'58th' among Rolling Stone Philippines' Best Films of 2026 so far

Award-winning documentary film “58th” has been included in Rolling Stone Philippines’ list of the Best Films of 2026 so far.

The pop culture magazine recently unveiled its midyear list, featuring 14 local and international films that stood out in 2026.

Among them is “58th,” directed by Carl Joseph Papa, which tells the story of photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, one of the 58 victims of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre whose remains were never found.

In its review, Rolling Stone Philippines praised Papa for using his signature rotoscoping animation style to revisit the tragedy through the memories of Momay’s daughter, Reynafe “Nenen” Momay-Castillo, played by Glaiza de Castro.

The article noted that the docu-drama uses animation to recreate moments that were not captured on camera, helping make the long-documented tragedy feel more personal.

“The animated technique fills in what archival footage can’t, the moments no camera caught, making a well-documented tragedy feel newly personal in one of this year’s standout films,” Rolling Stone Philippines wrote.

The magazine also noted that the film could potentially receive recognition in the Best Documentary category at the 2027 Oscars, saying, “If the Film Academy of the Philippines plays its cards right, it might even land a Best Documentary nod in the 2027 Oscars.”

Aside from “58th,” here are the 13 other films included in the list:

• “Sisa”
• “Hokum”
• “2 Valid IDs”
• “Midnight Girls”
• “The Drama”
• “Backrooms”
• “The Invite”
• “First Light”
• “The Oddysey”
• “Spiderman: A Brand New Day”
• “Status: Rejected”
• “Mag-Iina”
• “Forgotten Island”

“58th” follows the story of Reynafe Castillo (Glaiza) as she continues her years-long fight for answers and her father's recognition as the 58th victim of the Maguindanao massacre. Her story also reflects the grief of the victims' families and their pursuit of justice following the tragedy.

The Maguindanao massacre happened on November 23, 2009 in the town of Ampatuan. It is considered the deadliest single attack on journalists in world history. The massacre resulted in the death of 58 individuals, 32 of whom were journalists.

"58th" premiered in various film festivals abroad before landing at the Cinemalaya Film Festival in August.

It also premiered at the Manila International Film Festival in Hollywood earlier this month and took home various awards.

“58th” has also been selected as the Philippines’ entry for the Best Documentary Feature at the 99th Academy Awards. —Jade Veronique Yap/JCB, GMA News