19 Best Filipino Movies of 2024 You Shouldn’t Miss

Exploring the vibrant landscape of Filipino cinema, 2024 has proven to be an exceptional year for film enthusiasts. As the industry continues to evolve, it showcases a diverse array of stories that resonate deeply with audiences both locally and internationally. This year, filmmakers have pushed creative boundaries, delivering narratives that blend humor, drama, and social commentary, all while highlighting the rich cultural tapestry of the Philippines.

From Hello, Love, Again heartwarming romances to Green Bones crime thrilling, the best Filipino movies of 2024 reflect not only the artistic talents of their creators but also the experiences and aspirations of the Filipino people. As we delve into this year’s standout films, we celebrate the unique voices that have emerged, each offering a fresh perspective on love, identity, and resilience. Join us as we highlight the top films that have captured our hearts and sparked conversations across the nation. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to Filipino cinema, there’s something for everyone in this year’s lineup.

Hello, Love, Again

Director: Cathy Garcia-Sampana
Starring: Kathryn Bernardo, Alden Richards, Joross Gamboa, Valerie Concepcion, Jennica Garcia

The sequel to Hello, Love, Goodbye (2019). Hello, Love, Again is not just one of the best Filipino movies of 2024, it is the highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time, earning ₱1.4 billion in box office.

The film follows five years on from when Joy said goodbye to Ethan and Hong Kong to pursue her dreams in Canada. After fighting for their love to conquer the time, distance and a global shutdown that kept them apart, Joy and Ethan meet again in Canada but realize that they have also changed a lot, individually.

Balota (Ballot)

Director: Kip Oebanda
Starring: Marian Rivera, Will Ashley, Nico Antonio, Royce Cabrera, Raheel Bhyria, Sue Prado, Felix Petate, Esnyr Ranollo, Donna Cariaga, Joel Saracho, Gardo Versoza, and Mae Paner

During the 2007 elections, a former sexy star and a land-grabbing tycoon are in a tight race for mayor. Emmy, a strict yet popular teacher in a small town, is assigned to the Board of Election Inspectors for her local precinct. When violence erupts, she runs into the forest with a ballot box containing the last copy of the election results. Armed only with her resourcefulness, courage and wit, she tries to outmaneuver the goons who want the elections to fail. Her loved ones and community are caught in the crossfire as she pays an increasingly steep price for defending the democratic process.

Alipato at Muog (Flying Embers and a Fortress)

Director: JL Burgos

It is a Philippine independent documentary film revolving around the activist Jonas Burgos who was forcibly disappeared by suspected military personnel in 2007.

The film is one of the best Philippine movies of 2024, and also given the Special Jury Prize at the awarding ceremony of the 20th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

Un/Happy For You

Director: Petersen Vargas
Starring: Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto

Two years after their breakup, Juancho (Joshua Garcia), a Bicolano chef on the rise, reunites with Zy (Julia Barretto), his ex-girlfriend, who is back in the province for a brief work visit. Still feeling bitter about their breakup, he tries to seduce her to ruin her engagement, only to find himself falling for her once more.

Green Bones

Director: Zig Dulay
Starring: Dennis Trillo and Ruru Madrid, Enzo Osorio, Alessandra De Rossi, Michael de Mesa, Ronnie Lazaro, Sofia Pablo

A prison officer, Xavier Gonzaga (Ruru Madrid), is still grieving over the death of his sister while opposing the release of criminal Domingo Zamora (Dennis Trillo).

The Hearing

Director: Lawrence Fajardo
Starring: Mylene Dizon, Nor Domingo, Ina Feleo

Lucas, a deaf boy from a small fishing village, is sexually abused by Fr. Mejor, an influential priest. After his parents Madonna and Dante discover the truth, they decide to file a court case against the priest despite the obstacles in their way. In their pursuit of justice, they cross paths with sign language interpreter Maya, who has also witnessed powerful people manipulate the results of cases. In a society where few choose to listen, how can they win against forces that silence those who cannot speak and break the souls of those who can?

The Kingdom

Director: Michael Tuviera
Starring: Vic Sotto, Piolo Pascual, Cristine Reyes, Sue Ramirez, and Sid Lucero

Set in the contemporary era in an alternate version of the Philippines where the islands were never colonized, the Kingdom of Kalayaan sees a ruler’s favored child kidnapped, leading to a failed rescue and a deadly duel.

