ACI Central

01/11/2026

Huge news for 's creative ! 🎭✨

Blacktown City Council has officially awarded $45,000 through the 2026 City Creative Arts Fund to support artists and organisations driving artistic growth across the region. We're especially thrilled to see that among the successful recipients are fantastic Filipino-led initiatives set to make waves:

🎵 Tina Bangel Vocalist (My Pamilya Time)
An interactive children's music and storytelling project by Tina Ranoso Bangel celebrating family, , belonging and connection through original songs, movement and bilingual storytelling! 🇵🇭👶🎶

🌐 Common House (Common House Digital Community)
A research and co-design project exploring how Western Sydney and Sydney-based creative organisations can connect better through community-informed digital infrastructure that supports creative networking, opportunity sharing, and resource exchange! 🤝💻

Huge congratulations to Tina, the Common House team, and all ten grant recipients! We can't wait to see these incredible projects take shape! 🥳✨

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30/10/2026

Western Sydney Stories on a World-Class Stage! 🎭✨

Now in its fifth year, curators Vonne Patiag and Chidiebube Uba brought Blacktown Shorts Film Festival back to the Sydney Opera House to celebrate the bold, diverse voices shaping Western Sydney's economy. 🌉📽️

What made this year so special was the incredible and diverse collaboration on display. Across all the films commissioned by Blacktown Arts, creatives stood alongside amazing peers from right across the region to bring these stories to life! Massive shoutout to the lineup! ❤️‍🔥

🥊 Fight Like U 🥊
Writer/Director: Catho D'Souza | Producers: Raeanne Chami, Simon Riel | DoP: Cameron Johnson

⚽ Offside ⚽
Writer/Director: Ranican Zapanta | DoP/Editor: Tyron Seeto | Producers: Daisy Montalvo, Trent Foo | Exec Producer: Vanilla Tupu

🔮 Orb 🔮
Artist/Director: Kristone Capistrano | Producer: Arianne Bulanos | Cinematography: Yosuke Nishimura, Sylvestre Lattao | Sound Design: Jett Llagan

🕹️ Love and DDR at Blacktown Mall 🕹️
Director: Celeste Diep | Producer: Chayyly Moek | Cinematographer: Goldie Soetianto | Editor: Jack Needle | Production Design: Ella Drinkwater | Sound Designer: Kevin Chan | Composer: Freya Berkout

👻 Takot
Director/Producer/Co-Writer: Justin Cueno | Development Producer: Nicole Issa | DoP: Ralph A. Villegas | Co-Writers: Adrian Magno, Esky Escandor | Stylist: Isaiah D'Angelo Ilagan | Sound Technician: Jerome Reisono | SFX Make-up: Kim Garcia

Let's keep backing and celebrating storytellers making waves on the biggest stages! 💫

🏷️ Blacktown City Council

30/10/2026

📢 Reminder: NARRA Co-op 2026 AGM is this Sunday! 📢

Join us as we gather to reflect, share updates, and continue building our Cultural Home together. Your voice matters!

🗓️ Date: Sunday, 1 November 2026
📍 Location: ACI Central (4/3–9 Warby Street, Campbelltown)
⏰ Schedule: 9:30am Registration | 10:00am Meeting Start

💳 Membership Renewal: $20

Come along, have your say, and be part of shaping what's next for our community space. See you all there! Maraming salamat po! 🇵🇭❤️

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27/10/2026

food continues to have its moment in 2026, with several establishments ranking at the top of Australian dining! 🇵🇭✨

For over 40 years, the (SMH & The Age) has served as the benchmark for national dining criticism. With a strict 20-point scoring system, anonymous multi-visit inspections, and zero sponsored reviews, earning a spot here is a massive milestone! 🔥

Major shoutout to these legends for proving that modern Filipino hospitality and regional flavours belong right at the top of Australian culture:

📍 Takam (Darlinghurst) — 1 Chef Hat 🏆
📍 Serai (Melbourne C*D) — 1 Chef Hat 🏆
📍 Askal (Melbourne C*D) — 1 Chef Hat 🏆
📍 Taguan (Darlington) — T2 Tea Cafe of the Year ☕️✨

From Sydney making history with its first-ever hatted Filipino spot to Melbourne’s trailblazers keeping the crown, the bar keeps rising! Save this post for your next food trip! 🔖

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23/10/2026

A huge thank you to The Philippine Times (Australia) for featuring our latest milestone! Beyond publishing it online, they've included the news of the Freemasons’ generous $20,000 donation for our 2027 and plans in their print edition! 📰✨

Community moments like this happen when we work together. A big thank you to Jason Cordi for highlighting this story and making the coverage happen! 🇵🇭🇦🇺

You can pick up a print copy at your local Filipino store or restaurant, or read it online! 🏆❤️

📰️📱 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2006656947208486&set=a.2006658137208367&type=3

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Browse The Philippine Times print edition on our website, or pick up a copy from your local Filipino store or restaurant. For advertising enquiries, email [email protected]. Download the full PDF file of this edition on https://philtimes.com.au/philippine-times-print-edition/

22/10/2026

Today is ! 🎨✨

Across Australia, more than 350 artists and arts organisations are inviting you to help bring new creative projects to life. From musicians and writers to filmmakers, performers and visual artists, there's something for everyone to support.

