Filipino women, especially those in the arts, have been a formidable force throughout history. From National Artists such as Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Nora Aunor, Edith Tiempo, Salvacion Lim-Higgins, Francisca Reyes Aquino, Alice Reyes, Leonor Orosa Goquingco, Lucrecia Reyes-Urtula, Agnes Locsin, Lucrecia Kasilag, Jovita Fuentes, Andrea Veneracion, Honorata “Atang” dela Rama, Fides Cuyugan-Asensio, Daisy Avellana and Amelia Lapeña-Bonifacio, to today’s rising Filipina artists, they exemplify empowerment and gender equality.
In celebration of National Women’s Month, the Cultural Center of the Philippines shines a spotlight on the invaluable contributions of Filipino women filmmakers. Here are 10 must-watch classic films created by women, for women, and about women.
Directed by National Artist Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Written by National
Artist Ricky Lee
Monica Real becomes the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, Tato, and two other men. While in jail, she refuses to speak, isolating herself from the world — until journalist Clara investigates her case and uncovers a harrowing truth. Brutal is the first Filipino film to frame gender-based violence as a feminist issue within the Philippine patriarchal society. It is the first in Diaz-Abaya and Lee’s trilogy on women.
Directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Written by Ricky Lee
Four best friends — Joey, Maritess, Sylvia and Kathy — navigate life together until individual struggles pull them in different directions. As they face personal challenges and decisions, they embark on separate paths, each embracing newfound independence.
Directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Written by Ricky Lee
Newlyweds Puring and Narcing return to his hometown, where they meet his father, Gusting. Seeing a resemblance to his deceased wife, Gusting becomes fixated on Puring, setting the stage for family tension and tragedy.
Directed by Laurice Guillen
Written by Ricky Lee
Salome, a married woman, is accused of fatally stabbing her persistent suitor. As the story unfolds, three conflicting versions of the crime emerge, challenging perceptions of truth and justice.
Directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Written by National Artist Rolando S. Tinio
Lagring, a bar dancer longing for her father’s love, faces a harsh reality after his death leaves her and her domineering mother in debt. Seeking stability, she works as a maid for her father’s creditor and his three sons, where she finds a sense of belonging she never had before.
Directed by Olivia M. Lamasan
Written by Ricky Lee
and Olivia M. Lamasan
Mariel struggles to adapt to her new life after marrying a man with three children, confronting the challenges of becoming a stepmother.
Directed and written
by Ina Anita del Mundo
Set in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato, the film follows K’na, a Tboli princess who inherits the craft weaving textile from her grandmother. In their culture, selected Tboli women receive visions from the abaca goddess to weave intricate t’nalak patterns, preserving their heritage.
Directed by Baby Ruth Villarama
This documentary offers a modern-day Cinderella story, following the lives of five female overseas workers in Hong Kong. Every Sunday, they escape their demanding jobs for a fleeting moment of joy and empowerment through a local pageant.
Directed and written by Rae Red
A saleslady stumbles upon a gun abandoned on the street. As she wields its power, she grapples with the profound consequences of possessing a weapon in a male-dominated society.
Directed and written
by Ramona Diaz
This documentary follows Rappler co-founder Maria Ressa, chronicling her battle against a government that seeks to silence her as she reports on the war on drugs, extrajudicial killings and political corruption.
The women portrayed in these films embody the complexities of the female experience across different aspects of life. Even the fictional stories mirror the struggles and triumphs of real women in Philippine society.