In case you’re out of the loop, ABS CBN Film Restoration has uploaded many of its restored Filipino films on the ABS-CBN Star Cinema YouTube channel. The free films range from classics such as Frank Gray Jr.’s Omeng Satanasia where Dolphy plays an aging scientist who makes a deal with a gay demon (also played by Dolphy) to bring his youth back, Danny Zialcita’s camp classic Nagalit ang Buwan sa Haba ng Gabi, starring Eddie Garcia and Laurice Guillen, to modern comedy classics such as Ang Tanging ina Mo and the Fernando Poe Jr and Judy Ann Santos tandem Isusumbong Kita sa Tatay Ko.
This coincides with the launch of ABS-CBN Film Restoration’s A-Rewind: A Celebration of Classics at Ayala Mall Cinemas, which features Tatlong Ina, Isang Anak, a 1987 drama by Mario O’Hara starring Nora Aunor, Gina Alajar, Celeste Legaspi and Lotlot De Leon; and Kailan ka Magiging Akin?, a 1991 crime drama by Chito S. Roño starring Gabby Concepcion, Janice De Belen, and Charo Santos-Concio.
You can check out the Filipino Classic Movies (Digitally Restored) playlist of ABS-CBN Star Cinema on YouTube, which not only has established greats such as Himala and Moral but also lowkey gems such as Soltero, a bachelor-centric film starring Jay Ilagan, High School Scandal, a puberty explosion film starring Gina Alajar and Sandy Andolong, Nunal sa Tubig, Ishmael Bernal’s timeless opus about a dying town, and Sa Init ng Apoy, a Baguio-set action horror with Lorna Tolentino and Rudy Fernandez. These are films that might not have passed your Filipino classics radar but are certainly worth watching.
Film Education
Even with its limited selection, the restored classics of ABS-CBN can act as a free film school in a box if you’re on the hunt for the best of Filipino films in the age of streaming.
“Ngayon, wala na masyadong venue para mapanood yung mga lumang pelikula,” ABS-CBN Film Restoration head Leo Katigbak told ABS-CBN News. “So with this initiative, and using new technology and platforms, it’s a good way to showcase the movie to a newer generation.”
The clamor for more classic Filipino films is apparent in these YouTube comment sections, with some even having their own wishlist for films to be restored. More Reddit threads even have disclaimers on the films (since some films on YouTube have cuts, apparently) and leads on where to find other films.
Outside YouTube, the Film Development Council of the Philippines’s own streaming platform JuanFlix has a great cache of classic films you can’t find anywhere else, such as Lino Brocka’s White Slavery and Manuel Conde’s Genghis Khan.
If you’re on Netflix, several restored classics are available, such as Himala, Markova: Comfort Gay, and Oro Plata Mata. Consider it your Filipino Film starter pack.