Delivered by Creative Australia, AusArt Day is a national fundraising initiative that brings creatives and communities together for one day of connection, visibility and support. Every donation, big or small, helps artists turn ideas into projects we can all experience and enjoy! 🎭🎶🎬📚🖌️

Want to get involved? Visit ausartday.gov.au, discover a participating artist or organisation and support a campaign that speaks to you. ❤️🙌

💥 Because a thriving sector doesn't happen by accident. It happens when we invest in creativity! 💥

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21/10/2026

visibility is having a moment in Western Sydney! ✨🇵🇭

The inaugural West HQ Filipino Festival has taken home Platinum for Outstanding Tourism Campaign of the Year at the 2026 Western Sydney Tourism Taskforce Inc NSW Awards! 🏆🥇

Launched on Philippine Independence Day, the three-weekend festival put Filipino food, music, culture, and community front and centre, drawing thousands of visitors to celebrate the lasting impact of our .

As West HQ’s Chief Commercial & Communications Officer Robert Squillacioti shared in an Access News article about the project: "This festival is about celebration—big food, big music, big energy and a big thank you to the Filipino community [...] This is our way of creating a place where people can come together, bring their families, share their culture and celebrate with pride."

More than a trophy, wins like this prove the power of community-led spaces and open the door to more projects and activations celebrating Filipino ! 🇵🇭⚡️

Huge congratulations to the entire team and everyone who showed up to make it an incredible success! ❤️🙌

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19/10/2026

excellence on full display at Nitehart's Music Festival! 🇵🇭🔥

Staged at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, the curator-led electronic festival saw producer underscores bring out fellow alt-pop artist Daine for a surprise performance of Ninajirachi’s "it’s u" remix! It was a peak moment for in an already massive year (hello, Forgotten Island!), especially with both of them waving the Philippine flag high on stage together 🇵🇭✨

That pride runs deep. Reflecting on how their heritage shapes their sound, Daine previously shared with NME: "My Filipino heritage is one that had to fight to exist [...] The maternal figures in my life are definitely fu***ng crazy, scary, warrior-style s**t. That’s just who I am.” 💥❤️‍🔥

artists backing Pinoy artists on stage—you absolutely love to see it. Here's hoping there's a Budots remix hiding somewhere on that hard drive! 🙌🎧

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17/10/2026

"You are not alone—in your struggles or your triumphs." 🤍

Borrowing a visual analogy from Fr. Jaime Carlos Bulatao, S.J., q***r Wiradjuri and Filipino musician Mo’Ju breaks down the concept of : a philosophy of shared identity, unity, and interconnectedness. ✨

🍳 "For example, you crack a whole bunch of eggs into a pan, right? And the yolk, that's the individual. But the whites, they all kind of touch and they become one—and that's the collective. That's 'kapwa'." 🍳

In Western spaces, is often treated as an individual journey. For and its theme, ‘A Little Connection Goes a Long Way,’ concepts like kapwa remind us that our well-being is deeply tied to our collective space; we don't have to carry our weight alone. Let's hold space for one another today and every day. 💭

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15/10/2026

This filmmaker pitched at Netflix HQ and made the case for unfiltered, authentic storytelling! 🎬🇵🇭

writer, director, and visual artist Theresa Angela was selected as one of eight national finalists in The Next Brilliant Career initiative by Netflix, the Australian Writers' Guild, and state screen agencies.

In a recent Hollywood Reporter feature, Angela highlighted the need for screen stories that honour authenticity: "I'm really interested in seeing stories on screen where characters have a specific cultural nuance that can't be flattened or tokenised." 💭

Pitching directly to Netflix executives in Sydney, Theresa brings a distinct lens shaped by her background in music, dance, acting, and visual art, as well as her short films The Holy W***e, Yes Sir/Sorry Ma'am, and Flaccid.

From entering film school as a mature-age film student during the pandemic to pitching in Netflix boardrooms, Theresa is leading the charge for stories that resist tokenism and celebrate real community experiences.

Massive congratulations to Theresa and all eight finalists shaping the future of Australian screen! ✨

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