Filipiñana
International promotional poster
Directed by	Rafael Manuel
Written by	Rafael Manuel
Produced by	Bianca Balbuena Jeremy Chua Omar El Kadi Bradley Liew Rafael Manuel Alex Polunin Nadia Turincev
Starring	Jorrybell Agoto Carmen Castellanos Teroy Guzman Carlos Siguion-Reyna Isabel Sicat Nour Hooshmand
Cinematography	Xenia Patricia
Edited by	Rafael Manuel
Production companies	Film4 Potocol Ossian International Epicmedia Easy Riders Films Idle Eye
Release date	23 January 2026 (2026-01-23) (Sundance)
Running time	100 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom Philippines Singapore France Netherlands
Languages	Filipino English Ilocano

Filipiñana is a 2026 coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Rafael Manuel in his feature film debut, which expands upon his 2020 thesis short film of the same name. The film examines post colonial-class disparities through 17-year-old Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto) as she works as a “tee-girl” on a sweltering day at a golf course in the Philippines.^[1]

The film had its world premiere in competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January,^[2] and had its European premiere at the Perspective section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 15 February.^[3]

17-year-old Isabel feels strangely drawn to Dr. Palanca, the president of the country club where she works. However, after piecing together a violent picture of what lies beneath the club's pristine surface, she realizes that what began as an innocent infatuation is actually rooted in a sinister shared history.^[4]

• Jorrybell Agoto as Isabel
• Carmen Castellanos as Clara
• Teroy Guzman as Dr. Palanca
• Carlos Siguion-Reyna as Renato
• Isabel Sicat as Ina
• Nour Hooshmand as Janine
• Ruby Ruiz as Tata
• Agot Isidro as Maribel
• Angeli Bayani as Beth
• Shamaine Buencamino as Imelda

Being an examination of national identity, the film's title refers to the concept of Filipiniana which refers to artifacts that are related to the history, geography, folklore, and culture of the Philippines.^[5]

One of the most discussed element of the film's interpretation is its unconventional structure, specifically the "false ending." In a bold move, the end credits begin to roll earlier than expected. During the film's premiere, there were reports of audience members clapping and leaving for their next screening, unknowingly missing the film's true conclusion. This reaction was described by Manuel as "crazy", noting the irony of the situation. Viewers who believed the experience is over feel entitled to walk away, exactly like the elite characters in the film who choose to ignore the suffering of the working class once their "performance" or "service" is no longer required. ^[6]

The film is an international co-production film between the Philippines, Singapore, United Kingdom, France, and Netherlands. Filipiñana was written by Rafael Manuel in 2018 during his time at film school, originally as a feature film screenplay, before deciding to build a profile for the film to secure funding by producing a short film first based on it.^[7] The short film served as Manuel's thesis film at the London Film School, premiering at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival and winning the Silver Bear for Best Short Film.^[8] Producer Jeremy Chua of Potocol and Manuel were introduced by their mutual film teacher Gisli Snaer Erlingsson at the 2020 Berlinale.^[9]

Potocol and Epicmedia presented the film at the Busan Asian Project Market in October 2023. In February 2024, Magnify announced its acquisition of the film's global sales rights while Film4 boarded the project as producer.^[10] Jia Zhangke joined as an executive producer after meeting Manuel for a two-year mentorship program sponsored by Rolex. Zhangke's company, Unknown Pleasures Pictures, acquired the distribution rights for the film in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.^[11]

The film, supported by the Cinéfondation La Residence du Festival de Cannes, with Jeremy Chua, Alex Polunin, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Nadia Turincev and Omar El Kadi as producers.^[12]

Principal photography began during the first half of 2024. The film, set at a fictional golf and country club located in Manila, was actually filmed in various golf clubs near the city including the Caliraya Springs Golf Club in Laguna, and the Mount Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Batangas.^[10][13]

Filipiñana premiered in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January,^[2] where it won the Special Jury Award for Creative Vision.^[14] Kino Lorber acquired the North American distribution rights to the film.^[15][16] It had its European premiere at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 15 February, where the short film on which it is based also premiere in 2020.^[17] On 12 May, BFI Distribution acquired the distribution rights to the film in the U.K. and Ireland.

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 89% of 19 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of RT data for "average" unavailable./10.^[18] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".^[19]

Jordan Mintzer of THR praises the film's darkly comic and visuals, positively compared to Michael Haneke and David Lynch.^[20] IndieWire critic David Ehrlich also sees similarities to Haneke's filmography, noting: "The director shoots the place with a Haneke-like remove that makes every member, caddie, and Chinese tourist feel like they're conspiring to bury an awful secret of some kind".^[21] Bilge Ebiri of Vulture praises Manuel's direction and describes "heightened control of imagery and mood, attention to composition and texture and sound".^[22] Chase Hutchinson of TheWrap praises the film, believes it's a "cutting, confident, and ultimately formally captivating feature debut".^[23]

• Filipiñana at IMDb