Get ready for a new set of diverse stories to watch this October as new Filipino movies and series hit the cinema, television, and streaming services!

Related: Can’t Buy Me Love’s Full Trailer Got Us Even More Excited for DonBelle’s First Teleserye

The year 2023 has seen plenty of Filipino excellence make waves both locally and internationally. From Maria Clara at Ibarra to A Very Good Girl, local productions have been present, diverse, and well-received—as they should! Filipino filmmakers and stars are raring to tell unique stories and share them with the world, proving that Philippine TV and cinema are well and alive as new genres, stars, and stories make their way to local and international screens. There’s no slowing down, much less stopping, for the art and these artists, and there’s no shortage of people wholeheartedly willing to champion Philippine cinema and production.

If you haven’t had enough of local media, or if you’re looking for something new to love, these seven upcoming and highly-anticipated Filipino movies and series will fill your October with enough drama, horror, comedy, and romance to tide you over.

SPARKLE U (OCTOBER 1)

GMA’s new youth-oriented anthology series features the freshest and up-and-coming young stars of GMA’s talent agency Sparkle Center. Sparkle U, set in the fictional Sparkle University, touches on the problems and issues faced by the youth of today, from social media to school hierarchies. The series’ first installment, #Frenemies, stars Shayne Sava as Bekang, a teenager who, along with other average students, save Yazzi (Roxie Smith) the popular girl at their school. Sparkle U airs October 1 on GMA’s Sunday Grande sa Gabi.

KEYS TO THE HEART (OCTOBER 4)

Starring Zanjoe Marudo, Dolly de Leon, Elijah Canlas, and more, Keys to the Heart is a Philippine adaptation of 2018 Korean dramedy of the same name. Marudo stars as Joma, a washed-up boxer who comes home to his long-lost family and finds out he has a gifted pianist brother, Jayjay, on the autism spectrum. The film will be released on Netflix on October 4.

LINLANG (OCTOBER 5)

Linlang is an upcoming ABS-CBN drama series starring Paulo Avelino, Kim Chiu, JM De Guzman, and Maricel Soriano. The series revolves around dirty lies, secrets, jealousy, and betrayal in relationships. Linlang airs on Prime Video starting October 5.

IN MY MOTHER’S SKIN (OCTOBER 12)

This folk horror film written and directed by Kenneth Dagatan is set in World War II and features a young girl, Tala, who tries to save her troubled family by turning to a suspicious, flesh-eating fairy for help. In My Mother’s Skin premiered at Sundance Film Festival and has since appeared in more than 10 international film festivals. Lauded for its macabre horror and unique story, this film is worth a watch on Prime Video starting October 12.

CAN’T BUY ME LOVE (OCTOBER 13)

DonBelle’s much-awaited first primetime teleserye Can’t Buy Me Love stars Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano as Bingo and Caroline, respectively, who come from very different backgrounds but are brought together when Bingo saves Caroline from a kidnapping attempt. The series airs October 13 on Netflix, October 14 on iWantTFC, and October 16 on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, Jeepney TV, TFC, A2Z, and TV5.

FIVE BREAKUPS AND A ROMANCE (OCTOBER 18)

Superstars Julia Montes and Alden Richards show off chemistry and their well-honed acting chops in their first romantic drama together, Five Break-Ups and A Romance. In the film, Montes plays the driven Justine Royales across Richards’ optimistic Lance Sandoval. Tackling the complexities of relationships in this day and age, Five Breakups and a Romance is coming to cinemas October 18 and promises an emotional rollercoaster of a love story with a large heaping of charm.

ROOKIE (OCTOBER 19)

Hit WLW film Rookie directed by Samantha Lee and starring Pat Tingjuy and Aya Fernandez made waves at Cinemalaya Film Festival 2023 for its depiction of a volleyball-themed love story where queerness is the norm. Rookie tells the story of Ace, a new student in a Catholic school, who’s encouraged to try out for the school’s volleyball team, where she meets Jana, the team captain. They form a friendship and find love in this sweet coming-of-age rom-com.

