List of Philippine submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

A photo of Brillante Mendoza in a suit and bow tie
An image of Judy Ann Santos wearing a Philippine terno dress and holding a bouquet
A photo of Angel Aquino wearing a turleneck top and facing to her left
An image of John Arcilla in a black shirt smiling to the camera
Clockwise from upper left: Two films directed by Brillante Mendoza were submitted; two films starring Judy Ann Santos, including Ploning which she produced, were submitted; John Arcilla starred in three films that were submitted; Angel Aquino was in films submitted in 2004 and 2007.

The Philippines has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film [nb 1] since the inception of the category in 1956.[3] The award is given annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.[4] The "Best Foreign Language Film" category was not created until 1956; however, between 1947 and 1955, the Academy presented a non-competitive Honorary Award for the best foreign language films released in the United States.[5]

The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) appoints a committee to choose one film among those released that year to be submitted as the Philippines's official entry to the Academy for a nomination for "Best International Feature Film" the following year.[6][7] The chosen films, along with their English subtitles, are sent to the Academy, where they are screened for the jury.[4][7] The 1953 biopic Genghis Khan was the first Philippine film submitted for consideration for the Honorary Foreign Language Film award, the precursor to the current category.[5][8] From 1956 until the establishment of the FAP in 1981, only four films were submitted for consideration: Child of Sorrow (1956), The Moises Padilla Story (1961), Because of a Flower (1967), and Ganito Kami Noon... Paano Kayo Ngayon? (1976).[6][9] After the FAP was founded, the Philippines submitted Of the Flesh in 1984 and This Is My Country in 1985, but made no further submissions until 1995's Harvest Home. Since then, the FAP has submitted a film in most years.[6][9] No film was submitted in 2005; Leo Martinez, the director general of the FAP, revealed that the organization had not received an invitation from the Academy.[nb 2][10] In 2021, the FAP controversially chose not to send an entry as they lacked government funding due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[6][11] The Philippines has made 33 cumulative submissions to the category, but none have been nominated for an Oscar, the latest being the 2023 submission The Missing.

Filmmakers Marilou Diaz-Abaya and Gil Portes have each represented the Philippines three times in this category, the most for any director, and including two consecutive films each: Diaz Abaya in 1997 and 1998, and Portes in 2001 and 2002. Brillante Mendoza, a recipient of the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director, directed the 2016 and 2020 submissions.[9][12] Three films starring John Arcilla have been submitted by the Philippines.[nb 3][14] Joel Torre has co-starred in three films that were entries in 1984, 1985, and 2000.[15] Two of Judy Ann Santos's films, including Ploning (2008), which she produced and starred in, have been submitted.[16] Angel Aquino, Sid Lucero, Phillip Salvador, Vilma Santos, and Jomari Yllana have each represented the Philippines twice as actors in the category.[9][17]

  1. ^ "Academy announces rules for 92nd Oscars". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. April 23, 2019. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  2. ^ Ewing, Jeff (April 24, 2019). "Academy Announces Rule Changes For 92nd Oscars". Forbes. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  3. ^ "History of the Academy Awards – Page 2". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 6, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  4. ^ a b "Rule Thirteen: Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "History of the Academy Awards – Page 1". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 13, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d Tan Liwag, Jason (December 22, 2021). "The Philippines doesn't have an Oscar entry. Now what?". Rappler. Archived from the original on August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Stokoe, Sara (January 23, 2004). "The Philippine's Submission for Best Foreign Language Film (Academy Award)". UCLA Center of Near Eastern Studies. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  8. ^ Jaucian, Don (February 23, 2013). "Will the Philippines ever win an Oscar?". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d "All The Filipino Entries to The Oscars Through The Years". Esquire. March 5, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Nepales, Ruben (October 28, 2005). "No RP entry in Oscars?". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  11. ^ Cruz, Marinel (December 17, 2021). "No PH entry to 2022 Oscars: Irked filmmakers want FAP to explain why". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  12. ^ Severo, Jan Milo (October 16, 2021). "Brillante Mendoza's Gensan Punch wins at 26th Busan Int'l Film Festival". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on January 26, 2022. Retrieved August 29, 2022.
  13. ^ Tariman, Pablo (September 30, 2013). "A UK film of John Arcilla makes it to Oscar derby". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  14. ^ For films starring John Arcilla that were submitted as Philippine entries:
  15. ^ For films co-starring Joel Torre that were submitted as Philippine entries:
  16. ^ For films starring Judy Ann Santos that were submitted as Philippine entries:
  17. ^ For films starring Angel Aquino that were submitted as Philippine entries: For films starring Sid Lucero that were submitted as Philippine entries: For films starring Phillip Salvador that were submitted as Philippine entries: For films starring Vilma Santos that were submitted as Philippine entries: For films starring Jomari Yllana that were submitted as Philippine entries:


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