The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Film Academy of the Philippines announces the Official Shortlist of movies being considered as philippine submission for the Best International Feature Film Category at the 98th Academy Awards.
Seven films will be undergoing the selection process for full length feature to be submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States, which will be holding the 98th Academy Awards—more commonly known as the Oscars—in March 2026.
The Film Academy of the Philippines, the authorized agency to release information on the Oscar selection, has assembled a Selection Committee approved by AMPAS, and will oversee the selection process.
Filmmaker Paolo Villaluna, newly appointed Director-General of the Film Academy, said:
“We are pleased to present this lineup of Filipino films—each one a remarkable accomplishment, many receiving global recognition, covering captivating and relevant subjects such as the human effects of West Philippine Sea geopolitics; redemption within a penal colony; rediscovered love in diaspora; the power of a small-town choir; the exploration of queer identity and self-discovery among the disenfranchised of Manila’s streets; the horror of conquest, colonialism and unwillingness to learn from history; and the courage of personal choice during unplanned motherhood.
“The selection offers an insight about the Filipinos as a nation struggling with the weight of the past and the gritty issues of the present. The selection also highlights diverse cinematic voices with each having the potential for universal appeal. It will surely be difficult to choose only one, but whichever feature we end up sending to the Oscars will be one of which any Pinoy can be proud.”
The selected films are:
- Food Delivery (dir. Baby Ruth Villarama)
- Green Bones (dir. Zig Dulay)
- Hello, Love, Again (dir. Cathy Garcia- Sampana)
- Magellan (dir. Lav Diaz)
- Some Nights I Feel Like Walking (dir. Petersen Vargas)
- Song of the Fireflies (dir. King Palisoc)
- Sunshine (dir. Antoinette Jadaone)
The Film Academy will be announcing the Philippine Oscars submission soon.