Sunshine is a 2024 Philippine coming-of-age sports drama film written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone. Starring Maris Racal in the title role, along with Elijah Canlas, Xyriel Manabat, Jennica Garcia, Annika Co, and Meryll Soriano, the film follows a young gymnast who finds out she is pregnant on the week of the national tryouts.
A co-production of Anima, Project 8 Projects, Cloudy Duck Pictures, and Happy Infinite Productions, the film was first premiered on September 13, 2024 at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, and had a European premiere at the 75th Berlinale as part of the Generation 14plus section on February 18, 2025. The film was released to the general public on July 23, 2025.
Plot Nineteen-year-old Sunshine tries out for the national gymnastics team for a final opportunity to compete in the Olympics. She lives with her older sister Geleen, a former gymnast who became a single mother to an infant daughter, Gracie, and her younger brother, Rod. During practice, Sunshine's coach, Eden, notices her gaining weight before the latter faints. Upon waking up, another coach asks Sunshine when she last menstruated, but she is unable to recall. Realizing that something is wrong, Sunshine leaves and takes a pregnancy test, which yields a positive result. Fearing the end of her athletic career, Sunshine conceals this information and seeks out illegal abortifacients in Quiapo, only to be followed by an unnamed Girl who chastises her using foul language.
Sunshine goes to her boyfriend, Miggy, who dismisses the pregnancy and tells her to abort. Enraged at his apathy, Sunshine smashes his car’s windshield using a steel pipe provided by the Girl. That night, Sunshine goes partying with her friend, Thea, in the hopes that she can terminate her pregnancy through alcohol. But after encountering the Girl, Sunshine reveals her pregnancy to Thea. Sunshine blackmails Miggy into providing money to buy an abortifacient. Afterwards, she undertakes a failed attempt to abort at a motel, resulting in her being hospitalized after she bleeds uncontrollably and collapses in pain, as the Girl desperately comforts her. While recovering, the hospital’s bigoted obstetrician harangues Sunshine until she is fetched by Geleen, who had noticed Sunshine's pregnancy after she vomited while taking care of Gracie. Geleen tells Sunshine to rest, but she refuses, saying that gymnastics is her life.
Rumors of Sunshine's pregnancy spread, prompting Eden to warn Sunshine, who continues to deny the allegations, that she will be removed from the team and to urge her to keep her problems separate from her athletics. Sunshine buys another abortifacient and is afterwards accosted by a 13-year-old pregnant girl, Mary Grace, who also wants an abortion. Sunshine is moved when Mary Grace reveals she was impregnated by her uncle Bobot and gives her money to buy abortifacients. Sunshine then catches up with the Girl and a gay child, Ariana, who is a runaway from her abusive family.
As they chatter, Ariana senses something wrong in their home and rushes back. Sunshine and the Girl follow her, only to discover Mary Grace bleeding and unconscious after trying to abort by herself in a motel. The three rush Mary Grace to the hospital, but the doctors fear legal punishment for assisting in Mary Grace's abortion until a sympathetic doctor, Helena, discreetly agrees to help. Mary Grace eventually recovers but loses her child. As Sunshine comforts Mary Grace, she overhears the Girl searching for Ariana, who has disappeared. Sunshine tries to comfort her, but the latter reproaches her and runs away. Sunshine tells Mary Grace's mother what happened, only to find her cavorting with Bobot. Enraged, Sunshine bludgeons Bobot with a bottle before escaping.
Thea secures an appointment at Helena’s clinic for Sunshine's abortion. At her home, Sunshine is visited by Miggy and his father, Jaime, a pastor. Miggy makes an insincere apology as Jaime offers to help care for their would-be child, but Sunshine refuses, saying that she does not want to be a mother, as Geleen orders the men out. Geleen comforts Sunshine and expresses her support for whatever decision she makes. Afterwards, Sunshine is shown training as the Girl reappears and watches her routine, prompting Sunshine to ask her if she understood her decision. The Girl replies in the affirmative and tearfully embraces Sunshine, implying that her abortion was pushed through and that the Girl was Sunshine's unborn child. The film concludes with Sunshine competing in the Asian Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, as her family and coaches cheer her on.
Cast Maris Racal as Sunshine Francisco Annika Co as Girl Angie Castrence as abortifacient vendor Jennica Garcia as Geleen Meryll Soriano as Coach Eden Elijah Canlas as Miggy Xyriel Manabat as Thea Rhed Bustamante as Mary Grace Madeleine Nicolas as Dr. Asuncion Angeli Bayani as Dr. Helena JM Garcia as Ariana Bon Lentejas as Rod Jaynah Keith Lipa as Gracie Ron Capinding as Bobot Adriana Agcaoili as Mary Grace's mother Piolo Pascual as Pastor Jaime
Production Antoinette Jadaone began conceiving the film in 2020 after watching Jojo Rabbit, in which she noted the idea of the titular character imagining a fictitious adaptation of Adolf Hitler into life. As part of her research, Jadaone cited the presence of abortifacients being sold next to religious items around Quiapo Church, a Catholic shrine in Manila. She also sought to raise awareness about women’s reproductive rights, teenage pregnancy and abortion, which she described as taboo in the Philippines due to the country's conservative background.
