The Golden Screen Awards went quiet for 12 years. Philippine cinema did not.
In the years since its last regular movie edition in 2014, Filipino actors won at Cannes and Venice, local films broke through major international festivals, and a new generation of performers emerged alongside some of the industry’s most enduring stars.
Now, Golden Screen is returning, and first on its agenda is recognizing the people and institutions that defined the years it missed.
The Multi-Media Press Society of the Philippines (MMPRESS), formerly the Entertainment Press Society of the Philippines or ENPRESS, will hold the Golden Screen Awards: Dekada Awards 2026 on October 4 at 6 p.m., ahead of the planned return of its regular movie awards.
Its latest roster features 21 honorees — 15 actors, three directors and three film production companies — spanning mainstream cinema, independent filmmaking and some of the country’s biggest international film achievements.
Among the actors being honored are Jaclyn Jose, John Arcilla, Allen Dizon, Hasmine Killip, LJ Reyes, Paolo Ballesteros, Nadine Lustre, Judy Ann Santos, Elijah Canlas, Janine Gutierrez, Ricky Davao, Charlie Dizon, Max Eigenmann, Marian Rivera and Dennis Trillo.
Directors Brillante Mendoza, Lav Diaz and Erik Matti also made the cut, while Regal Entertainment, Viva Films and Star Cinema Productions will receive Outstanding Film Production citations.
From Cannes to Venice
The list effectively doubles as a highlight reel of Philippine cinema’s past decade.
The late Jaclyn Jose is recognized for Ma’ Rosa, the Brillante Mendoza film that earned her the Best Actress prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2016 — one of the landmark international victories for a Filipino performer.
John Arcilla followed with another major breakthrough in 2021, winning the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival for Erik Matti’s On the Job: The Missing 8.
Director Lav Diaz also made history at Venice when Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left) captured the festival’s highest honor, the Golden Lion, in 2016.
Those achievements help explain why the Dekada roster is not simply a celebrity popularity list.
For actors, MMPRESS generally required at least two acting wins from five established Philippine award-giving bodies — Gawad Urian, FAMAS, Luna Awards, Star Awards for Movies and The Eddys — while international recognition was also considered.
For directors, the benchmark included recognition, competition or official selection at the world’s so-called “Big Three” film festivals: Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
From indie discoveries to mainstream stars
The resulting lineup cuts across the traditional divide between commercial and independent cinema.
Hasmine Killip is recognized for Pamilya Ordinaryo, which earned her Best Performance by an Actress at the 2016 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, while Paolo Ballesteros is cited for Die Beautiful, which brought him Best Actor at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
The strong 2019 crop is represented by Judy Ann Santos for Mindanao, Elijah Canlas for Kalel, 15, Janine Gutierrez for Babae at Baril and Ricky Davao for Fuccbois.
More recent honorees include Charlie Dizon for Third World Romance, Max Eigenmann for 12 Weeks, Marian Rivera for Balota and Dennis Trillo for Green Bones.
Rivera won FAMAS Best Actress in 2025 for Balota after earlier acting victories for the film at Cinemalaya and The Eddys, while Trillo’s Green Bones performance earned him Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 2025 Asian Academy Creative Awards.
Eigenmann’s inclusion is also worth noting. Earlier accounts referred to 20 awardees, but the latest published roster includes Eigenmann, bringing the current total to 21.
Golden Screen returns to a changed industry
The comeback comes in a Philippine film landscape dramatically different from the one Golden Screen left in 2014.
Streaming has transformed viewing habits, the pandemic disrupted theatrical exhibition, independent filmmakers found new paths to audiences, and traditional studios have had to adapt to a market where the cinema is no longer the only major screen.
That makes the recognition of Regal, Viva and Star Cinema particularly significant. MMPRESS cited the three production companies for their endurance and prolific output through those changes.
Golden Screen itself has undergone a transformation.
ENPRESS, which established the awards in the early 2000s, became MMPRESS in 2019, reflecting an entertainment press increasingly operating beyond traditional print media.
The “Dekada” concept is not new either. ENPRESS previously honored decade standouts in 2013. Judy Ann Santos and Dennis Trillo were among those recipients, meaning both have now earned recognition across two different Dekada generations.
A new trophy for an old award
Even the Golden Screen trophy is getting a reboot.
The new statuettes will be handcrafted by an Ivatan artist using upcycled and repurposed materials, including scrap metal, used wires, screws, galvanized iron sheets, pipes and driftwood.
The October 4 ceremony will be co-presented by the office of Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javier Miguel “Javi” Lopez Benitez, chairman of the House Special Committee on Creative Industries. The venue and broadcast arrangements have yet to be announced.
But the most compelling part of Golden Screen’s return may be what happened while it was gone.
Twelve years was enough time for newcomers to become stars, established performers to reinvent themselves and Filipino actors and filmmakers to walk onto the stages of Cannes and Venice as winners.
Golden Screen missed those moments in real time. Now, its Dekada Awards is its chance to catch up and recognize the Filipino artists whose work remained worth celebrating long after the credits rolled.