A Win for the Gays: Filipino Queer-themed series and movies you should consider watching
Filipino queer-themed movies and series have progressed a lot. In a country where the LGBTQIA+ community is underrepresented, the social change and social discourse that Filipino films foster allow people to gain knowledge and understand the country’s history and other cultures.
Films influence people’s attitudes, misconceptions, and beliefs, according to research. Films have the power to change gender and racial stereotypes.
By engaging viewers and reflecting on society, it unifies individuals in a shared feeling of humanity and respect, giving it additional power to support constructive social change.
If you’re looking for gayness in Filipino movies, let me share with you a list of Filipino queer-themed series and movies that you can enjoy watching!
T-Bird at Ako (1982)
In this movie, Nora Aunor plays the obstinate lawyer Sylvia Santos, who defends local dancer Sabel (Vilma Santos). The two female leads quickly discover that they are getting closer as the case progresses, which fuels Sylvia’s growing desire for Sabel.
The movie has been digitally restored, and you can watch it for free on ABS-CBN’s YouTube platform.
Markova: Comfort Gay (2000)
The movie focuses on the life of gay man Walter Dempster Jr., also known as Walterina Markova, who was forced to entertain Japanese soldiers along with his friends.
Die Beautiful (2016)
Die Beautiful tells the story of a transgender woman named Trisha who passed away at a pageant and whose best friend, Barbs, dressed up her body as other famous women for her wake. Die Beautiful was recognized internationally at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Call Her Ganda (2018)
The death of Jennifer Laude, a transgender woman better known as “Ganda,” is the focus of this documentary film. A U.S. Marine soldier killed Laude in Olongapo City in 2014, yet it took two years for justice to be served. This documentary demonstrates how up to that point, people defended her.
Mamu; And a Mother too (2018)
Mamu, a transgender woman who works as a sex worker, balances her life’s responsibilities before being unexpectedly given care of her orphaned niece Bona, a teenage transgender who is transitioning. Life has become challenging yet interesting for them.
The individuals give the theme a distinct, specialized viewpoint even though the movie is about a well-known subject.
Rainbow’s Sunset (2018)
After learning that his true love, Fredo, has cancer, 84-year-old Ramon, the father of three grown adults with families, chooses to come out to them. This rarely seen film combination of family, senior citizens, and the LGBTQ+ community is the film’s central theme. Additionally, this film won the most awards in the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival.
Billie and Emma (2018)
In the movie, Billie (Zar Donato) is sent to a Catholic school after her parents discover that she is dating a girl. Here, she meets Emma (Gabby Padilla), a popular student in a relationship with a basketball player from a nearby school. They quickly fall in love, but when Emma learns she’s pregnant, things become very complex. In addition to being a coming-of-age story, it also addresses prejudices against teen pregnancy, homophobia, gender policing, and religion.
Metamorphosis (2019)
The film is about intersexuality in LGBTQIA+. Adam’s life turned upside down when, at the age of 16, he had his first period. He soon learns that he was actually born with both a man’s and a woman’s genitalia. Then, following his “metamorphosis,” he rediscovers his identity as an intersex person after years of being a boy.
Baka Bukas (2019)
Alex is a Manila-based artist in the film. Most people know she is gay, with the exception of her best friend Jess, with whom she has been secretly in love since they were little. They are forced to face their affections for one another when Jess learns the truth about Alex.
The Panti Sisters (2019)
In the movie The Panti Sisters, a father tells his three homosexual sons, Samuel (Christian Bables), Daniel (Martin del Rosario), and Gabriel (Paolo Ballesteros), that he has cancer and asks them to give him grandchildren in exchange for a 100 million inheritance.
The Rich Man’s Daughter (2015)
In this television series, Jade (Rhian Ramos), a daughter of a wealthy Chinese-Filipino family, expects to marry David, her longtime boyfriend and eventual fiancé. However, things don’t go as planned when she meets Althea, her brother’s openly lesbian wedding coordinator (Glaiza de Castro).
Gameboys (2020)
In the middle of quarantine, two game boys named Cairo (Elijah Canlas) and Gavreel (Kokoy de Santos) connect in an online love in the series Gameboys. Initially, Gavreel is a gamer and a fan of the well-known live streamer Cairo. After Gavreel defeats Cairo in an unnamed game, the two become friends.
You can watch this for free on YouTube.
Pearl Next Door (2020)
The series Pearl Next Door, a love story that is a spinoff of the popular boys’ love series Gameboys. Pearl is torn between Karleen and Alex’s love throughout the entire series. In contrast to the former, who is introduced as her best friend, the latter is an old childhood friend of hers who has a crush on her.
You can watch this for free on YouTube.
BetCin (2021)
The BetCin couple, Bet (Kylie Padilla) and Cindy (Andrea Torres), a well-known online lesbian couple gets into trouble when their painful breakup coincides with a chance to win P10 million if they continue to act like the ideal couple their admirers have come to know them as.
Fluid (2020)
Mitch (Roxanne Barcelo), a woman who recently went to a break up, takes advantage of the chance to explore her sexuality because she has a history of being cheated by men. She met then George (Ann Colis) and hit it off right away, but when her ex-boyfriend reappears and tries to win her back, things get much more complicated.
Sleep With Me
Harry (Janine Gutierrez), a late-night radio DJ who offers relationship advice from her wheelchair, and Luna (Lovi Poe), a young woman with a sleep condition who stays up all night, are the main characters of the recently released lesbian girls’ love series Sleep With Me.
In “Sleep with Me,” a lesbian girls’ love story, Harry (Janine Gutierrez), a late-night radio host who offers dating advice from her wheelchair, and Luna (Lovi Poe), a young woman with a sleep condition who stays up all night, every night, are central characters.
When this series had its world premiere on July 19 as a selection in the Episodes section of the 40th Outfest LGBTQ+ Film Festival in LA, Sleep With Me won the Audience Award for Best Episodic.
The first episode of Sleep With Me is available for free on YouTube.
