Filipino Queer Films to Watch with Pride on Pride
This June, we celebrate and watch them with pride! This month, being the time to honor the bravery, struggles, and advocacies there are in the LGBTQIA+ community, we also recognize the vibrant stories of queer through the lenses of films. Beyond being works of art, these films actually stand as representation for us queer individuals; they make us feel valid, heard, and seen.
Watching romantic movies anchored to the experiences of heterosexual individuals and their relationships, for sure, made us bawl our eyes out, shriek in excitement, and almost hurt those beside us every time kilig overload scenes appear in the frame.
On the other hand, as someone from the community, sometimes I can’t help but think of the slight chances those circumstances I see in films could possibly happen to individuals like me. I somehow find it hard to see myself in the characters and imagine myself being in the same situation.
Seeing films that tell stories of queer really means so much! Through them, we can now see ourselves in universes where our imagination and expression of love is possible and embraced.
Films to Watch with Filipino Queer Pride on Pride:
T-Bird at Ako (1982)
Although the society has become more active in the present in talks for inclusive and safe spaces for the members of the LGBTQIA+ community, T-Bird at Ako, under the direction of Danny Zialcita braved the challenges and told with pride a story of queer. And imagine the two biggest stars of their time and probably one of the biggest entertainment rivalries acting in the same frame to give vibrant colors to the story that queer individuals can relate to!
The intense chemistry between the Superstar, Nora Aunor and the Star for All Seasons, Vilma Santos just speaks so much of their flexibility as artists. They gave life to the stories of Sylvia and Isabel who strangled in keeping the professional relationship and getting to know their most authentic selves.
Billie & Emma (2018)
Jumping into the modern time comes Billie & Emma, directed by Samantha Lee. One thing that allowed this film to genuinely touch queer souls is the fact that Lee also identifies as part of the LGBTQIA+ community. It offers a coming-of-age story of individuals who dared to brave the obstacles towards becoming themselves and upheld the idea of liberation from the religious beliefs and conservative society that kept rejecting the idea of diverse identities and inclusivity.
Sila-sila (2019)
Queer individuals love just as how other people do. That said, the tangling and melancholic reality in some points of a hetero-relationship manifest in queers’ too. The inevitable struggles of loving and being loved, hurting and being hurt, and moving on and being moved on from, give birth to stories that made us see the reality of life. And Sila-Sila, a 2019 film directed by Giancarlo Abrahan, tells the story of Gab and Jared who discovered the complexities of romance and life in the present with the challenges from the past.
Rookie (2023)
Just five years after the daring Billie & Emma, film director Samantha Lee released another movie that serves as a representation of many queer individuals who express their love in many forms. Rookie tells a story of Ace and Jana, skilled athletes for volleyball, who discovered romance amidst the present obstacles in their lives as individuals. Moreover, the film did not focus on the romantic aspect alone but also took courage to spark conversations on abuse and recognize the excellence of queer individuals in hetero-dominated fields.
