PMPC Star Awards for Movies or known as Star Awards for Movies is an annual awarding ceremony recognizing outstanding films in the Philippines. It is organized by the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC), founded in 1985.
History The Philippine Movie Press Club is a non-profit organization of entertainment journalists, writers and film critics which was founded in 1966. The first award for films was inaugurated in 1985, known as Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Star Awards for Movies which honors the exceptional talents of artists in front and behind camera and the recognizing the best Filipino mainstream and independent films annually.
Award trophy The Star Awards for Movie trophy is designed by Ernie Pecho. It is shaped as a pair of hands holding a star. This signifies the support given by the movie press to the local stars. Originally the trophy was made of fiberglass that eventually cracked in time. It also produced bubbles that made the trophy look cloudy inside. Later, they also tried wood acacia but this is bad for the environment. Today, the press organization is contented with their glass trophy which of course breaks when not handled properly.
Broadcasting Historically, The PMPC Stars Awards for Movies is broadcast on various television networks in a delayed telecast, mainly IBC 13, ABS-CBN, TV5 and A2Z. During the pandemic, the traditional gathering of stars was transitioned online to comply the government directives of social distancing ensuring public safety. The winners accepted their awards from their own homes or other locations. This was observed during the 36th and 37th PMPC Star Awards for Movies which was held in virtual ceremonies.
Awards of Merit categories Current categories
Special awards Darling of the Press Movie Loveteam of the Year Nora Aunor Ulirang Artista Lifetime Achievement Award Ulirang Alagad ng Pelikula sa Likod ng Kamera Lifetime Achievement Award
Rules Eligibility period Films must be locally produced and publicly exhibited in theatrical, streaming, or via mainstream media within the calendar year of the eligibility cycle. For instance, the 41st Star Awards held in November 2025 honored films released in 2024, while the 40th honored 2023 releases. Both mainstream films and independent "indie" films are eligible, featuring in separate categories like "Movie of the Year" and "Indie Movie of the Year".
Selection process and voting Nominations are selected by members of the Philippine Movie Press Club. In recent years, a partial list of winners for certain technical categories has been revealed prior to the main awards night to build anticipation. The voting process was managed by PMPC members—primarily film critics and journalists—who cast ballots to select nominees and winners, ensuring peer-reviewed recognition without external influence.
Milestones The Philippine Movie Press Club has been around for 60 years. In 2024, the PMPC Star Awards for Movies has celebrated its 40 years in recognizing the best movies in Philippines cinema. The highest awarded movie actress is Vilma Santos, holding the record of 10 wins for Movie Actress of the Year award, followed by Nora Aunor with 7 wins for the same category, while Christopher de Leon and Aga Muhlach have 4 wins for Movie Actor of the Year award respectively. In 2024, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera were awarded with Takilya Kung and Queen for their blockbuster movie Rewind with total gross of 924 million pesos at the box office. The following year, Alden Richards and Kathryn Bernardo received the Takilya King and Queen for their movie, Hello, Love, Again having a worldwide gross of 1.6 billion pesos, making it the highest grossing Filipino movie of all time.
Award ceremonies Year Ceremony Venue 1985 1st PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1986 2nd PMPC Star Awards for Movies Folk Arts Theater, Manila 1987 3rd PMPC Star Awards for MoviesFolk Arts Theater, Manila 1988 4th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Folk Arts Theater, Manila 1989 5th PMPC Star Awards for Movies ULTRA, Pasig 1990 6th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1991 7th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Manila Metropolitan Theater, Manila 1992 8th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1993 9th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1994 10th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1995 11th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1996 12th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Henry Lee Irwin Theatre, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City 1997 13th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1998 14th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 1999 15th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Villamor Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 2000 16th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 2001 17th PMPC Star Awards for Movies 2002 18th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Villamor Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 2003 19th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Villamor Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 2004 20th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Teatro Aquinaldo, Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City 2005 21st PMPC Star Awards for Movies Gateway Mall, Araneta Cubao, Quezon City 2006 22nd PMPC Star Awards for Movies Grand Ball Hotel, Plaza Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City 2007 23rd PMPC Star Awards for Movies Villamore Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman in Quezon City. 2008 24th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Henry Irwin Lee Theater, Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City. 2009 25th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Henry Lee Irwin Theatre, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City 2010 26th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Henry Lee Irwin Theatre, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City 2011 27th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay 2012 28th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Meralco Theater, Pasig 2013 29th PMPC Star Awards for Movies AFP Theater, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City 2014 30th PMPC Star Awards for MoviesSolaire Resort Hotel 2015 31st PMPC Star Awards for Movies Solaire Resort & Casino, Parañaque 2016 32nd PMPC Star Awards for Movies Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay 2017 33rd PMPC Star Awards for Movies Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay 2018 34th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay 2019 35th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay 2021 36th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Virtual awarding via social media 2022 37th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Virtual awarding via FlexTV app 2023 38th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Manila Hotel 2024 39th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Winford Resort and Casino Manila 40th PMPC Star Awards for Movies Henry Lee Irwin Theater, Ateneo de Manila University 2025 41st PMPC Star Awards for Movies Makabagong San Juan Theater
Controversies ENPRESS and the formation of the Golden Screen Awards In 2005, a group of entertainment journalists broke away from the Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) to form the Entertainment Press Society (ENPRESS). This split was partly driven by frustrations over the PMPC’s perceived bias and fairness issues in awarding the PMPC Star Awards for Movies. ENPRESS established the Golden Screen Awards, a competing film awards body.
In 2005, PhilStar reported allegations of vote-buying and possible studio influence during the 21st PMPC Star Awards for Movies. The article questioned the fairness of the voting process but did not confirm any investigation or outcome. In 2014, entertainment columnist Jobert Sucaldito accused some PMPC voting members of engaging in vote-buying in connection with the Movie Actor of the Year category at the 30th PMPC Star Awards for Movies. He claimed that he had been assured of support for E.R. Ejercito nominated for (Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill), but alleged that another voting member had lobbied for Vice Ganda, who ultimately won for Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy, and whose victory he described as unexpected. According to Sucaldito, the intended recipient of the award was Joel Torre (nominated for On The Job), and in the absence of any vote-buying, Torre would have won. The PMPC released a statement refuting the allegations. Ejercito also distanced himself from the controversy, stating that he was unaware of any vote-buying. Vice Ganda addressed the allegations on It’s Showtime, saying he would have returned the award if vote-buying had occurred, but otherwise accepted it. He was shown hugging the trophy. Several former PMPC members and veteran entertainment writers commented publicly on the controversy.
See also Star Awards for Television Star Awards for Music Philippine Movie Press Club Star Awards
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