Sunshine (2024 film)

Sunshine is a 2024 Philippine sports drama film written and directed by Antoinette Jadaone. Starring Maris Racal as the titular 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.

Sunshine
Official release poster
Directed by	Antoinette Jadaone
Written by	Antoinette Jadaone
Produced by	Geo Lomuntad Dan Villegas Bianca Balbuena
Starring	Maris Racal
Cinematography	Pao Orendain
Edited by	Benjamin Tolentino
Music by	Rico Blanco
Production companies	Anima Studios Project 8 Projects Cloudy Duck Pictures Happy Infinite Productions
Distributed by	Project 8 Projects
Release dates	September 13, 2024 (2024-09-13) (TIFF) July 23, 2025 (2025-07-23) (Philippines)
Running time	92 minutes[1]
Country	Philippines
Language	Filipino

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,^[2][3] and had a European premiere at the 75th Berlinale as part of the Generation 14plus section on 18 February 2025.^[4] 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 sledgehammer provided by the Girl. That night, Sunshine goes partying with her friend, Thea, in the hopes that she could 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 is 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, revealing that her abortion was pushed through and that the Girl was Sunshine's unborn child. The film concludes with Sunshine competing in a gymnastics competition, as her family and coaches cheer her on.

Cast

• Maris Racal as Sunshine
• 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.^[5] 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.^[6]

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 ₱500,000 (US$10,152.28) until the Film Development Council of the Philippines offered a grant, which was followed by other production companies stepping in.^[7] Piolo Pascual was cast as a pastor in the film, but refused to take a talent fee.^[8] The film was shot in Manila, particularly in Quiapo and Rizal Avenue.^[9] Its musical score, which was inspired by electronic music and the The Chemical Brothers single "Elektrobank", was created by Rico Blanco, whose relationship with Racal ended in the same year the film was released.^[10]

Release

The film first premiered on September 13, 2024 at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival,^[5] which Racal was unable to attend due to scheduling and visa issues.^[11] The film had a European premiere at the 2025 Berlinale as part of the Generation 14plus section on 18 February 2025.^[4] 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.^[12]

The film was released in the Philippines on July 23, 2025^[13] with an R-16 rating by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board and exclusive screening rights by SM Supermalls.^[14] This followed efforts by the producers to release the film abroad to generate domestic publicity.^[15] 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.^[16]

In August 2025, the film was announced by the Film Development Council of the Philippines as a contender for the Philippines' official entry to the Best International Feature Film category of the Academy Awards in 2026.^[17]

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.^[18] Charlie Vitug, writing for SINEGANG.ph, said the film represents a flicker of hope in the city that is surrounded by conservative forces that continues to oppress the choices of women.^[19] 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."^[20]

Accolades

Award	Date	Category	Recipient	Result	Ref.
Asia Pacific Screen Awards	October 2024	Best Youth Film	Sunshine	Nominated	[21]
Berlin International Film Festival	21 February 2025	Crystal Bear for the Best Film		Won	[22]
Austin Asian American Film Festival	Austin Asian American Film Festival 2025	Narrative Feature Jury Award			[23]
		Narrative Feature Audience Award
Tartuff	2025	Audience Award			[24]

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.^[25]