Kono Basho (This Place)

Director: Jaime Pacena II
Starring: Gabby Padilla, Arisa Nakano

An introspective journey of a Filipino son attending the funeral of his estranged OFW father in a city in Japan that is rebuilding from the aftermath of the March 2011 tsunami.

Ang Tumandok (The Inhabitants)

Director: Kat Sumagaysay, Richard Salvadicio
Starring: Jenaica Sangher, Felipe Ganancial

Based on real-life trials of the Atis, the indigenous people of Central Panay, a 16-year-old chieftain’s daughter fights tooth and nail with her people for their ancestral land.

Isang Himala

Director: Pepe Diokno
Starring: Aicelle Santos, Bituin Escalante

It is based on a 2018 theatrical play of the same name, itself an adaptation of the 1982 film Himala. Elsa, a simple woman from a rural barrio, becomes a beacon of hope and controversy when, after hearing a divine calling during an eclipse, she is believed to have the power to heal, transforming her village into a pilgrimage site and challenging the faith, relationships, and beliefs of everyone around her.

I Am Not Big Bird

Director: Victor Villanueva
Starring: Enrique Gil, Pepe Herrera, Nikko Natividad, Red Ollero

Luis Carpio is a young man whose heart was broken when his girlfriend turned down his engagement. To have a new lease on life and move on, he, along with his best friends, travel to Thailand but when they arrive, Luis is mistaken by the people of the country as the well-known porn star named “Big Bird”.

Phantosmia

Director: Lav Diaz
Starring: Ronnie Lazaro, Janine Gutierrez, Paul Jake Paule, and Hazel Orencio

Hilarion Zabala has a mysterious, recurring olfactory problem. A counselor/psychiatrist suspects a lingering case of phantosmia, a phantom smell, and possibly caused by a deep psychological fracture. One recommended radical cure is that Hilarion must go back and deal with the darkest currents of his past life in the military service. Reassigned in the very remote Pulo Penal Colony, he must also confront the horrific realities of his present situation.

Ghosts of Kalantiaw

Director: Chuck Escasa
Starring: Joel Saracho, Ambeth Ocampo, Nereo Lujan

Delving into figures like the pseudohistorical Kalantiaw and President Bongbong Marcos, this documentary is a deep exploration of the post-truth era.

The Gospel of the Beast

Director: Sheron Dayoc
Starring: Jansen Magpusao, Ronnie Lazaro

A teenage boy who, while searching for his father and accidentally killing his best friend, gets his life turned upside down and learns the destructive realities about life, death, and beasthood.

Lost Sabungeros

Director: Bryan Kristoffer Brazil

During the pandemic lockdown, cockfighting in the Philippines moved online. This new, lucrative avenue for the local gambling industry came with some violent consequences, as over thirty sabungeros were mysteriously abducted, never to be seen again. Lost Sabungeros examines these disappearances, interviewing the families of the victims, and looking into the dark underbelly of cockfighting, and its ties with people in power.

Outside

Director: Carlo Ledesma
Starring: Sid Lucero, Beauty Gonzalez, Marco Masa, and Aiden Tyler Patdu

A family seeks refuge on an isolated farm during a zombie apocalypse, but long-buried secrets strain their relationships as they struggle to survive.

A Journey

Director: RC Delos Reyes
Starring: Paolo Contis, Kaye Abad and Patrick Garcia

Refusing treatment for her cancer, a woman goes on a road trip across Tasmania to check off items on her bucket list with her husband and best friend.

My Sassy Girl

Director: Fifth Solomon
Starring: Toni Gonzaga and Pepe Herrera

The film loosely based on the 2001 South Korean movie of the same title, it tells the love story of Sheena and Junjee. Junjee just cannot seem to catch a romantic break. Their personalities stand opposite to the characteristics traditionally associated with masculinity and femininity in Asian societies in general.

Lolo and the Kid

Director: Benedict Mique
Starring: Euwenn Mikaell, Joel Torre, Juan Karlos Labajo, Joel Torre, Iza Calzado, Meryll Soriano, Joem Bascon, Nico Antonio

A hustler and the child he took in routinely con the wealthy – but a life-changing opportunity could end their inseparable bond.