Manila International Film Festival spotlights Filpino and FilAm cinema & talent, Sept. 3-6

Mark your calendars, film lovers. The Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) returns to Los Angeles Sept. 3-6, 2026 — kicking off with an exclusive advance screening of DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island three full weeks before its worldwide release on September 25.

In a major coup, MIFF audiences get an exclusive advance screening of DreamWorks Animation’s highly anticipated animated feature, Forgotten Island on Sept. 4. This special event happens three full weeks before the movie hits general theaters on Sept. 25.

Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, the animated feature is deeply rooted in Philippine folklore. It follows two childhood friends trapped on a magical island that steals memories. 

Even better? The voice cast features a powerhouse line-up of FilAm talent including H.E.R. (aka Gabby Sarmiento Wilson), Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Manny Jacinto, Jo Koy and the legendary Lea Salonga.

The 6 p.m. screening at the TCL Chinese Theater will be followed by a short Q&A with the films' directors and stars.

'Forgotten Island' the story of two Filipino American friends will screen at the 2026 MIFF.

Films to watch out for

Besides Forgotten Island, this year’s festival is packed with fresh cinema. Attendees will witness a total of 14 film debuts, including highly anticipated titles to watch for:

• Quezon: The Hollywood premiere of Jerrold Tarog’s sweeping historical drama.

• Manila's Finest: A gripping thriller by Raymond Red making its Los Angeles premiere.

• The Road to Sydney: Benito Bautista's latest work making its LA debut.

The festival concludes with a star-studded Closing Night Awards Gala at The Beverly Hilton. The highlight of the evening will be honoring global icon Lea Salonga. She will receive the inaugural MIFF Icon Award for her legendary contributions to the arts and her fierce representation of Filipino talent worldwide.

Manila in Los Angeles?

Why Los Angeles? Simple. LA is the entertainment capital of the world. It is also home to one of the largest Filipino American communities in the United States. This festival bridges the gap. It places Filipino stories right on the global stage.

Hosting MIFF in L.A. puts Filipino stories directly in the epicenter of the global film industry. For decades, Filipino and Filipino American artists have contributed immensely to cinema, yet culturally authentic narratives remain underrepresented in mainstream Hollywood.

Festival producers believe showcasing FilAm and Philippine talent on this scale does more than fill seat numbers—it builds genuine equity behind the camera, validates nuance in representation, and proves that localized, culturally specific stories possess universal appeal.

How to Score Tickets: Screenings and filmmaker Q&As will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Full festival passes and single-session tickets are available now on the official Manila International Film Festival Website.

The 2026 Manila International Film Festival lineup features an interesting mix of world premieres, award-winning documentaries, and star-studded features.

Every screening listed below takes place at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. You can book individual tickets for these specific blocks on the MIFF Eventbrite Page.

Featured Films & Screening Time:

Thursday, September 3

• Manila's Finest (5:30 p.m.): This intense action thriller directed by Raymond Red makes its Los Angeles Premiere. Followed by a 15-minute filmmaker Q&A
• FilAm Creative Community Shorts (9:00 p.m.): A dedicated block showcasing short films from talented Filipino American creators.

Friday, September 4

• Lea Salonga Retrospective (1:00 p.m.): A celebration of the Broadway legend featuring screenings of Sana Maulit Muli and The Vale – Origins.

• Forgotten Island ( 6 p.m.) Dreamworks' animated feature about two Filipino American friends stuck in a magical world drawn from Philippine myths and folklore. Featuring lead voices by H.E.R. and Liza Soberano.

• Veterano (9:00 p.m.): A highly anticipated Hollywood Premiere directed by Patrick Epino. It screens as part of a double feature block.

• Eddie Romero Remastered: A Century of Filipino Cinema (9:00 p.m.): The World Premiere of a documentary celebrating a legend of Philippine cinema. Screens right alongside Veterano.

Saturday, September 5

• No Room For Love (10:30 a.m.): A romantic Hollywood Premiere directed by Randal and Maria Luna Kamradt.

• The Road to Sydney (11:00 a.m.): The Los Angeles Premiere of a captivating drama directed by Benito Bautista.

• 58th (2:00 p.m.): The North American Premiere of Carl Joseph Papa's incredibly powerful, award-winning animated documentary focused on the Maguindanao massacre.

• Pinay / Bebot / Along Comes Larry (2:30 p.m.): A powerhouse triple-feature block. It includes the World Premiere of Pinay, the L.A. Premiere of Bebot: Generation One (featuring The Black Eyed Peas), and the Hollywood Premiere of Along Comes Larry: The Larry Ramos Story.

• Quezon (4:30 p.m.): The Hollywood Premiere of director Jerrold Tarog's major historical drama starring Jericho Rosales.

• Bench/ Body of Work (5:00 p.m.): A highly stylized World Premiere film.

Lea Salonga

• East of Western (7:45 p.m.) & Kappa-Tiran (8:30 p.m.): Two back-to-back major World Premieres closing out Saturday night's indie screenings.

Sunday, September 6

• 2026 MIFF Awards Gala will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Beverly Hilton includes a special tribute to Broadway and Disney star Lea Salonga. Tickets are still available.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please share.

Pricing Out the American Dream: How a proposed $100K fee threatens AAPI tech and healthcare futures

ALPHABET WORKERS UNION

Google employees protest proposed H-1B fees at tech corporation headquarters.

A devastating proposal from the Department of Homeland Security threatens to shut the door on the next generation of talented workers from Asia. 

Under a new rule published by the Department of Homeland Security on August 25, 2026, US employers would be forced to pay a staggering $103,265 fee for every cap-subject H-1B visa petition. While pitched as an administrative shift, its burden falls overwhelmingly on the AAPI community — threatening to sever the vital pipeline of skilled workers, international students, and healthcare professionals moving from Asia to the United States.

