With the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world have enforced physical distancing measures to curb the spread of the virus. This has created a domino effect – people are forced to stay home, which caused businesses to lose customers and clients, industries suffer an economic downfall.

As we are all brought to a standstill by an unseen enemy, we have seen how the world has leaned on the arts not just to distract and delight, but to mobilize acts of solidarity. In the Philippines, production houses, big and small, released essential viewing for Filipinos to ease that pervading sense of anxiety brought by these uncertain times.

Get started with these twelve films we love–most of which you can watch for free, including some that doesn’t require membership sign-ups:

Maynila, sa Kuko ng Liwanag Available on iflix

Julio, a fisherman from the province, goes to Manila to search for his lost lover Ligaya. As he gets absorbed to the inner workings of the city, he learns, blends and adapts with the culture and lifestyle – for better or for worse. Directed by film veteran Lino Brocka, Maynila, sa Kuko ng Liwanag is considered by many film enthusiasts as one of the greatest films of all time.

Sunday Beauty Queen Available on Youtube

Sunday Beauty Queen trails the story of five domestic helpers in Hong Kong who find respite from the troubles of life in an annual beauty pageant. The first documentary in the history of the Metro Manila Film Festival, the film received critical acclaim – including Best Picture from the said festival in 2016 and Best Documentary from Gawad Urian Awards in 2017.

Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo Available on Youtube

Meng loves patintero, but she sucks at it. What’s worse, her neighborhood makes fun of her for it. But Meng is not one to give up – a “loser” that refuses to lose. A lighthearted story to warm the coldest hearts, this film will take you back to the carefree days of your childhood.

Die Beautiful Available on Netflix and iWant

Transgender woman Trisha dies in a beauty pageant. As per her wish before her death, she’s transformed into different personalities every night of her wake – reflecting the colorful, albeit tumultuous life she lived. Well-loved by film enthusiasts here and abroad, Die Beautiful was an Audience Choice awardee in the Metro Manila Film Festival and the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2016. The film also brought light to the acting chops of Paolo Ballesteros and then newcomer Christian Bables, who won Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor awards respectively.

Bliss Available on Youtube

Actress Jane (played by Iza Calzado) tries to prove her worth in the industry by producing her own film, but she unfortunately meets an accident during production. Left disabled, she was forced to stay in an isolated home to draw away bad press – leaving her in the care of her husband and a savage, eccentric nurse. A film that will keep you at the edge of your seat until the end, Bliss takes Filipino psychological thrillers to a higher standard.

Ang Larawan Available on iWant

For fans of Broadway musicals, here is a film to tickle you fancy.

Ang Larawan is a film adaptation of the 1997 stage play Larawan, which was another adaptation of the 1950 literary play A Portrait of the Artist as a Filipino, written by National Artist Nick Joaquin. Through a family of two sisters and an ailing father, the story depicts the glamor and gloom of the Filipino life before World War II.

Women of the Weeping River Available on Youtube

Two women confront inner and outer conflicts as they get caught in between an escalating blood feud that has transpired through generations. Women of the Weeping River features an ensemble cast of non-actors from Western Mindanao. Lauded for its portrayal of conflicts in the Mindanao region, the film received numerous accolades, including the Best Picture award and the most number of nominations during the 2017 Gawad Urian.

Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral Available on Netflix

Yes, the highest-grossing Filipino historical film of all time is available for you to watch online.

Heneral Luna portrays the life of Antonio Luna, the soldier who led the fight for independence from American colonization. The film is an enlightening take and a bold commentary on heroes and how they’re not as perfect as they’re portrayed in our school’s history books.

Its sequel Goyo, which tells the life of another hero Gregorio del Pilar, is also available on the said streaming platform, giving due focus on the complex character of the young general in the midst of the fight for Philippine independence.

I’m Drunk I Love You Available on Youtube

We’re all familiar with this reality – a young person who has been secretly in love with their best friend for years. But I’m Drunk I Love You is not a love story.

Following two college friends grappling with different uncertainties days before their graduation, I’m Drunk I Love You tackles more realities than unrequited love.

Smaller & Smaller Circles Available on YouTube

Two Jesuit priests, Gus Saenz and Jerome Lucero, are embroiled in a dark game of cat and mouse, performing forensic work to solve the mystery revolving around the murders of young boys in Metro Manila’s biggest slum areas. In the midst of this ordeal, the two battle the greater horrors of systemic corruption in the government, the religious order and the ruling class. Smaller and Smaller Circles was directed by Raya Martin with actors Nonie Buencamino, Sid Lucero, Carla Humphries, Ricky Davao, Bembol Roco, and Christopher De Leon in the lead, based in a trail-blazing novella-turned awarded novel of F.H. Batacan for TBA Studios.

John Denver Trending Available on iWant

The story of a young boy caught in the troubled system of cyber-bullying and abuse was put at the heart of the story of John Denver Trending. In it, the titular character, played by first-time actor Jansen Magpusao, directed by first-time director Arden Rod Condez, was pushed to the wall when an classmate’s gadget mysteriously disappears. The story then follows the pitfalls of mob mentality and how trials by publicity often opens up more loopholes than answers. The film was heralded the Best Film in the 15th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in 2019 and has given the Antique-bred actor, Magpusao, to take home his first Best Actor trophy.

With additional text by Leo Balante