Fil-Singaporean Filmmaker Wins Special Jury Award at Sundance

Filipino-Singaporean Rafael Manuel’s film Filipiñana won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Creative Vision at Sundance 2026. Five countries co-produced it: Singapore, U.K., Philippines, France, Netherlands (See Facebook for story).

Covid-Era’s Community Pantry Returns Amid Oil Price Hike

Community Pantry for Drivers (Source: Rappler)

Patricia Non revived her Community Pantry to help public transportation drivers amid price hikes triggered by Trump’s war on Iran. The setup, stocked with vegetables like sayote and kangkong (chayote and water spinach), along with packs of rice, quickly drew drivers in need. With less than two hours, everything was gone (Watch Rappler Video on Instagram).

Filipina Tech Leader Awarded French National Order of Merit

Kat Borlongan was recently named a recipient of the French National Order of Merit, a distinction awarded by the French government to individuals who have rendered outstanding service (See ABS-CBN for story).

Jo Koy, H.E.R., Dolly de Leon, Others in Dreamworks' 'Forgotten Island'

Jo Koy, Dolly de Leon, and Amielynn Abellera have officially joined DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming film Forgotten Island, with Ronnie Chieng also added to the cast. They’ll be alongside H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Lea Salonga, Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, and Jenny Slate (See Facebook for story)

Eala and Spoelstra Meet Up—'We Carry Our Flag Together'

Bam Adebayo, Alex Eala and Erik Spoelstra (Source: The Scoreboard/facebook)

A powerful moment of pride unfolded at Kaseya Center when legendary Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra shared a warm, heartfelt meeting with rising tennis sensation Alex Eala — two sporting forces united not just by success in America, but by their deep Filipino (See The Scoreboard for story).

Fil-Canadian Kayla Sanchez Beats Own Swim Record

Kayla Sanchez (Source: Instagram)

Filipino Canadian Olympic swimmer Kayla Sanchez reset her own record in the women’s 50-meter freestyle and continued a dominant run for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds at the U Sports Swimming Championships (See Inquirer for story).

Zinzi Coogler Is First Filipino to Win Best Producer Oscar

As one of the three producers of “Sinners,” Zinzi Evans Coogler made history as the first Filipino to earn the Oscars’ Best Picture nomination. Zinzi, whose mother Maria is Filipina, director-husband Ryan Coogler and Sev Ohanian set an Academy record with “Sinners’ ” record-breaking 16 nominations (See Inquirer for story).

Fil-Am Is First Woman to Win Oscars Best Cinematography

Autumn Durald Akrapaw (Photo by Kevin Paul/Creative Commons License)

Sinners’ director of photography Autumn Durald Arkapaw has become the first woman to win the Oscar for best cinematography at the 98th Academy Awards (See The Guardian for story).