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. It is considered as the Philippines counterpart of Hollywood's Golden Globe Awards.
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.
The Star Awards for Movie trophy is designed by Ernie Pecho. It is a great concept: A pair of hands holding a star. This signifies the support given by the movie press to our local stars. Unfortunately, the PMPC members failed so many times in the past in their search for the most appropriate material for their trophy. They began with 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.
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 award ceremony gathering of stars was transitioned online to comply the government directives of social distancing ensuring public health 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.
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".
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 membersâÂÂprimarily film critics and journalistsâÂÂwho cast ballots to select nominees and winners, ensuring peer-reviewed recognition without external influence.
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 PMPCâÂÂs 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 ('), 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 ItâÂÂs 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.