As part of her role as a gymnast, Racal trained with athletes and coaches from the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines to perform several stunts. Production was nearly called off due to high costs, estimated at until the Film Development Council of the Philippines offered a grant, which was followed by other production companies stepping in. Piolo Pascual was cast as a pastor in the film, but refused to take a talent fee. The film was shot in Manila, particularly in Quiapo and Rizal Avenue. Its musical score, which was inspired by electronic music and The Chemical Brothers single "Elektrobank", was created by Rico Blanco, whose romantic relationship with Racal ended in the same year the film was released.
Release The film first premiered on September 13, 2024 at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, which Racal was unable to attend due to scheduling and visa issues. The film had a European premiere at the 2025 Berlinale as part of the Generation 14plus section on 18 February 2025. The film was selected at the 24th New York Asian Film Festival held from July 11 to July 27, 2025 for its New York Premiere.
The film was released in the Philippines on July 23, 2025 with an R-16 rating by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board and exclusive screening rights by SM Supermalls. This followed efforts by the producers to release the film abroad to generate domestic publicity. The film's red carpet premiere, which was scheduled on July 22, 2025 at the SM Aura mall, was postponed due to heavy rains caused by the southwest monsoon.
The film was shortlisted by the Film Academy of the Philippines for the country's submission to the Best International Feature Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. Magellan by Lav Diaz was ultimately selected.
Reception Critical reception Ralph Revelar Sarza, writing for ABS-CBN, said the film served as a critique of patriarchy, noting that it also centered on women’s reproductive health in a country that "insists on children being born without ever insisting on giving them a world worth being born into". He also noted the role of the unnamed Girl as the film's "riskiest move" for its surrealism, calling her a projection of the titular character's inner turmoil. Charlie Garcia Vitug, writing for SINEGANG.ph, describes the film as "a flicker of hope in the city of broken dreams", explaining that the city is manipulated by conservative forces that continues to oppress the choices of women. While acknowledging that the film's "moral imagery veers toward the didactic," Paul Emmanuel Enicola of The Movie Buff said that Sunshine is "a film that relishes discomfort, one that forces us to confront the silences we’ve learned to live with: around abortion, around reproductive rights, around what we teach our daughters (and sons) about sex, choice, and consequence."
Accolades Award Date Category Recipient Result Asia Pacific Screen Awards October 2024 Best Youth Film Sunshine Berlin International Film Festival 21 February 2025 Crystal Bear for the Best Film rowspan=5 Austin Asian American Film Festival June 29, 2025 Narrative Feature Jury Award Narrative Feature Audience Award Tartuff2025 Audience AwardJogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival6 December 2025 Geber Award Golden Hanoman Award 6th Pinoy Rebyu Awards22 June 2026 Best Director Antoinette Jadaone rowspan=4 Best Lead Performance Maris Racal Best Supporting Performance Jennica Garcia 9th Eddy's Awards July 5, 2026 Best Actress Maris Racal Best Editing Benjamin Gonzales Tolentino Best Picture Sunshine rowspan=5 Best Director Antoinette Jadaone Best Cinematography Pao Orendain Best Visual Effects Post Bandits Inc. Best Musical Score Rico Blanco49th Gawad Urian AwardsTBA Best Film Sunshine rowspan=8 Best Actress Maris Racal Best Supporting Actress Jennica Garcia Best DirectorAntoinette Jadaone Best Screenplay Best Cinematography Pao Orendain Best Editing Benjamin Gonzales Tolentino Best Sound Vincent Villa74th FAMAS AwardOctober 27, 2026 Best Picture Sunshine rowspan=9 Best Actress Maris Racal Best Supporting Actress Jennica Garcia Best Child Performer Annika Co Best DirectorAntoinette Jadaone Best Screenplay Best Cinematography Pao Orendain Best Editing Benjamin Gonzales Tolentino Best Sound Vincent Villa42nd PMPC Star Awards for MoviesOctober 25, 2026 Indie Movie of the Year Sunshine rowspan=12 Movie Actress of the Year Maris Racal Movie Supporting Actress of the Year Jennica Garcia Movie Child Performer of the Year Annika Co Indie Movie Ensemble Acting of the Year Sunshine Indie Movie Director of the Year Antoinette Jadaone Indie Movie Screenwriter of the Year Indie Movie Cinematographer of the Year Pao Orendain Indie Movie Editor of the Year Benjamin Gonzales Tolentino Indie Movie Production Designer of the Year Eero Yves Francisco Indie Musical Scorer of the Year Rico Blanco Indie Movie Sound Engineer of the Year Vincent Villa
Adaptation After Sunshine won the Crystal Bear award for best film in the Berlin International Film Festival, Indiecan Entertainment acquired the rights to distribute the film in North America and produce an English adaptation of the movie which will be directed by Avi Federgreen and to be produced by Federgreen Entertainment and Siné Media Inc.
References
External links
Sunshine at TIFF