Country Poll: Philippines [RESULTS]

[Fergenaprido]

There were 138 films voted by 24 participants.

Below are all the films that received at least 25 points.

Note: I've made a decision that going forward I will break ties in the Top lists (but not the runners-up or remaining films) by first looking at the highest ranking, then the number of ballots. I have to do this manually, though, so please point out if I ever make a mistake. This means that for this poll, which again has a tie for #20, Barber's Tales edges out Turumba for the final spot on the Master List.

Rank	Title [AKA]	Year	Director	Points	Ballots	Highest Ranking	IMDb	Votes	iCM	Checks	Toplists
1	Maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag [Manila in the Claws of Light]	1975	Lino Brocka	191.5	19	1		1,927		611	8
2	Insiang	1976	Lino Brocka	177.5	20	1		1,456		397	6
3	Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan [Norte, the End of History]	2013	Lav Diaz	109	8	1		2,079		346	4
4	Ebolusyon ng isang pamilyang Pilipino [Evolution of a Filipino Family]	2004	Lav Diaz	90	7	1		427		167	5
5	Tatlong taong walang Diyos [Three Godless Years]	1976	Mario O'Hara	80.5	7	2		141		64	2
6	Mababangong Bangungot [Perfumed Nightmare]	1977	Kidlat Tahimik	79	10	1		681		206	3
7	Mula sa kung ano ang noon [From What Is Before]	2014	Lav Diaz	76	6	3		728		150	3
8	Biyaya ng lupa [Blessings of the Land]	1959	Manuel Silos	67.5	5	1		100		44	2
9	Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang [Weighed But Found Wanting]	1974	Lino Brocka	62.5	10	3		328		128	3
10	City After Dark [Manila by Night]	1980	Ishmael Bernal	52.5	5	3		180		67	2
11	Kinatay [The Execution of P]	2009	Brillante Mendoza	51	7	2		1,555		172	1
11	Ang babaeng humayo [The Woman Who Left]	2016	Lav Diaz	51	5	5		1,479		150	1
13	Imburnal [Sewer]	2008	Sherad Anthony Sanchez	49	4	1		61		31	1
13	Batch '81	1982	Mike De Leon	49	5	4		234		78	2
15	Oro, Plata, Mata [Gold, Silver, Death]	1982	Peque Gallaga	47.5	5	4		262		48	2
16	Florentina Hubaldo, CTE	2012	Lav Diaz	47	3	2		229		41	0
17	Anak dalita [Child of Sorrow]	1956	Lamberto V. Avellana	42.5	6	1		69		35	1
18	Melancholia	2008	Lav Diaz	40	4	3		481		845	2
19	Badjao [Badjao: The Sea Gypsies]	1957	Lamberto V. Avellana	33.5	3	2		57		29	1
20	Mga kuwentong barbero [Barber's Tales]	2013	Jun Lana	33	3	1		96		9	0
20	Turumba	1981	Kidlat Tahimik	33	4	6		93		38	1
22	Autohystoria	2007	Raya Martin	32	3	6		59		26	0
23	Buenas noches, España [Good Night, Spain]	2011	Raya Martin	30	2	5		89		25	0
24	Heremias: Unang aklat - Ang alamat ng prinsesang bayawak [Heremias: Book One - The Legend of the Lizard Princess]	2006	Lav Diaz	29	2	2		172		53	0
25	Serbis [Service]	2008	Brillante Mendoza	27	3	1		1,493		134	0
25	Kisapmata	1981	Mike De Leon	27	4	4		319		56	2
25	Umbilical Cord to Heaven	2020	Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan	27	2	7		5		2	0
28	Kung mangarap ka't magising [Moments in a Stolen Dream]	1977	Mike De Leon	25.5	2	6		72		13	1
29	How to Disappear Completely	2013	Raya Martin	25	3	2		58		19	0

Runners-up (20+ points or 3+ votes or #1 votes)

