A treasure trove of Philippine cinema

A treasure trove of Philippine cinema | Daily Tribune

The woman behind it

At the heart of the book is veteran journalist Jo-Ann Q. Maglipon, who wrote the volume in collaboration with film scholar Joel David, Ph.D.

Maglipon has been a journalist since 1972. Her career includes stints as reporter, columnist and editor, as well as editor-in-chief of Sunday Times Magazine and founding editor-in-chief of Parents, YES!

Her work has covered journalism, writing, censorship and sociocultural-political issues. Her anthology of reportage from 1972 to 1992 received the Gintong Aklat Award. She later wrote Not On Our Watch. Martial Law Really Happened. We Were There... and SERVE — The People, Economy, Government, Children, Environment, Press Freedom, Academe, A Supreme Being, Women, Country, a finalist for Journalism Book of the Year at the 2024 National Book Awards.

That long career gives Maglipon a personal connection to the cinema she writes about. In her preface, “An Amateur’s Preface to a Canon Put Together with a Pro’s Resolve,” her affection for action movies becomes a reflection on justice and retribution. Her admiration for Ishmael Bernal’s Manila by Night is similarly personal.

David provides the scholarly dimension. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Cinema Studies from New York University, was the first graduate of the UP film program and became founding director of the UP Film Institute. His books include The National Pastime, Fields of Vision and Wages of Cinema.

Films across generations

The pages include Sisa, Terror Is a Man, Anak Dalita, Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Maynila: Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, Insiang, Jaguar, Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim, Orapronobis, Manila by Night, Himala, Working Girls, Sister Stella L., Oro, Plata, Mata, Brutal, Moral and Karnal.

Popular titles such as Jack and Jill, Batang Quiapo, Miguelito: Batang Rebelde and Ang Panday are also included, reflecting the breadth of Filipino movie culture.

Inside the pages

Each entry combines synopsis and critical commentary, accompanied by photographs and other visual material. The discussions touch on the films’ social and cultural dimensions while remaining accessible to readers without formal film studies training.

The result is more than a collection of movie reviews. It is a record of cinematic memory and shows how Philippine cinema has reflected the country’s politics, inequalities, aspirations, families, cities, conflicts and changing ideas of Filipino identity.

By placing celebrated classics alongside popular cinema, the book also recognizes that film history is not made by critics alone. Audiences help determine which stories remain alive.

Why it matters

For longtime cinephiles, 100 Sine. Film. Pelikula. offers films to revisit. For younger audiences, it provides a starting point for discovering Filipino cinema across generations. Its greatest value may be that it sends readers back to the films themselves — to watch, rediscover and argue about them.

The 2026 volume is available through the publisher’s book distribution channels.