For this year’s Sine Sinta: Pag-ibig at Pelikula, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) created a bit of a throwback moment as they unveiled films—set to run from Feb. 5 to Feb. 16—that one might say are the greatest hits of romance movies.
From Carson’s “Mahal kita, Dio. Mahal kita. Seven years na,” in “I’m Drunk, I Love You” (2017), to contemplating the meaning of “inyeon” with Nora and Hae Sung in “Past Lives” (2023), this year’s lineup of films features different types of love on the silver screen—platonic and romantic, with a sprinkle of LGBTQIA+ rep.
The film roster honors the legacies of Eddie Garcia, the greatest Filipino actor of all time, and Gloria Romero, the queen of Philippine cinema, whose portrayals of Ramon and Sylvia in “Rainbow’s Sunset” (2018) and whose extensive career and contributions to Philippine cinema continue to be celebrated, along with multi-awarded actress Hilda Koronel and king of Philippine drama Christopher de Leon, who starred in “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising” (1977).
Of course, when discussing Filipino romance films, we cannot leave out the blueprint for Filipino loveteams.
Jolina Magdangal and Marvin Agustin dominated the screens in the late 90s to early 2000s, introducing the best friends-to-lovers trope in Filipino media with one of their most famous works, “Labs Kita, Okey Ka Lang?” It is set to screen for free on the last day of Sine Sinta with a special talkback session.
“Gitling” (2023) and “Past Lives” will be screening from Feb. 5 to Feb. 11 at Ayala Malls Cinemas, with tickets available for Php 200. They will be joined by “Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising”, “I’m Drunk, I Love You”, “Sana Dati” (2013), “Kung Paano Siya Mawala” (2018), “Ulan” (2019), “Sleepless” (2015), and “Rainbow’s Sunset” from Feb. 5 to Feb. 13 at Cinematheque Centres, with free admission.
Sine Sinta is in partnership with ABS-CBN Sagip Pelikula, Go Asia, Heaven’s Best, TBA Studios, UXS, and Viva.
The FDCP also announced that the Cinematheque Centre Manila is currently closed and will be moving to a new location, while its Iloilo, Davao, Nabunturan, and Negros branches will continue to screen the films as planned.
