Jaehwa Bernardo

(From left) Scenes from 'Legally Blonde,' 'Sunshine' and 'Mulan.' Screenshots courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios, Project 8 Projects and Disney Kids on YouTube.

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8 must-watch films for Women’s Month

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/177381285178520260318.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">(From left) Scenes from &#x27;Legally Blonde,&#x27; &#x27;Sunshine&#x27; and &#x27;Mulan.&#x27; <em>Screenshots from Amazon MGM Studios, Project 8 Projects and Disney Kids on YouTube.</em></span></span></span></div><p>For years, women have moved through a world built with locked doors— told where they can stand, how loudly they can speak, and how small they should make themselves. Too often, they are confined to roles that limit the depth of their characters.</p><p>But beyond these narrow representations, women have always been agents of change. They are revolutionaries who challenge systems and dismantle patriarchy.</p><p>In celebration of National Women’s Month, here are eight films you may consider adding to your watchlist, spanning from the 1980s up to the present day, with local and international picks that portray women at the forefront.</p><div><strong>1. Sister Stella L. (1984)</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/owXsQvLR-uk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div><p>Directed by Mike De Leon, the film unfolds during Martial Law, a time marked by repression and unrest. Sister Stella Legaspi (played by Vilma Santos) is a nun serving in a convent that shelters abused and exploited women. Initially detached from the socio-political movement, she wants a life confined only to faith and service. Her awakening in political affairs began when a violent labor strike erupted at a nearby factory. It becomes a powerful meditation on the Church’s role amid injustice that questions whether neutrality in times of oppression is a form of complicity.</p><p>The film dominated the 1985 Gawad Urian Awards, bagging Best Picture, Best Director (Mike de Leon), Best Actress (Vilma Santos), Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress (Laurice Guillen), and also earned a nomination for the prestigious Golden Lion.</p><div><strong>2. Mila (2001)</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qf2owHef6nY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>The film, directed by Joel Lamangan, is based on the life story of Anita Pamintuan, a teacher-activist who fought relentlessly for fair wages and compensation during the height of the public school teachers’ strike. Mila (portrayed by Maricel Soriano) is represented as a compassionate educator whose concern for her students extends far beyond her profession. She understands how poverty affects her students, and she refuses to turn a blind eye to these injustices.</p><div><strong>3. Barber’s Tales (2013)</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1EZX37NDmsQ?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div><p>Helmed by Jun Robles Lana, whose latest work was the newly released historical thriller film “Sisa” (2025), following a woman who seeks revenge during the Philippine-American War.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2026/3/3/jun-robles-lana-s-sisa-spotlights-women-as-agents-of-change-1208"><strong>READ: Jun Robles Lana’s ‘Sisa’ spotlights women as agents of change<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;Barber’s Tales&quot; is set during the era of Martial Law in the Philippines, a period where gender roles and power structures were prevalent. The story follows Marilou (played by Eugene Domingo), a newly widowed woman who must take over her husband’s barbershop in a rural town after his death.</p><p>Ridiculed by a male-dominated community that deems barbering a no-job for women, it became her driving force in defying the patriarchal norms entrenched in their town.</p><p>The film earned international acclaim, with Eugene Domingo winning Best Actress at the 26th Tokyo International Film Festival and Best Director at the 3rd Madrid International Film Festival.</p><div><strong>4. Sunshine (2024)</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BxWHDgUs20c?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong></div><p>“My body, my rules” encapsulates the emotional core of this film by Antoinette Jadaone. Sunshine (portrayed by Maris Racal), a 19-year-old Olympic hopeful, sees her lifelong dream within reach until she discovers she is pregnant. With Olympic qualifiers looming, she is forced to weigh her future against the expectations placed upon her: career or motherhood. Sunshine’s search for options to deal with her unplanned pregnancy unveils the stigma and systemic barriers surrounding women’s bodies in the Philippines.</p><p>The film claimed several major global honors, including the Crystal Bear for Best Film at the 75th Berlinale, both Jury and Audience Awards at the Austin Asian-American Film Festival, and the Tartuff Audience Award.</p><div><strong>5. Mulan (1998)</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vGfJeW_CcFY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Disney’s animated classic &quot;Mulan&quot; tells the story of a young woman who disguises herself as a man to take her ailing father’s place in the army. In Imperial China, a decree required one man from every family to serve in the military to defend the empire from the invading Huns. As she undergoes the dangers of war, Mulan (voiced by Ming-Na Wen) must prove herself among fellow soldiers while hiding who she truly is. The film is also known for its famous theme song, “Reflection,” performed by Lea Salonga.</p><p>The story was later reimagined in a live-action adaptation, “Mulan” (2020), starring Liu Yifei.</p><div><strong>6. Legally Blonde (2001)</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vWOHwI_FgAo?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Directed by Robert Luketic, it tells a story about Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon), a fashionable sorority president whose world shambles when her boyfriend Warner Huntington III (played by Matthew Davis) dumps her before heading to Harvard Law School. He dismisses her as “too blonde” to be taken seriously. As Elle was determined to prove her ex-boyfriend wrong and to win him back, she worked her way into Harvard herself as well. However, her pursuit of her “prince charming” transforms into a journey on how the world sees her and how she sees herself.</p><div><strong>7. Hidden Figures (2016)</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5wfrDhgUMGI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>There is a certain satisfaction in seeing women outsmart men in fields long dominated by them. Theodore Melfi directs the film, which centers on three brilliant women who worked at NASA: Katherine Johnson (portrayed by Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (portrayed by Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (portrayed by Janelle Monáe).</p><p>It also tackled the harsh realities of racial and gender discrimination that these women endured, and how their intelligence and determination became weapons in fighting these barriers.</p><div><strong>8. Promising Young Woman (2020)</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7i5kiFDunk8?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong></div><p>Maneater, as they say. &quot;Promising Young Woman,&quot; from filmmaker Emerald Fennell, delivers a provocative exploration of trauma and vengeance. Cassandra Thomas (played by Carey Mulligan) spends her nights in bars or clubs while pretending to be intoxicated, intentionally placing herself in vulnerable situations to target men who attempt to take advantage of her.</p><p>The film contains sensitive themes by discussing rape culture and society’s troubling tendency to excuse predatory behavior. It compels viewers to fight for accountability, consent, and the enduring consequences of being silenced.</p>

<p>In celebration of National Women’s Month, here are eight films you may consider adding to your watchlist, spanning from the 1980s up to the present day, with local and international picks that portray women at the forefront.</p>

In celebration of National Women’s Month, here are eight films you may consider adding to your watchlist, spanning from the 1980s up to the present day, with local and international picks that portray women at the forefront.

8 must-watch films for Women’s Month

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8 must-watch films for Women’s Month

ABS-CBN News Digital Intern,

Cher Kelsey Ramos

Published March 21, 2026 07:47 AM PHT

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Updated March 21, 2026 09:00 AM PHT

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