Filipiñana

MK Gallery is screening Filipiñana, the new film from director Rafael Manuel, across four dates this December. It's a 2026 release, 100 minutes long and in English, so you've got a full feature on your hands rather than a short.

The story follows Isabel, a 17-year-old Ilokana from the rural north of the Philippines who's working at a posh country club on the outskirts of Manila. Her job is lining up golf balls for the powerful men who play there, and as she wanders the immaculate grounds, she gets drawn into the lives of the club's members: an industrialist and his expatriate niece, the club president and his pampered wife, and a steady stream of Chinese tourists. Along the way, she starts to uncover the violent truths rotting beneath the pristine fairways, with the club's patriarchal director, Dr Palanca, helping her along. It sounds like one of those films that starts in a very specific, quiet place and slowly opens up into something much bigger.

There are four screenings to choose from, so you can pick the one that fits your week. The first is Friday 4 December at 1:30pm, followed by Saturday 5 December at 4:30pm, Tuesday 8 December at 7:00pm, and Wednesday 9 December at 12:40pm. Tickets range from free to £9, so it's an easy one to fit in regardless of what you're spending. If you're around Milton Keynes in early December, you've got a few different times to work with.