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The long-awaited Season 2 for hit Filipino Bl series, Gameboys, will premiere May 22, 2022 on Vivamax Plus.

Following on from their online relationship during the lockdown in Season 1, in Gameboys: The Movie and now Gameboys 2, Gavreel and Cairo are finally together in the same house. Much to Gav’s delight, Cairo has a slight change of plans with his move back to his province. Their romance is dialed up a notch but their love is put to the test by external forces striving to pull them apart.

Directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal, the series returns with its original cast members Kokoy de Santos, Elijah Canlas, Adrianna So, Kych Minemoto, Kyle Velino, and Miggy Jimenez.

Gameboys is the successful Boys’ Love (Bl) series, the first of this genre for the Philippines when it premiered on YouTube in May 2020. Set during the Covid-19 pandemic, the story revolves around Cairo (Elijah Canlas) and Gavreel (Kokoy De Santos) who strike up a friendship while playing online games and eventually fall in love. The series has attracted a large fanbase for its relatable themes and story-telling concept utilising the social media format as well as having the characters interact via video calls and instant messages. There are 13 episodes plus a Netflix special, Gameboys Level-Up Edition.

As a spin-off, Gameboys: The Movie, continues with Cairo and Gavreel spending a romantic holiday together before Cairo has to return to his province. When Gavreel’s ultra-conservative aunt visits, the couple face a relationship test and begin to question their future together. In the meantime, other friends also show up struggling with their own challenges.

This year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) will feature five unique Filipino dramas. The Philippine Entertainment Portal reports that Die Beautiful, I America, Birdshot, Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis and Shiniuma will be part of the festival’s 29th year.

Die Beautiful stars Paolo Ballesteros as a transwoman and beauty pageant veteran whose dying wish is to be dressed as Lady Gaga for her funeral. The film is directed by Jun Lana. It is the only Filipino film included in the main competition. This marks Lana’s second run at Tiff. His 2013 freshman entry Barber’s Tales won the Tiff Best Actress award for its star Eugene Domingo.

Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis or “A Lullaby To The Sorrowful Mystery” is Lav Diaz’s eight-hour epic for Tiff’s World Focus Section. Anchored by Philippine superstars John Lloyd Cruz and Piolo Pascual, Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis is a fantastical meditation on Philippine literature,...