Rank	Title [AKA]	Year	Director	Points	Ballots	Highest Ranking	IMDb	Votes	iCM	Checks	Toplists
30	Nunal sa tubig [A Speck in the Water]	1976	Ishmael Bernal	23	2	8		50		12	1
30	Birdshot	2016	Mikhail Red	23	2	2		853		31	0
32	Babae sa breakwater [Woman of Breakwater]	2003	Mario O'Hara	22.5	3	18		98		22	2
33	Sister Stella L.	1984	Mike De Leon	22	2	9		116		37	2
34	Ang pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros [The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros]	2005	Auraeus Solito	21	2	1		1,549		100	1
35	Scorpio Nights	1985	Peque Gallaga	20.5	2	12		435		22	1
35	Relasyon [Affair]	1982	Ishmael Bernal	20.5	2	1		80		10	1
37	Cleaners	2019	Glenn Barit	20	1	1		109		14	0
38	Independencia [Independence]	2009	Raya Martin	19	3	11		232		87	1
38	Itim [The Rites of May]	1976	Mike De Leon	19	3	10		125		34	1
38	Batang West Side [West Side Avenue]	2001	Lav Diaz	19	1	2		175		36	1
41	Ganito kami noon... Paano kayo ngayon? [This Is How We Were Before, How Are You Doing Now?]	1976	Eddie Romero	18.5	2	6		113		17	1
41	Silip [Daughters of Eve]	1985	Elwood Perez	18.5	3	5		840		62	0
50	Lola [Grandmother]	2009	Brillante Mendoza	16.5	3	4		873		103	1
52	Magnifico	2003	Maryo J. de los Reyes	15.5	2	1		577		49	1
53	Ang tatay kong nanay [My Father, My Mother]	1978	Lino Brocka	15	3	4		79		25	1
57	Ruined Heart: Another Lovestory Between a Criminal & a Whore	2014	Khavn	13	4	4		435		91	2
64	Lumaban ka, Satanas [The Killing of Satan]	1983	Efren C. Piñon	12	4	10		415		82	1
91	Alipato: The Very Brief Life of an Ember	2016	Khavn	7	1	1		131		27	0

Films that received 1st place votes
3 #1 Maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag - filmbantha, Mario Gaborović, Melvelet
3 #2 Insiang - ororama, sol, TraverseTown
3 #4 Ebolusyon ng isang pamilyang Pilipino - insomnius, joachimt, OldAle1
2 #3 Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan - Leopardi, Traveller
2 #13 Imburnal - beavis, lineuphere
2 #25 Serbis - Mysterious Dude, Y U M E
1 #6 Mababangong Bangungot - Gordon_Gekko
1 #8 Biyaya ng lupa - RogerTheMovieManiac88
1 #20 Mga kuwentong barbero - zzzorf
1 #34 Ang pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros - Fergenaprido
1 #37 Cleaners - airdolll
1 #52 Magnifico - Caracortada
1 #91 Alipato: The Very Brief Life of an Ember - zomgmouse

2 - unranked - Angel Glez, cayado-coro

Directors with multiple films in the Top 29
7 Lav Diaz
3 Lino Brocka
3 Mike De Leon
3 Raya Martin
2 Brillante Mendoza
2 Kidlat Tahimik
2 Lamberto V. Avellana

Breakdown by Decade
1890s
1900s
1910s
1920s
1930s
1940s
1950s 3
1960s
1970s 6
1980s 5
1990s
2000s 7
2010s 7
2020s 1

[Fergenaprido]

Here are the results as an icm list: https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/icm+ ... genaprido/
Here is the master list with the top 20 from each poll: https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/icm+ ... genaprido/

Our last Southest Asian Forum Poll was held in April 2018. Here's our Top 51 compared to the previous poll. There are a few notable films that have jumped up or entered the results since then, either due to restorations being released, or someone advocating for them on the forum. The adoption of the official Filipino list also contributed to increased support across the board.

