By Neil Ramos
Rafael Manuel’s feature film “Filipiñana” has been selected as the Philippines’ official entry for the 2027 Academy Awards, where it will compete in the Best International Feature Film category.
Rafael Manuel’s feature film “Filipiñana” has been selected as the Philippines’ official entry for the 2027 Academy Awards, where it will compete in the Best International Feature Film category.
The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) announced the decision of its National Selection Committee on September 13, choosing “Filipiñana” from a field of eight shortlisted Philippine films.
The other shortlisted titles were “58th,” “All the Things I Leave You (Patawid),” “I’mPerfect,” “Manila’s Finest,” “Quezon,” “Silenced Nights,” and “Sisa.”
“Filipiñana” is an expansion of Manuel’s award-winning short film of the same name. The feature centers on Isabel, played by Jorrybel Agoto, who works as a tee girl at an exclusive country club.
The film uses the country-club setting to explore issues involving social class, power and labor. Its story also examines the relationships between people occupying very different positions within an unequal social environment.
Much of the story unfolds during a single day at the country club, where Isabel gradually encounters the tensions and hidden histories beneath its privileged surroundings.
No Philippine film has yet received a nomination in the Academy’s International Feature Film category.
“Magellan,” the Philippines’ previous submission, was regarded as a particularly strong contender for advancing to the Academy’s first cut.
Being designated as the Philippines’ official submission does not guarantee “Filipiñana” a place on the shortlist or among the eventual nominees. The film will have to advance through the Academy’s selection process before it can compete for an Oscar nomination.
