'Bliss' and 'Sunday Beauty Queen' are coming to Netflix this August

Mark your calendars as Filipino movies are coming to Netflix on Aug. 15, 2021. The streaming platform adds Jerrold Tarog’s “Bliss” and Baby Ruth Villarama’s “Sunday Beauty Queen” to its wide media library. Released in 2017, “Bliss” was first premiered in Japan’s 12th Osaka Asian Film Festival where its lead star Iza Calzado took home the Yakushi Pearl Award for Best Performer. The psychological thriller film centers on Jane Ciego, an actress who got into an accident while filming her self-produced film. Insanity comes to her as she experiences horrors while she is recovering in her own home. Initially, the film was banned from being released locally. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave it an X-rating due to its excessive nudity, violence, and masturbation. After a second review, the board gave it an R-18 review and was released on May 10, 2017. “Sunday Beauty Queen” is a 2016 documentary that follows a group of domestic workers in Hong Kong as they prepare for an annual beauty pageant. After winning Best Picture at the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival, the film continued to gain accolades in 2017, such as the Best Documentary award at the Gawad Urian and Best International Documentary at London Labour Film Festival. Another thing to add on your list is “A Far Away Land,” which stars Paolo Contis and Yen Santos. Shot in Denmark in 2020, the romantic movie is set to premiere on the platform on Aug. 19, 2021.