Rank	Title [AKA]	Year	Director	Forum Poll	Difference
1	Maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag [Manila in the Claws of Light]	1975	Lino Brocka	5	△ 4
2	Insiang	1976	Lino Brocka	10	△ 8
3	Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan [Norte, the End of History]	2013	Lav Diaz	9	△ 6
4	Ebolusyon ng isang pamilyang Pilipino [Evolution of a Filipino Family]	2004	Lav Diaz	18	△ 14
5	Tatlong taong walang Diyos [Three Godless Years]	1976	Mario O'Hara	57	△ 52
6	Mababangong Bangungot [Perfumed Nightmare]	1977	Kidlat Tahimik	14	△ 8
7	Mula sa kung ano ang noon [From What Is Before]	2014	Lav Diaz	21	△ 14
8	Biyaya ng lupa [Blessings of the Land]	1959	Manuel Silos	164	△ 156
9	Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang [Weighed But Found Wanting]	1974	Lino Brocka	22	△ 13
10	City After Dark [Manila by Night]	1980	Ishmael Bernal	55	△ 45
11	Ang babaeng humayo [The Woman Who Left]	2016	Lav Diaz	25	△ 14
11	Kinatay [The Execution of P]	2009	Brillante Mendoza	49	△ 38
13	Imburnal [Sewer]	2008	Sherad Anthony Sanchez	97	△ 84
13	Batch '81	1982	Mike De Leon	#N/A	--
15	Oro, Plata, Mata [Gold, Silver, Death]	1982	Peque Gallaga	47	△ 32
16	Florentina Hubaldo, CTE	2012	Lav Diaz	52	△ 36
17	Anak dalita [Child of Sorrow]	1956	Lamberto V. Avellana	106	△ 89
18	Melancholia	2008	Lav Diaz	53	△ 35
19	Badjao [Badjao: The Sea Gypsies]	1957	Lamberto V. Avellana	#N/A	--
20	Turumba	1981	Kidlat Tahimik	44	△ 24
20	Mga kuwentong barbero [Barber's Tales]	2013	Jun Lana	#N/A	--
22	Autohystoria	2007	Raya Martin	51	△ 29
23	Buenas noches, España [Good Night, Spain]	2011	Raya Martin	166	△ 143
24	Heremias: Unang aklat - Ang alamat ng prinsesang bayawak [Heremias: Book One - The Legend of the Lizard Princess]	2006	Lav Diaz	71	△ 47
25	Kisapmata	1981	Mike De Leon	178	△ 153
25	Umbilical Cord to Heaven	2020	Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan	#N/A	--
25	Serbis [Service]	2008	Brillante Mendoza	81	△ 56
28	Kung mangarap ka't magising [Moments in a Stolen Dream]	1977	Mike De Leon	#N/A	--
29	How to Disappear Completely	2013	Raya Martin	157	△ 128
30	Nunal sa tubig [A Speck in the Water]	1976	Ishmael Bernal	#N/A	--
30	Birdshot	2016	Mikhail Red	184	△ 154
32	Babae sa breakwater [Woman of Breakwater]	2003	Mario O'Hara	#N/A	--
33	Sister Stella L.	1984	Mike De Leon	#N/A	--
34	Ang pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros [The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros]	2005	Auraeus Solito	#N/A	--
35	Scorpio Nights	1985	Peque Gallaga	237	△ 202
35	Relasyon [Affair]	1982	Ishmael Bernal	#N/A	--
37	Cleaners	2019	Glenn Barit	#N/A	--
38	Independencia [Independence]	2009	Raya Martin	#N/A	--
38	Itim [The Rites of May]	1976	Mike De Leon	#N/A	--
38	Batang West Side [West Side Avenue]	2001	Lav Diaz	70	△ 32
41	Ganito kami noon... Paano kayo ngayon? [This Is How We Were Before, How Are You Doing Now?]	1976	Eddie Romero	#N/A	--
41	Silip [Daughters of Eve]	1985	Elwood Perez	63	△ 22
43	Bakit dilaw ang gitna ng bahag-hari? [Why Is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow?/Why Is the Middle of the Rainbow Yellow?]	1994	Kidlat Tahimik	#N/A	--
43	Captive	2012	Brillante Mendoza	#N/A	--
43	Misteryo sa tuwa [Joyful Mystery]	1984	Abbo Dela Cruz	#N/A	--
46	Jaguar	1979	Lino Brocka	#N/A	--
47	Virgin People	1984	Celso Ad. Castillo	#N/A	--
47	Sa Maynila [In Manila]	1989	Mike Alcazaren, Alan Hilario, Ricky Orellana, Josephine Atienza	#N/A	--
47	Tirador [Slingshot]	2007	Brillante Mendoza	#N/A	--
50	Lola [Grandmother]	2009	Brillante Mendoza	145	△ 95
51	Bayaning 3rd World [Third World Hero]	2000	Mike De Leon	152	△ 101

And the remaining Filipino films from the forum poll that didn't make the Top 51 this time.

