Jess Mendoza

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.

A grieving detective finds himself increasingly ensnared while investigating a case involving a sinister navigation app causing physical and psychological debris.

Set during the first quarter storm in the 1970s, policemen Homer, Conrad, and Billy are consumed by the murder case of troublemaking teenagers in the slums.

In the seedy underbelly of Manila, teenage runaway Zion links up with a group of queer street hustlers who lead him on a heated journey of self-discovery in the tempting and dangerous nocturnal city.

Two unusually close friends share every aspect of their lives together. As their lives evolve, their bond remains the only constant.

Paring Bert, a priest, and his parishioner, Santos, a taxi driver, embark on a gritty journey to reconcile their moral conflicts while they elude an assassination attempt.

A department store saleslady has had enough of being an underdog. One night, she discovers a peculiar-looking gun right on her doorstep. Her life drastically changes as she discovers how much power owning a gun can give her.

A story of Ilyong, recently-dead man killed by the police, after he was caught stealing. This is the beginning of his story, his death. Soon after, he was brought into a sleazy funeral home, run by Violet, a greedy homosexual who has learned to survive by renting out the dead bodies in his funeral home to Simon. Along for the ride is Jojo, a police officer who is under the payroll of Simon and who supplies the dead bodies for Violet to take care of and make money from. Violet has two workers, On-on and Dyograd.

The dramatization of the life of General Ronald dela Rosa.

A woman relieves the heavy burden from her past when she finally exacts revenge on the man who murdered her entire family.

A serial killer in Payatas leaves the bodies of young boys in the dump as two Jesuit priests try to solve the murders.

After being swept off her feet by a persistent Leon, ambitious Angel must choose between true love and her dreams of a luxurious life.

The Empire Hotel is a 30-year-old landmark in Macau's old quarter, inhabited by characters with their own stories and struggles. It is also Maria's home. One day, the burden of keeping lives together and the hotel standing falls on her shoulders. A young man who left Macau two decades ago returns, intent on revenge and reclaiming his mother's fortune – half the hotel. Inside the casino, Maria sings Fado and exotic dancers perform. It is against this illusory backdrop that the man lays eyes on Maria for the first time; they’re both mesmerized. The film cuts back and forth between film noir-style scenes of Macau’s past and present.

Set against the drug wars in the Philippines, Maria's husband is murdered in mysterious circumstances and is left to fend for her three children in a police state. As she delves into Manila’s dark underworld of cops, criminals, and drugs to find answers, she realizes the truth is never black and white, and that she must explore her own darkness to keep her family safe.

Filipino director Adolfo Alix Jr. returns to the Festival with this timely story of a couple caught up in Rodrigo Duterte’s violent war on drugs when their son goes missing.

In the 1970s, a widow in a remote village takes over her husband’s barber shop. She becomes the laughing stock of the male-dominated community and in the process discovers freedom and liberation.

A group of transgender women belonging to a gang kidnaps foreign men to fund their gender-affirming surgeries, not knowing that their quest to free themselves to be who they are may end with them in prison.

Police officers Bong and Roman investigate paranormal killings in ominous talahib grass fields, unraveling a chilling mystery.

Manila is besieged by the worst typhoon to hit the country. Talk of the world coming to an end hangs in the air. And five men find themselves stranded inside a police station with a prisoner who may o may not be the devil. It's going to be a long night.

Teban, a troubled teen who recently got out of jail for petty theft, moves to tenement 66 with his older brother Tony and cousin Ron-ron, hoping to start a new life away from the people who influenced him to commit crimes. But soon find out that there are far more sinister figures at the tenement whose crimes are worse than they could have imagined.

"Swap" takes us to the internal conflict of a young father, torn between solving a crime and committing another crime when one day his only son is kidnapped and the criminals demand him to steal another kid in exchange of his son's life.

A high school princess is cursed by the geek whose affections she toyed with.

A priest is caught up in a situation, which will compel him to choose between the mandate of the church and his obligations as a citizen under the law of the people.

Toto, a teenage orphan, is recruited by a notorious death squad. Irma, the groups leader, soon becomes a maternal figure to the young boy. As the two form a familial bond, their loyalties will be put to the test when one of their targets turns out to be a familiar face.

Kray, an underappreciated and underpaid stuntwoman, takes on one last job with her former gang only to be trapped in a hellish underworld.

After a turbulent squall in the night, villagers wake up to the astonishing sight of the sea that has turned red.

A journalist investigates a woman with the name of China Doll. Soon, he discovers his knowledge of her turns out to be dangerous.

This is not a film by Khavn. A crime-thriller retro-road movie based on the Kuratong Baleleng Rubout Massacre of 1995.

It is a trilogy which follows the story of three individuals must go through desperate measures to hide their secrets.

A woman runs her criminal syndicate all the while taking care of her family.

A college heartthrob meets a college newbie - a challenge, a tension, a discovery, and a love that will change everything between them.

The film depicts the troubles of Jonas and his sisters Carmina and Tricia , who have moved to their family’s old farm after Jonas’ real estate business sank. Jonas hires the help of some local men to put up a fence around their property, and while they all seem helpful at first, they become an indelible source of frustration for him and his sisters.

A thriller about a never-ending war, a town ravaged by a devastating storm, and the woman caught in between.

The story of a day in the lives of two men in the city -both proud, indifferent, and bound by the confines of their milieu and their choices in life- and their incidental yet preordained meeting in a one-way alley that would change their lives thereafter. Raising questions of how far people have control over what happens in their lives, the film seeks to explore circumstance versus choice, breaking points, and second chances.

A disillusioned and suicidal Rizal, a cross-dressing Bonifacio gripped with paranoia, an ex-Katipunero who joins the US army to save his own neck, and a widow whose sex-for-food errands lead her to become the first ever Makapili. These are the historical mosaics that will form a singular hypothesis as to why we are like this as a people and up to now still reeling from our damaged culture.

Set at the inauguration of the new President is the inter-woven tales of people dealing with daily lives: their relationships, desires and their means of survival. A taxi driver trying to stop his best friend from leaving for the province while his ex-wife comes back to his life; a young actor doing extra job as male prostitute; a Fil-Am trying to fill his need for drugs; and a young cigarette vendor who also act as pimp at night. All of them get through their harsh realities with hopes of a better tomorrow while their fate awaits them to cross its path in the uncaring streets of Manila.

Set on the eve of a fictional inaugural of the Bangsamoro Government, the film revolves around Daud, a scion of a political dynasty who is reluctant to become a member of the Parliament, and his college buddy Marco, a struggling journalist assigned to cover the inaugural. The duo drive off to the countryside, reminiscing their days as student activists and discovering their deepest longings as hostages of a future they will inherit.

A tragic-comic portrait of a dysfunctional family and the disquieting blind faith they invoke as they dream of going home.