, but two Filipino movies so far that hope to achieve the ever-elusive Oscar statue thanks to both the Philippines’ and Australia’s recent submissions for consideration. Fresh from celebrating the first-ever National Cinema Day, we’re reminded yet again that Filipino movies will always deserve the spotlight.
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Filipiñana As the Philippines’ Official Entry to the 2027 Oscars
After spending most of 2026 making waves locally and internationally, Rafael Manuel’s full-length directorial debut Filipiñana is on to its next major milestone as it was chosen as the Philippines’ entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards. The black comedy tells the story of a young woman named Isabel who begins work at an exclusive country club. But as she digs deeper into her job, co-workers, and the members she serves, she realizes that the world she entered is rooted in corruption, malice, and abuse of power.
The moment marks the latest achievement for the movie that has been making waves in local and international film communities. At the start of 2026, Filipiñana premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, taking home the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision. Then, it showed at the Berlin International Film Festival before it made its Philippine debut at Cinemalaya 2026. The film was met with well-attended and sold-out screenings across the country during its commercial run in late August, not to mention sparking discourse on social media about its visual style, story, and themes.
No Filipino movie has ever been nominated in the category, so here’s hoping the movie, together with its local producers and US distributor Kino Lorber, may break the streak with a nomination.
Australia Chooses Tagalog Movie First Light As Its Oscars Entry
Australia has so far only received one nomination in Best International Feature Film, which was for Tanna in 2017. So, as it hopes to score another nod, the land down under is placing its bet on a Filipino movie. Filipiñana isn’t the only Filipino film hoping to make Oscar history in 2027. So too is First Light. Directed by Filipino-Australian filmmaker James J. Robinson and starring Ruby Ruiz and Maricel Soriano, First Light was chosen as Australia’s official contender for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards and overall 18th submission to the category.
It follows Sister Yolanda, an elderly nun whose faith and beliefs in the system are tested following the suspicious death of a young construction worker in the local community. It soon leads to a realization that the people she’s built relationships with and the community she’s long known aren’t as well-intentioned as she once thought.
As a co-production between the Philippines and Australia, which is the first of its kind, the movie was eligible to be chosen as a submission by the latter, and it marks the first Tagalog-language film the country has submitted to the Oscars. It’s a notable choice, especially when considering that First Light is entirely set in the Philippines, the dialogue is in Tagalog, the cast is all Filipino, and the story is rooted in the country’s culture.
Even though First Light was just in local theaters for a week back in June, it found success in Australia, where it played in cinemas for five weeks, which just goes to show that Filipino stories can connect with international audiences. The achievement serves as First Light’s latest milestone on the international film circuit. It premiered at the 2025 Melbourne International Film Festival, where it won the Blackmagic Design Best Australian Director Award, which was followed by appearances at Marrakech International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Shanghai International Film Festival, Glasgow Film Festival, and New Zealand International Film Festival, among others.
Filipino Movies Vying for an Academy Award Nomination in 2027
Aside from official entries via the Best International Feature Film category, two other Filipino movies will be looking to score a nomination with support from the Film Academy of the Philippines for their Oscar campaigns.
The first is Carl Joseph Papa’s 58th for Best Documentary Feature. This docudrama tells the story of Bebot Momay, who was considered the 58th victim of the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre, although his body was never found, and the justice his daughter has strived for over the years to achieve. It uses both archival footage and actors dramatized re-enactments in a style of documentary film with rotoscoping animation. The film premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival and was included in the Contrechamp section of the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The second is Arvin Belarmino’s Agapito for Best Live-Action Short Film. Set against the backdrop of an old duckpin alley, the short movie centers on Mira, an employee at the alley who manually resets pins, as she navigates the ins and outs of her work and family life. To local cinephiles, the film might sound familiar as it competed for the Short Film Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Regardless of whether or not these movies do end up getting nominated, and we are hoping for the former, multiple Filipino movies getting an Oscar campaign is still an achievement in itself. Also, most of the chosen films are women-centric narratives that aren’t afraid to tackle timely social issues in the Philippines.
Filipiñana uses a golf course as a metaphor for class disparity and social inequality in Philippine society. First Light explores corruption and injustice on the local level. 58th is a look into the worst crime ever committed against journalists in this country and how the Philippine justice system continues to fail Filipinos. Instead of going with cookie-cutter depictions of the country, the films getting an awards season boost are those that dive into underlying problems that deserve to be talked about.
Featured Image: SHOTDECK (via Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions
Filipiñana, Rafael Manuel’s full-length directorial debut, was chosen as the Philippines’ official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards, following premieres at Sundance and Berlin and a sold-out commercial run in the Philippines.
First Light, directed by Filipino-Australian filmmaker James J. Robinson and starring Ruby Ruiz and Maricel Soriano, is a Philippines-Australia co-production submitted by Australia, making it the first Tagalog-language film the country has entered for the Oscars.
No. As of Filipiñana’s 2027 submission, no Filipino movie has ever received a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards.
Carl Joseph Papa’s 58th is campaigning for Best Documentary Feature, and Arvin Belarmino’s Agapito is campaigning for Best Live-Action Short Film, both supported by the Film Academy of the Philippines.
Most of the films are women-centric narratives tackling social issues: Filipiñana examines class disparity, First Light explores local corruption, and 58th investigates the Maguindanao Massacre and the Philippine justice system’s failures.
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