Philippine movie award-giving bodies are institutions, academies and fellowships that are handing out awards, citations and recognitions to outstanding film achievements for a certain calendar year.

1950-1976

The Maria Clara Awards is established in 1950. However, it was criticized for being judged only by movie writers, and not other film artisans and filmmakers. In response, a group of writers established the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (FAMAS Awards) in 1952.
From 1952 to 1976, the FAMAS was the sole award-giving body for film in the Philippines. During this period, many film festivals have also been established everywhere in the Philippines, including:

• The Quezon City Film Festival (held at Quezon, then capital of the Philippines)
• Bacolod Film Festival (held at the City of Bacolod in Negros Occidental)
• Manila Film Festival

Nevertheless, the FAMAS was still recognized as the main national film award-giving body even with the existence of these film festivals.

1976-1990

On May 1, 1976, a group of Filipino film critics and writers formed the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (English: Filipino Film Critics), an organization aiming at giving recognition to Filipino film achievements through the eyes of a film critic. The MPP formed the Gawad Urian, the first award-giving body to contest the long-reigning FAMAS Awards. The Gawad Urian gave a Philippine equivalent to the New York Film Critics' Circle Awards.

During the commercialist era of movies in the 1980s, more award-giving bodies have sprung up to honor film achievements. In 1981, President Ferdinand Marcos

Ferdinand Marcos

Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...

 passed Executive Order 640-A, which established the Film Academy of the Philippines

Film Academy of the Philippines

Established in 1981, the Film Academy of the Philippines is the Philippines' official counterpart of the United States' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The FAP was founded through Executive Order 640-A, signed by former President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos...

, the Philippines' official counterpart of the United States' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...

. The FAP handed out the first Luna Awards (then called the FAP Award until 2005) in 1983 to honor film achievements in 1982. In addition, the Catholic Church also established the Catholic Mass Media Awards. In 1985, the Philippine Movie Press Club initiated the Star Awards for Movies and Television, which is currently the Philippines' Golden Globes' counterpart. In addition, under the auspices of First Lady Imelda Marcos

Imelda Marcos

Imelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...

, the first Filipino international film festival was held in 1982: the Manila International Film Festival. This prestigious festival opened at the Manila Film Center.

Grand Slam

During the 1980s, the term grand slam became popular. The Philippine grand slam is an unofficial moniker given to an actor or actress who had won the following awards: FAMAS Awards, Gawad Urian, CMMA and FAP Awards(became Luna Awards in 2005) in one year. CMMA though stopped giving acting awards by 1990 while Star Awards started giving their awards in 1985. The moniker was first earned by Philippine movie queen Vilma Santos

Vilma Santos

Maria Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos-Recto commonly known as Vilma Santos-Recto or Ate Vi is a multi-awarded actress and politician...

 in 1983 when she won the FAMAS, Gawad Urian, CMMA and FAP Awards for her performance in the Ishmael Bernal

Ishmael Bernal

Ishmael Bernal was an acclaimed Filipino film, stage and television director. He was also an actor and screenwriter...

 film Relasyon.

1990-present

The proliferation of award-giving bodies in the Philippines, however, grew in the 1990s. Various university scholars and other groups have formed their own awards (see below). In addition,. breakaway groups from the existing award-giving bodies have made their own awards, too. Because of the sheer number of award-giving bodies in the Philippines, various film insiders have concluded that, indeed, the Philippines is an award-crazed country.

Filipino Film Awards (Award-Giving Body)

• FAMAS Awards (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences)
• Gawad Urian (Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino)
• Luna Awards (Film Academy of the Philippines)
• Star Awards for Movies (Philippine Movie Press Club)
• Catholic Mass Media Awards (Archdiocese of Manila) [only gave out awards for Best Film since 1992]
• Gawad Pasado
• Gawad Tanglaw
• Golden Screen Awards (Entertainment Press Society)
• UP Young Critics Circle Awards
• Gawad Genio

Filipino Film Festivals

• Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival
• Metro Manila Film Festival

Defunct Filipino Awards

• Maria Clara Awards (1950–1951) (resurrected in 2006 as a temporary venue of awards for the FAMAS, which was undergoing a leadership crisis and an anti-awards-night ruling from the Securities and Exchange Commission)
• Manila International Film Festival

External links

• Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences - unofficial website
• Film Academy of the Philippines - official website
• Cinemalaya Philippine Film Festival - official website
• Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino - official website