H-1B workers are foreign workers with temporary approval to work in the US in jobs that require specialized skills or knowledge.

A direct blow to Asian immigrants

The math behind the proposal paints a stark picture for Asian communities. Out of the 85,000 annual H-1B visas awarded through the lottery cap, the vast majority go to foreign national workers from Asia. 

Two Asian nations make up over 83% of all H1-B visas. Indian professionals secure approximately 71% of all approved H-1B visas. Chinese nationals account for roughly 12% of approvals.

Imposing a six-figure price tag on sponsorship places an unprecedented barrier in front of tens of thousands of Asian workers striving to build their lives and careers in America.

The Trump regime's short-sighted policies could benefit other countries and the US could lose its leadership role in tech and health research to nation's eagar to scoop up the workers. China, South Korea and Canada are already revamping their immigration policies to woo the skilled workers and students.

Tech startups and recent grads priced out

For decades, the H-1B visa has been a launchpad for top international students transitioning from US universities into tech careers. Historically, filing fees ran between $2,000 and $5,000—a manageable investment for growing firms. A $103,265 upfront fee fundamentally changes that dynamic.

• The F-1 Student Trap: International students on F-1 visas who are living in the U.S. and working on Optional Practical Training (OPT) are not exempt from this fee when applying for their first H-1B cap visa. Companies will struggle to justify paying over $100,000 to hire entry-level graduates, effectively pricing fresh talent out of the market.
  
  
• Starving the Startup Engine: Small businesses and Asian-led tech startups rarely have six figures to spend on a single lottery entry they might not even win.
  
  
• Accelerating Brain Drain: Fearing closed doors in the U.S., top Indian and Chinese tech talent is increasingly heading to countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia, where immigration pathways remain predictable and affordable.
  
  

The benefit of skilled workers coming to the US is best exemplified by the program's impact on Silicon Valley. Tech leaders who came to the US under the H1-B program include: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Zoom CEO and Founder Eric Yuan and Tesla's Elon Musk.

Crushing healthcare in underserved communities

While headlines focus on Silicon Valley, the healthcare industry faces a severe crisis under this policy. Hundreds of community hospitals, local clinics, and private medical networks depend on foreign-born physicians and researchers—many from South and East Asia—to fill critical labor shortages.

Foreign medical graduates, particularly from India, play a critical role in staffing clinics in low-income and rural areas. Forcing local healthcare systems to absorb a $100,000-plus fee per provider threatens to leave essential medical positions unfilled.

Specialized biostatisticians, lab technicians, and clinical researchers keeping U.S. labs running will face reduced sponsorship, slowing down critical medical breakthroughs.

Who Is Exempt — and Who Isn't?

To be clear, the proposed fee is strictly aimed at first-time cap-subject petitions.

Current H-1B holders applying for simple extensions or transferring to a new employer will not be subject to the $103,265 fee. Cap-exempt employers—such as universities and non-profit research institutions—are also spared.

Anyone entering the H-1B lottery for the first time, including international students (F-1) and foreign workers currently residing in the US.on other non-immigrant visas (such as L-1 or TN), will face the full financial penalty.

The public now has until September 24, 2026, to log official feedback during the 30-day DHS comment period.

Legal challenges are already mounting. A coalition of 20 states—led by California, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, Illinois, and New Jersey—alongside business advocacy groups like the US Chamber of Commerce, are preparing court actions to strike down the rule. 

Opponents argue that executive agencies lack the constitutional authority to impose what amounts to a massive corporate tax, while warning of irreparable economic harm to state economies, university ecosystems, and community healthcare networks.

View from the edge

“As the world’s fourth largest economy, California knows that when skilled talent from around the world joins our workforce, it drives our state forward. President Trump’s illegal $100,000 H-1B visa fee creates unnecessary — and illegal — financial burdens on California public employers and other providers of vital services, exacerbating labor shortages in key sectors,” said California's Attorney General Bonta, who along with the attorneys general of 20 states, successfully sued the 2025 order from the President.

The 2026 visa fee proposed by the DHS is devastating for all states, including California, and threatens the quality of education, healthcare, and other core services available to our residents.

For example, the United States faces a nationwide teacher shortage and in the 2024-2025 school year, 74% of school districts in the U.S. reported having trouble filling open positions, particularly in special education, physical sciences, ESL or bilingual education, and foreign languages.

Educators are the third-largest occupation for H-1B visa holders, with nearly 30,000 educators on the visas, and nearly a thousand colleges and universities employ hundreds of H-1B personnel to support their research and education missions. Because K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are generally government or non-profit entities, they are incapable of absorbing an additional $100,000 for each H-1B hire.

Nearly 17,000 H-1B visas went to workers in medicine and health occupations in the 2024 fiscal year, and half of those were physicians and surgeons. Without foreign-trained physicians, the United States is projecting a shortfall of 86,000 physicians by 2036. There will not be enough doctors to care for older adults, many of whom suffer increased rates of chronic disease and have other complex medical needs. In California, access to specialists and primary care providers in rural areas is already extremely limited and is projected to worsen as physicians retire and these communities struggle to attract new doctors.

If the proposed fee is approved by the DHS after the comment period these affected institutions and industries will be forced to operate with inadequate staffing or divert funding away from other important programs to cover expenses.

“The Trump Administration thinks it can raise costs on a whim, but the law says otherwise," said Bont, whose lawsuit agaist the 2025 presidential mandate was upheld by the federal courts.

For the AAPI community, the outcome of this fight will define whether America remains a land of opportunity for global talent or draws the curtain on the immigrant dream.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. If you find this perspective interesting, please repost.