Nicomedes "Nick" Marquez Joaquin was a Filipino writer and journalist best known for his short stories and novels in the English language. He also wrote using the pen name Quijano de Manila. Joaquin was conferred the rank and title of National Artist of the Philippines for Literature. He has been considered one of the most important Filipino writers, along with José Rizal and Claro M. Recto. Unlike Rizal and Recto, whose works were written in Spanish, Joaquin's major works were written in English despite being literate in Spanish.
Philippine literature in English has its roots in the efforts of the United States, then engaged in a war with Filipino nationalist forces at the end of the 19th century. By 1901, public education was institutionalized in the Philippines, with English serving as the medium of instruction. That year, around 600 educators in the S.S. Thomas were tasked to replace the soldiers who had been serving as the first teachers. Outside the academe, the wide availability of reading materials, such as books and newspapers in English, helped Filipinos assimilate the language quickly. Today, 78.53% of the population can understand or speak English.
Cecilia Manguerra Brainard is an author and editor of 20 books. She co-founded PAWWA or Philippine American Women Writers and Artists; and also founded PALH or Philippine American Literary House. Brainard's works include the World War II novel, When the Rainbow Goddess Wept, The Newspaper Widow, Magdalena, and Woman With Horns and Other Stories. She edited several anthologies including Fiction by Filipinos in America, Contemporary Fiction by Filipinos in America, and two volumes of Growing Up Filipino I and II, books used by educators.
Piolo Jose Nonato Pascual is a Filipino actor, model, singer, television host, comedian and film producer. He is a recipient of various accolades, including six FAMAS Awards, nine PMPC Star Awards for Movies and a Gawad Urian Award.
Ian Rosales Casocot is a Filipino journalist and writer of speculative fiction, literary fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction from Dumaguete, Philippines. He is known for his prizewinning short stories "Old Movies," "The Hero of the Snore Tango," "Rosario and the Stories," "A Strange Map of Time," "The Sugilanon of Epefania's Heartbreak," and "Things You Don't Know." He maintained A Critical Survey of Philippine Literature, a website on Filipino writings and literary criticism.
Cristina Pantoja-Hidalgo is a Filipina fictionist, critic and pioneering writer of creative nonfiction. She is currently Professor Emeritus of English & Comparative Literature at the University of the Philippines Diliman and Director of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies. She was given the S.E. Write Award for Literature in 2020 by the Royal Family of Thailand.
Dean Francis Alfar, is a Filipino playwright, novelist and writer of speculative fiction. His plays have been performed in venues across the country, while his articles and fiction have been published both in his native Philippines and abroad, such as in Strange Horizons, Rabid Transit, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror and the Exotic Gothic series.
The Mythology Class is a Philippine graphic novel written and illustrated by Arnold Arre. It was originally published by Arre in four issues in 1999, and was collected into a special edition by Adarna House in September 2005. The latest edition is a reprint of the special collected edition, published in November 2014 by Nautilus Comics.
The Cinemalaya, officially the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, is a film festival in the Philippines held annually during the month of August, traditionally at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex, but in recent years the Festival screenings also extend to various cinemas. Its aim is the development and promotion of Filipino independent films. The film festival is organized by the Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc. with the support of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Econolink Investments, Inc.
Alejandro Reyes Roces was a Filipino author, essayist, dramatist and a National Artist of the Philippines for literature. He served as Secretary of Education from 1962 to 1965, during the term of Philippine President Diosdado Macapagal.
Mario Herrero O'Hara was a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter known for his sense of realism often with dark but realistic social messages.
Joseph Israel Laban was a Filipino journalist, independent filmmaker, playwright, and a Fulbright Scholar.
The Philippine National Book Awards, or simply the National Book Awards, is a Philippine literary award sponsored by the National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics' Circle (MCC). It is the national book award of the Philippines. It honours "the most prestigious book titles written, designed, and published in the Philippines." From 1982 to 2008, the yearly awards were granted by the Manila Critics' Circle. In 2008, the administration of the award was transferred to the NBDB. The award is also distinguished as a major and secular Philippine literary award that is not a manuscript contest. The award categories include:
Jerrold Viacrucis Tarog is a Filipino film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and composer. He is best known for directing Heneral Luna (2015), Bliss (2017) and Goyo: The Boy General (2018). His first feature film was the independently-produced Confessional (2007), followed by Mangatyanan (2009) and Sana Dati (2013). He directed segments for the Shake, Rattle & Roll horror series.
Mario Eric Gamalinda is a poet, fiction writer, playwright, and experimental filmmaker from the Philippines.
Wilfredo O. Pascual Jr. is an internationally acclaimed essayist, winner of the Curt Johnson Prose Award for Nonfiction and a runner-up to the Steinberg Essay Prize. In 2016, he was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. He grew up in the Philippines where his essays have won several national awards, including the Palanca's grand prize twice and the Philippine Free Press Literary Awards. He is also a board of trustees adviser and member of the Samahang Makasining, Inc. since 2005.
Mikhail Red is a Filipino filmmaker. He is best known for his films Birdshot (2016), Eerie (2019), and Dead Kids (2019), which was the first ever Netflix original film from the Philippines.