Spoiler

Rank	Title [AKA]	Year	Country Poll Ranking
41	Ruined Heart: Another Lovestory Between a Criminal & a Whore	2014	57
62	Mga anak ng unos [Storm Children: Book One]	2014	70
66	Orapronobis [Fight for Us]	1989	69
72	The Road	2011	#N/A
73	Lumaban ka, Satanas [The Killing of Satan]	1983	64
91	Himala [Miracle]	1982	64
92	Siglo ng pagluluwal [Century of Birthing]	2011	103
131	The Beast of the Yellow Night	1971	#N/A
135	Tatlo, dalawa, isa [Three, Two, One]	1974	70
137	Brides of Blood [Brides of Death]	1968	#N/A
156	Black Mama White Mama [Chained Women]	1973	123
167	Ars colonia	2011	131
187	Ma' Rosa	2016	85
188	Foster Child	2007	#N/A
189	Burlesk Queen	1977	70
195	Graceland	2012	57
196	On the Job	2013	#N/A
226	Terror Is a Man [Creature from Blood Island]	1959	#N/A
230	A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino	1965	131
233	For Y'ur Height Only	1981	85

Comparison with Pinoy Rebyu's 100 Greatest Pinoy Films of All Time, our official Filipino list

Spoiler

Rank	Title [AKA]	Year	Country Poll Ranking
1	Maynila sa mga kuko ng liwanag [Manila in the Claws of Light]	1975	1
2	Himala [Miracle]	1982	64
3	Kisapmata	1981	25
4	City After Dark	1980	10
5	Oro, plata, mata	1982	15
6	Biyaya ng lupa [Blessings of the Land]	1959	8
7	Insiang	1976	2
8	Ganito kami noon... Paano kayo ngayon? [This Is How We Were Before, How Are You Doing Now?]	1976	41
9	Batch '81	1982	13
10	Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang [Weighed But Found Wanting]	1974	9
11	Mababangong Bangungot [Perfumed Nightmare]	1977	6
12	Itim [The Rites of May]	1976	38
13	Batang West Side [West Side Avenue]	2001	38
14	Ebolusyon ng isang pamilyang Pilipino [Evolution of a Filipino Family]	2004	4
15	Nunal sa tubig [A Speck in the Water]	1976	30
16	Burlesk Queen	1977	70
17	Anak dalita [Child of Sorrow]	1956	17
18	Orapronobis [Fight for Us]	1989	69
19	Kakabakaba ka ba? [Will Your Heart Beat Faster?]	1980	109
20	Karnal [Of the Flesh]	1983	55
21	Tatlong taong walang Diyos [Three Godless Years]	1976	5
22	Moral	1982	123
23	Genghis Khan	1950	70
24	Scorpio Nights	1985	35
25	Bayaning 3rd World [Third World Hero]	2000	51
26	Sister Stella L.	1984	33
27	Magnifico	2003	52
28	Ang pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros [The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros]	2005	34
29	Kinatay [The Execution of P]	2009	11
30	Tuhog [Larger Than Life]	2001	#N/A
31	Kubrador [The Bet Collector]	2006	#N/A
32	Bagets	1984	#N/A
33	Babae sa Breakwater [Woman of Breakwater]	2003	32
34	Pagputi ng uwak... Pag-itim ng tagak	1978	#N/A
35	Badjao [Badjao: The Sea Gypsies]	1957	19
36	Kagadanan sa banwaan ning mga engkanto [Death in the Land of Encantos]	2007	57
37	Aguila	1980	#N/A
38	Bayan ko: Kapit sa patalim [Bayan Ko]	1984	57
39	Oliver	1983	114
40	Ang tatay kong nanay [My Father, My Mother]	1978	53
41	Kung mangarap ka't magising [Moments in a Stolen Dream]	1977	28
42	Salawahan	1979	#N/A
43	Relasyon [Affair]	1982	35
44	Hinugot sa langit	1985	#N/A
45	The Moises Padilla Story	1961	#N/A
46	Bona	1980	#N/A
47	El filibusterismo [The Subversive]	1962	#N/A
48	A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino	1965	131
49	Malvarosa	1958	91
50	Ang damgo ni Eleuteria [The Dream of Eleuteria]	2010	#N/A
51	Thy Womb	2012	#N/A
52	Noli me t·ngere	1961	82
53	Broken Marriage	1983	#N/A
54	Bulaklak sa City Jail [Flowers of the City Jail]	1984	70
55	Todo todo teros	2006	131
56	Salome	1981	#N/A
57	Working Girls	1984	#N/A
58	Lola [Grandmother]	2009	50
59	Ang magpakailanman	1982	#N/A
60	Misteryo sa tuwa [Joyful Mystery]	1984	43
61	Independencia	2009	38
62	JosÈ Rizal	1998	56
63	Haplos [The House in the Woods]	1982	114
64	Riles [Life on the Tracks]	2003	#N/A
65	Ang ninanais [Refrains Happen Like Revolutions in a Song]	2010	#N/A
66	Miguelito: Batang rebelde [Miguelito]	1985	#N/A
67	Sibak [Midnight Dancers]	1994	103
68	Juan Tamad Goes to Congress	1959	#N/A
69	Shake, Rattle & Roll	1984	#N/A
70	Anak	2000	#N/A
71	Luksang tagumpay	1956	#N/A
72	Confessional	2007	#N/A
73	Ang kabiyak	1980	#N/A
74	Huling balyan ng buhi [The Woven Stories of the Other]	2006	#N/A
75	Now Showing	2008	64
76	Bulaklak ng Maynila	1999	#N/A
77	Huwag Mo Akong Limutin	1960	#N/A
78	Tirador [Slingshot]	2007	47
79	Biyaheng lupa [Soliloquy]	2009	#N/A
80	Sisa	1951	#N/A
81	Lucia	1992	#N/A
82	Maicling pelicula naÒg ysaÒg Indio Nacional [A Short Film About the Indio Nacional]	2005	85
83	Pare ko [Pare Ko]	1995	#N/A
84	Milagros	1997	#N/A
85	Palabra de honor	1983	#N/A
86	Laman	2002	#N/A
87	One More Chance	2007	#N/A
88	Pagdating sa dulo [At the Top]	1971	#N/A
89	Tag-ulan sa tag-araw	1975	99
90	Temptation Island	1980	#N/A
91	Puting Paalam [White Funeral]	1997	70
92	Cain at Abel [Cain and Abel]	1982	70
93	Ang pinakamagandang hayop sa balat ng lupa [The Most Beautiful Animal in the World]	1974	#N/A
94	Sanda Wong	1955	#N/A
95	Ina ka ng anak mo	1979	#N/A
96	Dahas [Rage]	1995	#N/A
97	Nagalit ang buwan sa haba ng gabi [A Tired, Angry Moon on a Restless Night]	1983	#N/A
98	Pila-balde [Fetch a Pail of Water]	1999	#N/A
99	Emily	1960	#N/A
100	Tanging yaman [A Change of Heart]	2000	#N/A

