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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Ayala Museum shows 'Song of the Fireflies' for its 'Pamana ng Pilipino' series this October

Ayala Museum shows 'Song of the Fireflies' for its 'Pamana ng Pilipino' series this October

Published Oct 10, 2025 11:50 pm
A scene from 'Song of the Fireflies'
A scene from 'Song of the Fireflies'
Song of the Fireflies” is showing at the Ayala Museum this month. Screenings are on Oct. 11, Saturday, at 2-5 pm and 5:30-7:30 pm; Oct. 12, Sunday, at 2-4 pm, and 5-7 pm; Oct. 17, Friday, at 2-4 pm and 5-7 pm; and on Oct. 18, Saturday, at 2-5 pm, and 5:30-7:30 pm.
The 2 pm screenings on Oct. 11 and Oct. 18 will have talkback sessions with the “Song of the Fireflies” filmmakers. In a Facebook post, the Ayala Museum said these are in line with its Pamanang Pilipino program with the Filipina Heritage Library, as the program aims to “highlight how cultural inheritance continues to shape Filipino identity and offer new ways of understanding our evolving heritage.”
The screenings at Ayala Museum are among the film's milestones underscoring the celebration of Filipino music and talent. Earlier this year, "Song of the Fireflies" won five awards—Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor and a Heritage Award—at the Manila International Film Festival in Los Angeles, and a Platinum Remi Award at WorldFest Houston. It was also in the official selection of the Italian Contemporary Film Festival in Canada.
On Oct. 11, the film will be screened in competition at New York's Soho International Film Festival.
“Song of the Fireflies” returns to Southern California and is officially representing the Philippines in the Pacific Rim Showcase at the 2025 Newport Beach Film Festival with a screening on Oct. 22, Wednesday, 7:45 pm at Starlight Triangle Cinemas, Costs Mesa, CA. Rachel Alejandro will have a special performance at the reception at Time Nightclub at the reception.
Set in the 1980s and shot on location in Bohol, the movie tells the true story of the Loboc Children’s Choir (LCC) and devoted music teacher Alma Taldo who guides the rural schoolchildren to global acclaim through the power of music. Produced by Culturtain Musicat Productions and MQuest Ventures and directed by King Palisoc and written by Sarge Lacuesta, it stars Asia’s Phoenix Morrisette as LCC’s founder-conductor Alma Taldo, Rachel Alejandro as LCC’s patron Equet Butalid, and Noel Comia Jr., Krystal Brimner and the real LCC as the choir members. Songs composed by National Artist Ryan Cayabyab, Louie Ocampo, Jazz Nicolas, Raimund Marasigan, and Krina Cayabyab, comprise the film’s remarkable soundtrack.
National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab describes the film as an “internal type of musical and a tribute to the Loboc Children’s Choir.” Mr. Cayabyab emphasizes the relevance of “Song of the Fireflies” by saying, “Through this film, the story of the Loboc Children’s Choir, as well as its founder-conductor Alma Taldo, was preserved for the current and future generations to appreciate and cherish.”
The uplifting message certainly resonates with the thousands of viewers from Metro, Manila, Luzon and Mindanao, who have been watching "Song of the Fireflies" through the movie's nationwide school tour/organization tour.
Executive producer Girlie Rodis shares, “We realized that our movie has similarities to ‘The Sound of Music’ in the sense that the lead character also transforms the lives of children through the power of song… At school screenings, our team has heard heartwarming reactions from students that say that ‘Song of the Fireflies’ has become their favorite Filipino film of all time.”
Those who wish to watch at Ayala Museum may buy tickets online for the Oct. 12 screenings at bit.ly/pp-sotf-oct12, and for the Oct. 17 screenings at bit.ly/pp-sotf-oct17. For the Newport Beach Festival tickets visit: https://newportbeachff2025.eventive.org/films/68b0f1f043d3df884f854b0b (Use code NBFFPHILIPPINES for a special $20 discount.)
For updates about “Song of the Fireflies,” visit the film’s social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram. (Robert Requintina)
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