The 41st Mar del Plata International Film Festival has officially unveiled its lineup, and among the international titles vying for top honors in Argentina next month is the Filipino political and social realist drama “2 Valid IDs.”
Running from November 5 to 15, Latin America’s historic A-list film festival will showcase director Ma-an Asuncion-Dagñalan’s latest feature along with new works from global auteurs like Danny Boyle, Miwa Nishikawa, and Simon Stone. The film competes against 13 other global features in the main International Feature Film Competition.
“2 Valid IDs,” written by award-winning screenwriter Abet Pagdagdagan Raz, explores the quiet indignities, structural absurdities, and human costs of navigating modern bureaucratic survival in the Philippines.
The narrative centers on Sylvia, a poor farmer trying to claim money sent by a relative at a remittance center. The funds are urgently needed for the medical treatment of her husband, Ramon, who suffers from severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. However, a seemingly simple institutional demand stands in her way, as she must present two valid government-issued identification cards, yet she does not even have a single one.
The film stars Marietta “Pokwang” Subong in a career-defining dramatic role as Sylvia, building on her recent Best Actress win at Cinemalaya 2026. Subong leads a powerhouse ensemble cast composed of veterans Joey Marquez and Meryll Soriano with Zaijian Jaranilla.
For Asuncion-Dagñalan, whose previous acclaimed feature “Blue Room” won Best Foreign Film at the LA Femme International Film Festival and earned her Best Director honors at Cinemalaya and the FAMAS Awards, bringing this distinctly Filipino experience to an international stage carries deep resonance.
“It’s only in the Philippines that we are asked to show 2 valid IDs to get another ID. What happens to those who don’t have any? What happens to the people trapped in a chaotic and inhumane system?” Asuncion-Dagñalan stressed.
The director added that the film is “more than a story of bureaucracy, it is a reflection of the truth where access to basic needs is hindered by poverty, excessive red tape, rigid rules, and a system that demands documentation rather than urgency and compassion.”
Asuncion-Dagñalan and Raz got the support of executive producers Geo Lomuntad, Claudia Diaz Cojuangco, Ben Tsai, HJ Li, Paolo Fernandez, Mitch Fernandez, Jim Baltazar, and Lydia Gapas, in translating real-life frustrations into a universal human struggle.
The film’s technical and artistic crew include cinematographer Neil Daza, production designer Mao Fadul, editor Vanessa Ubas-De Leon, sound designer Jannina Mikaela Minglanilla, and musical scorers Mikey Amistoso and Jazz Nicolas.
As “2 Valid IDs” prepares for its South American premiere in Argentina, it stands as a poignant cry for empathy, institutional reform, and a more humane way of treating society’s most vulnerable.
Seymour B. Sanchez
Seymour Barros Sanchez is an advocacy filmmaker, communication and film lecturer, freelance writer, creative producer, technical consultant, and a former producer for news and current affairs programs. He served as Bacolod Film Festival director in 2024 and Technical Consultant for Academic Linkages of the Film Development Council of the Philippines from 2022 to 2025. He is a member of the Academic Film Society Advisory Committee of the FDCP, a representative of the Education Sector to the National Committee on Cinema Executive Council, and Secretary of the NCC.