Comparison with the Luna Award for Best Filipino Pictures, the equivalent of the Oscars in the Philippines

Spoiler

Rank	Title [AKA]	Year	Country Poll Ranking
1	Batch '81	1982	13
2	Pieta	1983	#N/A
3	Sister Stella L.	1984	33
4	Bayan ko: Kapit sa patalim [Bayan Ko]	1984	57
5	Gabi na, kumander	1986	#N/A
6	Saan nagtatago ang pag-ibig?	1987	#N/A
7	Boy Negro	1988	#N/A
8	Bilangin ang bituin sa langit	1989	#N/A
9	Gumapang ka sa lusak [Dirty Affair]	1990	#N/A
10	Ipagpatawad mo	1991	#N/A
11	Ikaw pa lang ang minahal [Only You]	1992	#N/A
12	Masahol pa sa hayop	1993	#N/A
13	Pangako ng kahapon [Yesterday's Promise]	1994	#N/A
14	The Flor Contemplacion Story	1995	#N/A
15	Hangga't may hininga	1996	#N/A
16	Eseng ng Tondo	1997	#N/A
17	Bata bata paano ka ginawa? [Lea's Story]	1998	#N/A
18	Bulaklak ng Maynila	1999	#N/A
19	Tanging yaman [A Change of Heart]	2000	#N/A
20	Abakada... Ina	2001	#N/A
21	Lapu-Lapu	2002	#N/A
22	Magnifico	2003	52
23	Aishite imasu (Mahal kita) 1941	2004	#N/A
24	Blue Moon	2006	#N/A
25	Kasal, kasali, kasalo	2006	#N/A
26	A Love Story	2007	#N/A
27	Baler	2008	#N/A
28	Emir	2010	#N/A
29	Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story	2011	#N/A
30	El Presidente	2012	#N/A
31	Heneral Luna	2015	#N/A
32	Die Beautiful	2016	#N/A
33	Ang larawan [The Portrait]	2017	#N/A
34	Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral	2018	#N/A
35	Mindanao	2019	#N/A

