From the classics to transformative films and plays, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) revisits stories of Filipino struggles, political conflict, and journeys to self-discovery through the CCP Channel this October.
Taking viewers on an eye-opening cinematic experience are films from Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, as well as theatrical plays from Virgin Labfest (VLF), and excerpts from CCP Classics.
CLASSIC 90s CCP PRODS
The CCP Channel brings back iconic titles from the 90s, featuring music and ballet performances staged in the past decades.
Watch The Philippine Madrigal Singers’ MADZ GOES POP!!! Staged in 1999, the concert showcases a repertoire of mainstream and contemporary music accompanied by a six-piece band. In this concert, the Madz break away from tradition with a uniquely curated program.
To give a glimpse of the rich and varied Philippine ethnic traditions, the CCP Channel adds performances from FIESTA FILIPINA to its collection this October. Featured excerpts include Kalilang (a Maranaw Festival) and Pista sa Nayon (Barrio Fiesta), performed by the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company, as well as an excerpt from Ngayon at Bukas, performed by the Bola-Bola Tribe of the Iloilo National High School.
Another classic ballet known for its fairytale counterpart, SNOW WHITE (1999) follows a cursed princess who finds refuge with woodland friends and the seven dwarfs. First staged in 1988, Ballet Philippines showcases the choreography of its former principal dancer Effie Nañas.
HAUNTING FILIPINO STRUGGLES IN CINEMA
The CCP Channel welcomes the spooky season with Cinemalaya films that spotlight the fascinating grit of the Filipino experience.
True to its title, director Jon Steffan Ballesteros’ COLORUM offers a glimpse into the paradox of the human condition and the gray-scale morality of today’s Philippines. The 2009 film follows a 70-year-old ex-convict and a young cop moonlighting as a driver of an illegal taxi.
Two siblings venture out to satisfy their craving for the much-coveted Filipino soup of rich pork and beef broth in Ronald Espinosa Batallones’ BATSOY. In this 2022 full-length film, the town of San Dionisio, Iloilo witnesses their journey of magic, fantasy, and reality.
Director Kenneth De la Cruz’s BULAWAN NGA USA (2023) tells a grandson’s soul-stirring expedition after his grandfather’s death. In this full-length film, he ventures to a mystical mountain in search of the wish-granting golden deer and finds healing.
Suspense takes shape in 10:25 NG GABI, directed and written by Reggie Gulle. After crossing paths with a son and his balikbayan mother, a couple of friends carry out their plan to make money.
GEE-GEE AT WATERINA, a short film by producers J. Dennis Teodosio and JP Valencia, explores self-worth in the eyes of comfort gay Waterina and his gay politician friend Gee-Gee. The two measure life in a tirade of teasing, mockery, and harangue in this 2006 Cinemalaya finalist.
PARANG PELIKULA, a 2006 short film written and directed by Hubert Tibi, tells the story of two childhood best friends who grew up in a middle-class suburb in the early 90s. One of them leaves the neighborhood and returns to attend a wake fifteen years later.
GAWAD ALTERNATIBO FILMS
The CCP Channel will also feature a variety of works from Gawad Alternatibo in this month’s lineup, describing life through a curation of narrative, animation, experimental, and documentary films.
Director Renil Frankie Badango elaborates on the unnerving scriptwriting process of a reclusive, anxiety-stricken writer in METAPORA. Clouded in metaphors, the story unfolds as the protagonist is pushed to madness, with his work echoing his fractured life in this 2025 narrative film.
Amid West Philippine Sea tensions, director Kaila Arvi B. Ariston’s documentary DAUNGAN NG MGA NAGHIHINTAY unravels the struggles of Zambales coastal families as fishermen vanish mysteriously. This 2025 documentary exposes the human cost of maritime conflict through the voices of waiting mothers and those left behind.
Director Angel Tomas animates a young woman’s grievances about taking up the armed struggle in the countryside in her 2020 animation, PAUWI KA NA BA?.
Another finalist from the 2020 Gawad Alternatibo is director JP Bonoan’s BLINKERS. This experimental film explores the irony of how mobile phones are created for communication, yet in reality, they end up distancing people even more.
VLF PLAYS
An encounter between an aspiring priest and a former priest who recently left the clergy takes place in ANG BATA SA BUS STOP, a VLF 13: Wagas play by playwright Sari Saysay and director Topper Fabregas.
With guarded secrets yet to be revealed, ISANG GABING ANG BUWAN AY HILA-HILA NG GULA-GULANIT NA ULAP by playwright Ryan Machado and director Paolo O’Hara leaves a feeling of uncertainty as the play progresses. This play from VLF 15: Titibok-Tibok unfolds a story set in the dead of night as two men appear to be burying or digging.
CCP CHANNEL
This October, the CCP Channel reintroduces the creative beauty of Philippine arts and culture by adding new content featuring CCP classics, Cinemalaya and Gawad Alternatibo films, and VLF plays.
The CCP, as it carries out its mission to showcase Filipino talent and make the arts more accessible, shares its programs and productions on the CCP Channel through a subscription at Php 99 monthly and Php 599 annually. To subscribe, visit https://culturalcenterph.
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