‘Filipiñana’ is ‘divisive’—and that’s okay
Filipiñana’ moves in Filipino time” or “This could have been an email!” These are just some of the comments that, albeit critical, couldn’t help but tickle producer Bianca Balbuena. She had more or less expected it. In fact, when she first saw the cut of the film by Rafael Manuel, the thing that came to mind was: “This is hard to swallow.”
On the international stage, the film has won accolades and drawn praise. Critics lauded its triumph of stylistic and technical filmmaking. Local reception, however, has been noticeably more polarized: some appreciated the visual allegory of using a posh golf course to critique class divides; others felt it was too much of a slow burn that portrayed its working-class characters passively.
Balbuena points out that Manuel didn’t look at the film based on a script, but in verses and choruses—as if it were a piece of music. And for a traditionally narrative-driven audience like ours, a formalist film like “Filipiñana” can be “hard to accept.”
“It’s a very divisive film,” she tells Lifestyle Inquirer last Sunday, shortly after “Filipiñana” was announced as the Philippines’ official entry for the Best International Feature Film category of the 99th Academy Awards.
Sparking a discourse
But that’s okay, Balbuena says—and it should be that way. If anything, she believes they have achieved their goal of sparking a conversation. “We really love the discourse,” she says. “’Di ako naniniwala na dapat magandahan ang lahat sa pelikula mo. We all live different lives, so we all react differently to a film. Dapat divisive talaga ang cinema.”
Lead actress Jorrybell Agoto has, on some occasions, found herself itching to react to heated debates online. But then she’s reminded that “once a film is created, it belongs to the audience.” Still, while she welcomes critique and contrasting takes, she stays true to her own reading of the film.
Agoto, who plays the 17-year-old tee girl Isabel, used to have a notion that if, for instance, a movie tackles poverty, then it should show explicit images of hardships. But “Filipiñana” changed that. “We discuss poverty in a beautiful place,” she tells Lifestyle Inquirer. “The disparity and contrast between the visuals and content is beautiful.”
Despite Balbuena’s initial reaction, the desire to showcase “a different kind of Philippine cinema” to the world prevailed. “Ang sabi namin, this is it. Let’s just be brave,” says Balbuena, COO of Epicmedia Productions. “And I think nag-pay off naman siya.”
What our cinema can be
True enough, “Filipiñana,” as of writing, was rated 91 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Renowned critic Richard Brody of The New Yorker writes that the film “opens new vistas in the future of the cinema.” Meanwhile, at the iconic Film Forum in New York last August, it delivered the venue’s biggest opening weekend of the decade, jumping 141 percent at the US box office in its second week.
“The international audiences saw a different side of our country, and saw what our cinema can be,” Balbuena says. “Baka ‘yon ‘yon. They’re excited to see something different.”
The acclaim is backed by wins at major film festivals—including the Special Jury Award at Sundance—as well as positive coverage from key media outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, NPR, and RogerEbert.com. None of the past films Balbuena produced has had this much buzz in the American press, she notes, and this can only bode well for their upcoming Oscar campaign—the biggest hurdle to securing the still elusive spot on the shortlist.
If there’s anything she has realized looking at the Philippines’ past Oscar bets, it’s that getting in isn’t just about having an acclaimed film, but how much support you get and noise you generate.
“The campaign is a bigger game… It’s about awareness and acclaim, and I think ‘Filipiñana’ has that,” says Balbuena.
Keeping the momentum
In 2025, Lav Diaz’s “Magellan” was touted by pundits as the Philippines’ best shot at an Oscar nomination in years. Though he can’t “objectively say if we have a better chance” this time around, Paolo Villaluna, director-general of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), which convened the selection committee, says “we have the momentum.”
“Hindi tayo nagkukulang ng mga magagandang pelikula. It’s just a matter of strategy and support, and learning the ropes of the global mechanism. Of course, we know that there’s financial support needed,” Villaluna says, adding that FAP has pledged to provide institutional support to Balbuena’s team to maximize visibility.
For now, the plan is to keep the movie running across North America and beyond, host targeted screenings for Academy voters, and push their marketing campaign “to make sure everybody hears about us.” The film has so far made the rounds of about 25 festivals, with upcoming stops in Bangkok, Busan, Tokyo, Hamburg, Singapore, and more.
The team is likewise working closely with US distributor Kino Lorber and the UK’s British Film Institute, and currently negotiating theatrical deals in France, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
A “steep climb”
It’s a “steep climb to the shortlist,” Balbuena admits, but with hard work and proper support, she sees every reason to stay optimistic. “We produce a lot of films, and we have our own favorites, but objectively speaking, I think ‘Filipiñana’ can really go the distance,” she says.
To quote actress Janine Gutierrez, Balbuena says, “A Filipino with a dream is unstoppable.” And even beyond the Oscars, the mission for “Filipiñana” remains clear: “‘Di lang one kind and genre ang Philippine cinema. There are different voices and new forms of storytelling. That’s what we want the world to know.”
“‘Di lang one kind and genre ang Philippine cinema. There are different voices and new forms of storytelling. That’s what we want the world to know.”