The Host's Hot Take
Brocka reigns supreme, taking the top two spots by a large margin, though the top film switched places a few times as ballots came in. Further down the ballots, though, Lav Diaz dominates. Blessings of the Land and Batch '81 are also big winners, with the former getting 5 votes, 3 of which I think came in the last two weeks from people newly watching the film for this poll, and the latter not getting a single vote in the forum poll 4 years ago but getting 5 here and cracking the Top 20. The Pinoy Rebyu list had a big influence in the bottom half of the results, with a number of films on that list showing up solely because the films were located and shared after they appeared on the newly official list (especially the short ones). I imagine more will be restored (and subtitled) in the next few years, so the next time we run this poll I expect a lot of changes. The good spread of films voted #1 was also nice, and I'm glad Service just made it in with #1, #1, and #4 votes. The Luna Award winners, on the other hand, barely made a dent here, showing that what Filipino Academy members enjoy don't seem to be the films that forum members are exploring (assuming they're even available with subtitles). Lastly, it seems like there was a big drop in the quality and quantity of filmmaking in Philippines in the 1990s, with the top film from that decade coming in at #43; this mirrors trends I've seen in other SEA countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, so I wonder if there was something bigger at play

Calculating the results as the ballot came in, I noticed that from 5 to ~20 ballots, the number of films that crossed the threshold was roughly equal to the number of ballots. We'll see if this holds true for Senegal, but it seems that as long as we 20-25 ballots in a poll, we'll be able to come up with a viable list.

Next up: Senegal, then Japan

Edit: Also, 5 nominated films weren't on icm yet, so if you saw them you can now check them:

https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/pilipinas/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/sa+maynila/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/parola/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/summer+love-1981/
https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/hubad/

[zzzorf]

Really happy my watch of Barber's Tales last month was enough to make it scrape into the top 20. A sure fire 500<400 once a few more people watch it.

[beavis]

Interesting results Fergenaprido!

I've seen 19/29 from the list, with Blessings of the Land the highest unseen
Barber's Tales and Serbis are the two I've been looking forward to the most for a while now, but this country was not really in my plans at the moment, just glad they made this list so their promise still holds up.

[Y U M E]

Thanks for hosting. I've seen 13/29 and highest unseen is Three Godless Years (#5).

It seems we have to see our mutual #1's soon, beavis!

[RogerTheMovieManiac88]

I'm thrilled to see 'Blessings of the Land' and 'Three Godless Years' crack the top 10! Two of the most remarkable and memorable films of my 2022 thus far.

The absence of any films from the 1990s is indeed noticeable. I think that might have been the decade (picking up from the mid-80s or so) where rom-coms/love teams really took over the country's film output, and they generally don't travel well or make much of an outside impression.

I'm looking forward to seeing more from Diaz. I watched my first from him for this poll and found it an extraordinary and profound experience.

Lovely, intriguing results; I'm eager to watch more from the Philippines!

[OldAle1]

Thanks as usual ferg. I've seen 19/29 - but it breaks down to 17 of the top 20 and only 2 of the bottom 9. 3 unseen Lav Diaz monstrosities, all of which I have - and I badly wanted to make time for Heremias over the past week but, eh, just wasn't in the mood. And I have two of the others, and I haven't heard of a couple - which is cool. Have to do some investigating.

Glad to see that Diaz and Brocka didn't shut out everything else from the top 5, and O'Hara's film is a worthy one - hope to get to see a better copy some day. Disappointed that mine was the only vote for Batang West Side but I think there were only terrible copies available when I saw it, and though I believe there's something better now, well, it's still 5 hours that people have to make time for.

Also glad that I made time for Brillante Mendoza over the past few days; while none of his films made me change my list, I was at least impressed enough with the third I saw, Kinatay, that I look forward to seeing more (the first two were a bit iffy in many respects).

[Rufus-T]

Well, Manila in the Claws of Light and Insiang did not need my support anyway, lol. I just got The Woman Who Left from Netlfix, a very long 4 hrs. movie. Will watch it soon.

[Fergenaprido]

Well, Manila in the Claws of Light and Insiang did not need my support anyway, lol. I just got The Woman Who Left from Netlfix, a very long 4 hrs. movie. Will watch it soon.

Yeah, I expected both to do well, but not to dominate entirely. They both appeared on ~80% of all ballots, which might be the highest percentages of any films in this project thus far. But Filipino cinema is deep enough that we were still able to produce a decent-sized list, IMO.

[airdolll]

Thank you Ferg! Very happy for Blessings of the Land, Batch 81 and Barber's Tales. I wasn't familiar with Filipino cinema during the 50s at all, so it was great to explore that. I will echo what OldAle said in the nominations thread; the strong concern for national history and the abundance of political cinema is something I find very appealing too. A very beautiful sense of community and solidarity in many of these films also.
On a similar note, wish I had watched some national favorites like Heneral Luna or some of the José Rizal films, Bayaning 3rd World specifically sounds very good. I will try to eventually catch up with Diaz... but that will happen slowly for sure.