Angeline Ashlee Marquez

“Drown out the noise, you’re sunshine.” - Voice from the Sunshine Trailer (2024)

Photo Courtesy of ABS-CBN News.

A story directed and written by Antoinette Jadaone, Sunshine tackles issues such as teenage pregnancy, abortion and the pressures of becoming an athlete–making tough decisions and facing continuous struggles in reaching world's renowned  competitions. Not only does the film dive through these heavy topics,  it also speaks volume of how  taboo  abortion is here in the Philippines and the immense sacrifices athletes make to perform and strive to the top.

The film follows Sunshine (Maris Racal) as she prepares herself for the gymnastic national team, but fails to practice her form—realizing she is pregnant and finds herself in a whirlpool of chaos and stress. Following this, as she makes her way to a seller of illegal abortion drugs, she meets a mysterious girl who eerily thinks and talks like her.

Alonside rising actress Racal, co-stars of the film are Elijah Canlas and Xyriel Manabat from the recently ended series Senior High with Jennica Garcia, Annika Co, and Meryll Soriano.

The said film is an entry for this year’s Toronto International Film Festival's Centerpiece as the sole Filipino movie to represent Philippine Cinema, alongside 43 other countries abroad to compete against. Updates as to when the film will be released to the public in the Philippines is yet to come

The trailer can be watched through Project 8 Projects Youtube Channel, Sunshine Trailer - Starring Maris Racal