San Diego Filipino Cinema

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SDFC: a non-profit catalyst for a united, imaginative, and kind community through Filipino cinema.

10/31/2026

A festival is never built on films alone. It takes a community of people who give their time, share their talents, open doors, and believe in what can happen when Filipino stories are brought together. Over the years, the San Diego Filipino Film Festival has been shaped by countless acts of kindness, generosity, and commitment, many of which happen behind the scenes but leave a lasting impact.

To our volunteers, sponsors, and partners, this is our heartfelt thank you. What we have built together goes beyond an annual celebration of global Filipino cinema. It is a reflection of what a community can accomplish when people come together around a shared purpose and a love for culture, storytelling, and representation.

We carry so much gratitude for everyone who has helped make this festival possible, not just this year, but throughout the years. You are an important part of its story, and we are so grateful to have you with us ❤️

📸 Photo credits:

10/29/2026

The movies brought us together, but the fun didn’t stop when the credits rolled! 🎉✨

Our San Diego Filipino Film Festival after party was all about good company, great conversations, laughter, and celebrating the community that makes Filipino cinema so special. It was a chance to connect beyond the screen, share a few more moments together, and celebrate the stories and culture that bring us closer.

To everyone who joined us, thank you for being part of the fun and making this festival feel like a community gathering. We’re taking home more than memories of the films. We’re taking home the moments we shared with all of you ❤️

Until we gather again! Happy FAHM!

📸 Photo credits:

10/28/2026

Through the years, the San Diego Filipino Film Festival has been a warm and welcoming gathering place for stories, culture, and connection. A space where Filipino experiences find their way to the big screen, where representation and real lived experiences take center stage, and where our community can come together to see, feel, and reflect on the many ways our stories shape who we are 🇵🇭🎬

To everyone who joined us, thank you for being part of this community and for making space for Filipino voices, visions, and representation in San Diego and beyond. These moments are more than memories. They are part of the story we continue to build together.

We’re grateful to have shared this moment with you ❤️

📸 Photo credits:

10/27/2026

Still on cloud nine after the San Diego Filipino Film Festival’s 2026 Special Edition! 🎬🇵🇭

From the red carpet moments to our filmmakers signing and celebrating their work, we’re still taking in all the moments that made this fest so special.

To our incredible filmmakers, thank you for sharing your stories with us and trusting us with your work. It is our joy and privilege to screen your films for our San Diego community, celebrate your artistry, and create space for Filipino stories to be seen, heard, and experienced on the big screen ✨

Stay tuned for more throwback SDFFF photos in the coming days ahead!

📸 Photo credits:

10/16/2026

We’re officially SOLD OUT! ✨🎬🐃

Thank you for the community’s incredible support for Filipino cinema and filmmakers!

San Diego, the countdown is almost over! The San Diego Filipino Film Festival: Special Edition is happening TOMORROW! Get ready for compelling stories, Filipino creativity, and a celebration of culture and community.

And when the screenings wrap, the celebration keeps going! 🎧🔥 DJ Sidney “Kasama” Bantigue will be taking over the after-party with beats that bring everyone together. Come for the films, stay for the music, and celebrate with the community! Join us at the Lime in the Coconut from 8-11pm for some yummy eats. After party entry is included in your screening ticket.

📅 October 17, 2026
📍 AMC Theatre Plaza Bonita and
🎉 After Party: Lime in the Coconut on 3rd Avenue, Chula Vista

🎟️ Thank you for showing up and making this celebration so special. Still hoping to be part of it? Join our waitlist for a chance to attend if seats become available. Click the link in our bio or visit https://bit.ly/4ANW3Ea

10/15/2026

A huge thank you to our amazing supporters for helping bring the San Diego Filipino Film Festival: Special Edition to life! ✨

Your generosity and support help us create space for Filipino filmmakers, share our stories on the big screen, and bring our community together through film, music, and culture. We’re grateful to every partner who believes in the power of storytelling and helps make this celebration possible.

🌟 Grants Received from
The Alexander & Eva Nemeth Foundation
California Film Commission

💛 Presenting Sponsors
Dr. Benjamin Camacho
Valerio’s 1979

🎬 Major Sponsors
Leilani de Leon
Dr. Tess & Dr. Dario Villa
Smiles of Eastlake Cosmetic and General Dentistry

🤝 Festival Partners
Film Visionary
Lime in the Coconut
Minuteman Press
Starbread Bakery
Khoi Ly Photography
DJ Kasama

Please join us in showing these incredible supporters some love! Thank you for investing in Filipino stories, filmmakers, and our community. We couldn’t do it without you. 💖🐃✨

📅 October 17, 2026
📍 AMC Theatre Plaza Bonita

🎟️ Tickets are almost gone! Grab yours via the link in our bio or visit https://bit.ly/4ANW3Ea

10/14/2026

RADIKALS
Director: Arvin Belarmino
Philippines
Arvin Alindogan Belarmino

A rookie in a bizarre chicken-dance group finds himself in trouble after delivering the worst performance of the night. When a heckler calls him out, a series of strange events reveals what happens to the group’s weakest link.

