The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers (SFFR) has announced its shortlist of 14 outstanding films for cinematic achievement in the first quarter of 2025—featuring nine Filipino titles and five international entries.
Leading the pack is the boxing drama Journeyman, which debuted at the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival. The film is shortlisted in six categories: Best Film, Best Director (Christian Paolo Lat and Dominic Lat), Best Lead Performance (JC Santos), Best Editing, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Score.
In Journeyman, JC Santos portrays a boxer who takes dives for money—until a turning point drives him to reclaim his dignity.
Another CinePanalo entry, Olsen’s Day, earned two commendations: Best Lead Performance (Khalil Ramos) and Best Supporting Performance (Romnick Sarmenta). The film follows the story of a young man (Ramos) and his hitchhiker (Sarmenta) who form an unlikely bond during a long road trip to Manila.
Three other CinePanalo films are shortlisted: Fleeting and Salum for Best Cinematography, and Tigkiliwi for Best Ensemble.
Two horror films are shortlisted for several categories: Lilim for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Film Score, and The Caretakers for Best Screenplay and Best Production Design.
The documentary Eraserheads: Combo on the Run is in the running for Best Editing and Best Documentary Feature, while the comedy Sampung Utos Kay Josh earned a nod for Best Ensemble.
The nine Filipino films were selected from a pool of 38 local releases—whether in cinemas or online platforms—between January 1 and March 31, 2025.
Meanwhile, five films are shortlisted this quarter for Best International Film: Black Dog, Flow, Ne Zha 2, Nickel Boys, and The Seed of the Sacred Fig.
The five foreign films were culled from the 78 international films that screened in Philippine cinemas or in platforms legally accessible in the Philippines during the first quarter of 2025.
All shortlisted films and performances will be considered for nominations in the 2025 year-end honors, to be announced in February 2026 during the 6th Annual Pinoy Rebyu Awards.
The Society of Filipino Film Reviewers is composed of 40 active reviewers dedicated to Philippine cinema.
See below for the complete shortlist.
BEST FILM
Journeyman
BEST DIRECTOR
Christian Paolo Lat and Dominic Lat, Journeyman
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Khalil Ramos, Olsen’s Day
JC Santos, Journeyman
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Romnick Sarmenta, Olsen’s Day
BEST ENSEMBLE
Sampung Utos Kay Josh
Tigkiliwi
BEST SCREENPLAY
The Caretakers
BEST EDITING
Eraserheads: Combo on the Run
Journeyman
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Fleeting
Journeyman
Lilim
Salum
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Lilim
The Caretakers
BEST FILM SCORE
Journeyman
Lilim
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Eraserheads: Combo on the Run
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
Black Dog (China)
Flow (Latvia, France, Belgium)
Ne Zha 2 (China)
Nickel Boys (United States)
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany, Iran, France)