Daniel Palisa

At the dawn of the modern era, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan leads an expedition under the Spanish crown in search of the first westward route to the Spice Islands. He embarks on a perilous journey across the uncharted Pacific, where his fleet faces starvation, mutiny, and the psychological toll of endless seas. Upon reaching the shores of Cebu, Magellan is pulled into a fatal conflict with the natives by his drive to spread Catholicism, culminating in his tragic doom.

A historical drama focusing on Manuel L. Quezon years after the Philippine Revolution during the American occupation. When his fight for independence from the United States is put to the test, Quezon finds himself playing the brutal game of politics to outmaneuver his rivals — including Leonard Wood, Sergio Osmeña, and Joven Hernando. In Quezon’s relentless quest for power, he ultimately faces off with Emilio Aguinaldo in the 1935 presidential elections, using charm and favoritism as both weapons and currency, in a campaign that ultimately changes the face of Philippine politics and history.

As a family clashes over their late father's land, an eerie painting appears and releases something sinister during the nine-day funeral ritual.

A mother, who loves watching K-dramas, decides to stop her chemo treatment after losing hope of getting better. Her only dream before dying is to meet her ultimate K-drama idol, who is visiting Manila for a series of events. Her four children agree to work together with the condition that once their mother meets their idol, she will undergo therapy before her time runs out.

After three decades' wrongful incarceration for murder, a woman discovers that her friend and fellow inmate committed the murder of which she was accused. This leads to her release and subsequent discovery of the man who framed her — her ruling class ex-lover.

The true story of Andres Bonifacio, a man who rose as a leader in the fight against the Spanish oppressors, and would gain the enmity of even those fighting for the same cause.

In this whimsical historical fresco, a counterpoint to today’s urgent political issues, the figure of the Filipino revolutionary Rizal is revisited in the light of early silent films.

A news team investigating rumors of aswang killings in a remote barrio are attacked by a group of soldiers, forcing them to run for their lives in the deeps of the forest, where more mystery and danger lay in wait.

A young filmmaker is bent on recreating forgotten massacres from Philippine history, but when she begins shooting at a site where 1,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered, angry spirits are awakened and the lives of her team and the local villagers are put in peril.

An intimate and often heartbreaking portrait of one of the Philippines' most beloved screen icons.

After 8 years of marriage, a childless couple named Clark and Eileen meet a little girl who one day, came knocking at their door claiming to be Clark's child. Despite the unexpected situation, the wife accepts the child and temporarily fosters her while figuring the next steps. Meanwhile, Clark investigates the child's history while Eileen begins to develop an odd and eerie relation with the child.

The bizarre history of Filipino B-films, as told through filmmaker Andrew Leavold's personal quest to find the truth behind its midget James Bond superstar Weng Weng.

In the slums of Manila, 11-year-old Ginto dreams of gang life over scavenging, rejecting his sister Asia’s care as she turns to sex work to survive. As Ginto falls for another boy in the gang, he’s forced to confront his identity and desires amid violence and poverty. Meanwhile, Dutch tourist Michael, consumed by dark impulses, descends into the city’s red-light district. When their paths cross, Ginto faces an impossible choice that will shape both their fates in a world where innocence is currency and survival comes at a cost.

1901, Balangiga. Eight-year-old Kulas flees town with his grandfather and their carabao to escape General Smith's Kill & Burn order. He finds a toddler amid a sea of corpses and together, the two boys struggle to survive the American occupation.

To reimage, rewrite, and reread my country’s bastard history, using dismembered icons and scenographies that both affirm and negate remembered mythology.