Jorrybell Agoto appears in Filipiñana by Rafael Manuel, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. Photo from festival.sundance.org
Filipino director Rafael Manuel’s 2026 film, “Filipiñana,” won the New Directors Award at the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival’s (SFFILM) Golden Gate Awards.
The film premiered internationally at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Award. It continues its momentum on the international stage with the big win at the longest-running film festival in the Americas.
“The jury awards Rafael Manuel’s debut feature, Filipiñana,” SFFILM said in a statement. “A striking and surreal exploration of class and adolescence set against the backdrop of one endless, blistering summer day on the expansive golf course of a luxurious Manila country club.”
They praised the “self-assured” performance of the lead star Jorrybell Agoto and the film’s choreography, which reflects the club’s monotony and social machinery.
They described the film as “a bold, ethereal explosion of the coming-of-age and eat-the-rich narratives that have become well-worn in modern cinema.”
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) also recognized Manuel and his team for the big win.
“Filipiñana” is a grantee of the FDCP’s CreatePHFilms and Film Philippines initiatives.
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