Continue Reading: 6 Movies From 2023 That You Should Have Seen by Now

DonBelle brings the drama and the romance to primetime with their upcoming teleserye Can’t Buy Me Love, airing on October 13! We already can’t wait for the show to air.

Related: Can’t Buy Me Love: Donbelle Gets Their First-Ever Teleserye

Action, drama, and a whole lot of romance are in store for Bubblies and soon-to-be-Bubblies starting October 13! Can’t Buy Me Love, the upcoming teleserye starring Gen Z icons Belle Mariano and Donny Pangilinan, dropped its full trailer last Monday. The highly-anticipated primetime series looks to be an exciting romp filled with thrills and suspense, love and laughs, and of course, that classic DonBelle charm.

In the trailer, also seen in the series’ previous teaser, Caroline (Mariano) seems to be abducted by unknown men and left to drown, but Bingo (Pangilinan) saves her. She assumes he’s the one who kidnapped her, but eventually warms up to him, and so starts their unorthodox relationship. Quick scenes show Caroline and Bingo’s respective struggles with family and the treacherous road ahead involving deaths, dangers, and secrets—one that they’ll traverse together. It’s definitely something new from the couple—a love story tackling different cultures, crime, and an unusual first meeting between leads helmed by Mae Cruz Alviar, Cathy Garcia-Sampana, and Ian D. Loreños.

THE STORY OF CAROLINE AND BINGO

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Belle Mariano’s Caroline Tiu is a wealthy daughter from a traditional Chinese family with a tumultuous relationship with her sister, and Donny Pangilinan’s Bingo Rivera is a young man working hard to provide for his family. The harm that befalls Caroline—her kidnapping and almost-drowning—we can assume is caused by her family’s wealth. Meanwhile, the trouble Bingo gets into, which is perhaps connected to Caroline’s problems, is caused by his own family’s lack of money to afford healthcare.

Caroline and Bingo meet at Caroline’s sister’s engagement party, where Bingo is working as a waiter. The stark contrast between Caroline’s high-society lifestyle and Bingo’s financial struggles paves the way for the series to explore the tensions between people of different class backgrounds and the lengths people go through to obtain money. It’s a fresh take on a tried-and-true trope that looks to rattle plenty of emotions from the audience.

A NEW ADVENTURE FOR DONBELLE

IG / STARCREATIVESTV

The phenomenal Gen Z loveteam DonBelle has made many root for their romance both on and off-screen since they were first paired up in teen series He’s Into Her (2021-2022). Since then, they’ve worked on rom-coms Love is Colorblind (2021) and An Inconvenient Love (2022).

Can’t Buy Me Love is their first foray into primetime television, and is a new challenge for the pair. However, throughout their different projects, DonBelle has shown that they can act with heart and do comedy, drama, and romance like nobody’s business. And whatever screen they’re on, their chemistry straight-up leaps out of it, as shown in the 2-minute trailer, so it’ll be exciting to see what they do with Caroline and Bingo. And further solidifying DonBelle’s first teleserye as a TV moment, the show will premiere on Netflix on October 13, a full three days before it airs on TV.

Can’t Buy Me Love also features a star-studded cast that includes Ruffa Gutierrez, Maris Racal, Albie Casiño, Nova Villa, Agot Isidro, Enzo Pineda, Rowell Santiago, Vivoree Esclito, Darren Espanto, Celeste Legaspi, Kaila Estrada, Karina Bautista, and Joao Costancia. Just from the trailer, we learn that the storyline is set to have many twists and turns, the production is grand and immersive, and that DonBelle is embarking on a thrilling new chapter.

Can’t Buy Me Love will premiere on Netflix on October 13, iWantTFC on October 14, and Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, Jeepney TV, TFC, A2Z, and TV5 on October 16!

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