For Arvin, Radikals reflects the realities of being an artist in an industry that demands everything from you. His message is a reminder to keep creating, find the courage to share your voice, and stand your ground. Because when we share our experiences through art, we give them a chance to live on.

Discover Radikals, a La Semaine de la Critique (Critic’s Week) film in competition at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, at the San Diego Filipino Film Festival 2026 Special Edition, and join us in celebrating the creativity and diverse perspectives of Filipino filmmakers.

📅 October 17, 2026
📍 AMC Theatre Plaza Bonita

🎟️ Tickets are selling fast! Grab yours today via the link in our bio or visit https://bit.ly/4ANW3Ea

10/14/2026

DEAR WATSONVILLE
Director: Sandra Lucille
United States
Sondy Lu

Dear Watsonville offers an intimate look at the lives of Filipino manongs in the Pajaro Valley, celebrating their resilience, everyday moments, and the stories carried forward by their children.

Sondy Lucille is a Filipina filmmaker raised in California whose work explores mixed heritage, diasporic experiences, and the ways social expectations shape identity. Through film and video, she hopes to inspire radical healing and reflection. In 2020, she created Back to the Source, a film exploring the feeling of being foreign in one’s home country, as an Armed With A Camera fellow. In 2024, she was named an Artist Disruptor by The Center for Cultural Power in partnership with the California Arts Council.

In Dear Watsonville, Sondy responds to the erasure of Filipino narratives from mainstream history, honoring the manongs through oral histories, archival photographs, and illustrations. Rather than focusing solely on hardship, the film celebrates their lives, humanity, and the memories that continue to connect generations.

Join us for Dear Watsonville, an SDFFF 2024 Jury winner, at the San Diego Filipino Film Festival this Saturday and celebrate the Filipino stories, history, and community that connect us.

📅 October 17, 2026
📍 AMC Theatre Plaza Bonita

🎟️ Tickets are selling fast! Grab yours today via the link in our bio or visit https://bit.ly/4ANW3Ea

10/14/2026

BRB (FROM FORGOTTEN ISLAND)
Directors: Bianca Catbagan and H.E.R.
United States
Bianca Catbagan H.E.R.

Shot in Manila, BRB is a lo-fi, collage-like music video for Forgotten Island’s end credits song, featuring H.E.R. and Liza Soberano through a mix of camcorder, Super 8, and digital footage.

Bianca Catbagan is a Filipino director and photographer based in Los Angeles and a member of the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women+ (DWW+) Class of 2027. Her work explores power, femininity, and q***r desire through intimate, visually driven stories. Her screenplay 2AM in Tokyo was selected for TorinoFilmLab Next Feature, and she has participated in the CHANEL × Busan Asian Film Academy and Reykjavík International Film Festival Talent Lab.

H.E.R. is an Oscar and Grammy-winning Filipino American singer, songwriter, and musician known for her soulful sound, musicianship, and genre-blending artistry. She has also ventured into film and visual storytelling, bringing a cinematic sensibility to her work.

Experience BRB on the big screen at the San Diego Filipino Film Festival 2026 Special Edition, celebrating Filipino talent and creative voices across film and music.

📅 October 17, 2026
📍 AMC Theatre Plaza Bonita

🎟️ Tickets are selling fast! Grab yours today via the link in our bio or visit https://bit.ly/4ANW3Ea

10/13/2026

OKI OKI OKI
Director: Christian Yamane
United States
christian yamane Oki Oki Oki

After her mother’s sudden death, Oki returns home to inherit the family karaoke bar she doesn’t want. But after performing a mysterious song connected to a murdered pop star, the night takes a supernatural turn.

Christian Yamane is a writer, director, and producer based in San Diego. A big fan of the fun and absurd facets of life, his films tend to reflect that perspective. The main reason he makes films is so his friends will finally hang out with him.

As Christian puts it, “It’s my take on giving artists their flowers while they’re alive or they might come back and haunt you.”

See Oki Oki Oki on the big screen at the San Diego Filipino Film Festival 2026 Special Edition.

📅 October 17, 2026
📍 AMC Theatre Plaza Bonita

Address

2825 Dewey Road, Ste 209
San Diego, CA
92106

Website

http://www.sdfilipinocinema.org/

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