Lé Baltar

Journalist and film critic. Voter at @goldenglobes & @DorianAwards. ✍ @IndieWire @InRO @rapplerdotcom @rollingstoneph @VICE etc 💌:

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

Lav Diaz’s 16th-century pictorial fresco ‘Magellan’ just premiered at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. A week before heading to Cannes, I spoke with the Filipino auteur and his longtime collaborator Hazel Orencio for this @rollingstoneph exclusive.

https://t.co/p8yvfTP5Uu

[ABS-CBN News @ABSCBNNews]

Rene Baterbonia’s mother, Rovelyn, can be heard screaming and crying in anguish inside the chapel at Arlington funeral home after meeting with representatives from Ateneo De Manila University. | via @andietagz https://t.co/Zcs52UuvA8

[Nikko Ramos @NikkoRMS]

Loss of life (young life at that) brought about by avoidable circumstances that the victims were exposed to by authority figures that were supposed to care and nurture them - is a tragedy that requires accountability. No it won’t bring back Divine and Rene, but we cannot allow people in power to be protected when their authority and status were wielded to put young men in precarious situations that took their lives. There’s anecdotes on record of precedent, there’s a grieving mother asking for the most basic details amid official statements saying they are ‘working closely’ with the families.

Investigate this to the fullest. Basketball is by no means more important than protecting our young people, most especially those who come from backgrounds that force them and their families to look at a roster spot, game minutes, a coaching staff’s favor and approval - as tickets to a better life.

Pay close attention to who says what, if anything at all. If you’re not enraged by the avoidable accident that took the lives of two young men, if your instinct is to protect an institution’s reputation over condemning those responosible for two boys dying, if you would rather be silent because you’re worried about relationships or your place in the industry, then you’re part of the problem.

This was avoidable. This was negligent. It’s only basketball, ffs. There are people responsible. Hold them accountable.

[Gibby @gibbybaris]

⚡️ Mayu Ishikawa x Kanada ( 5 Set )

22/57 %39h, 4 hata, 6 bloklanma
1 ace, 3 servis hatası
%48 pm, %15 mm ( 33 manşet, 2 hata )
23 sayı, +8 WL

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

BLUE FILM in the lineup! My favorite 2026 film so far.

[Film Development Council of the Philippines @fdcpofficial]

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘’𝗦 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧’𝗦 𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗨𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗔!

Explore stories of self-discovery, resilience, and connection with Pelikulaya 2026 brought to you by the Film Development Council of the Philippines at our Cinematheque Centres nationwide from June 5 to July 4, 2026!

Celebrate love and acceptance on the big screen.
Don’t miss it!

🎟️FREE ADMISSION

#Pelikulaya2026 #FDCPOfficial #StoriesInMotion #PHCinema #MovieOn

[SINEGANG.ph @sinegangdotph]

MORE THAN MEETS THE GAZE.

Moving Eyelands will celebrate Pride Month with ‘Another And All The Others,’ a curated screening program by film critic and journalist Lé Baltar featuring queer and regional short films.

Featured films include:
• ‘Ang Halikan sa Water Fountain’ by Clyde Gamale
• ‘Hindi Nawawala sa Pagkawala ang mga Alaala’ by Emmanuel Pamaylaon
• ‘Mga Tala sa Kagandahan’ by Kukay Bautista Zinampan
• ‘Baklas Kalas’ by Lauviah Caliboso
• ‘Dikit’ by Gabriela Serrano

The screening is free and will take place on June 24 at 6:30 PM at Chapterhouse Creative Hub.

Register here: https://t.co/1JjEaW3Wbc

[IndieWire @IndieWire]

‘Macho Dancer,’ a Once-Censored Queer Classic from the Philippines, Now Uncut in 4K — Watch the Trailer https://t.co/zrMYSqs9i3

[IndieWire @IndieWire]

‘I’ll Be Gone in June’ Review: Two Teenagers Grapple with Otherness in Katharina Rivilis’ Spellbinding 9/11 Time Capsule https://t.co/MjDPXOzXQa

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

For @IndieWire, my Critic’s Pick review of Valentina Maurel’s just-premiered #Cannes feature FOREVER YOUR MATERNAL ANIMAL. An ambiguously rousing family drama.
https://t.co/nKQOWax0RH

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

Another @IndieWire Critic’s Pick, this time for Katharina Rivilis’ I’LL BE GONE IN JUNE, a lyrically spellbinding 9/11 time capsule in which two teenagers grapple with mutual otherness.

My #Cannes review: https://t.co/fPxWMuNybk

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

Grateful to @davidehrlich, @ryanlattanzio, @katerbland, and
@TangledUpInNews for the trust.

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

For @IndieWire, my Critic’s Pick review of Valentina Maurel’s just-premiered #Cannes feature FOREVER YOUR MATERNAL ANIMAL. An ambiguously rousing family drama.
https://t.co/nKQOWax0RH

[IndieWire @IndieWire]

‘Forever Your Maternal Animal’ Review: Three Costa Rican Women Are Adrift in Valentina Maurel’s Ambiguously Rousing Family Drama https://t.co/E3Q7FP9oUT

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

My Substack newsletter is named after this film, so trust I WILL be writing that essay. So excited!!!

[Carlotta Films @CarlottaFilms]

Breaking news. 1ère mondiale au prochain Festival #IlCinemaRitrovato de Bologna du film séminal, TINIMBANG, un des 1ers chefs-d’œuvre de la Nouvelle Vague du cinéma Philippin des 70’s-80’s d’un de ses chefs de file Lino Brocka, sublime restauration 4k ! https://t.co/ivcUwytDZk

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

Alunsina can take a walk now

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

😭😭

[C.J. Prince @cj_prin]

Please keep this MTV Movie Awards energy away from Cannes

[The Philippine Star @PhilippineStar]

HELP OUR LOCAL FARMERS! 🙏

Farmers from Benguet resorted to selling cabbages for P10 per kilo by the roadside, as they deal with an oversupply of their harvested crops.

Uploader Dada Raquepo spotted the farmers along Naguilian Road in Sablan, Benguet, around 4:50 PM on Thursday, hailing passersby and motorists to buy their cabbages.

"Driving down from Baguio to La Union po, I saw them. Oversupply daw and sayang kaysa itapon,” she told The Philippine STAR.

Raquepo shared that Benguet farmers decided to travel to La Union to sell cabbages at a lower price, adding that she plans to buy from them again.

“Kanina po may nagbebenta dito sa San Fernando. Next week, Wednesday, nagpa-saklolo na rin sila for subsidy of gas from helpful people, and by Wednesday, meron ulit bababa na truck sa La Union to sell again at P10/kg. Ako po, bibili ako sa Wednesday ng 350 kg at ipapamigay namin sa fur parents community pantry,” she shared. (Photos courtesy of Dada Raquepo)

RELATED: https://t.co/OvOevl3og6

[Museum of the Moving Image @MovingImageNYC]

Opening 5/22, HEART ON FIRE, BRAIN ON ICE collects unreleased & unseen documentaries from the Philippines—featuring activists, landless farmers, displaced communities, and indigenous families disrupted by U.S. toxic waste. Guest programmed by @a_ehunt

🎟️: https://t.co/k2F1XHdN7P

[Jake Tropila @JakeTropila]

Hello all, we’re looking to grow @InRO’s LB account. If you have not done so, please consider giving us a follow. We’ve got new reviews posted weekly and we’re always linking to our terrific writers. We’d greatly appreciate it!
https://t.co/tZtqsWOtn1

[Ryan Lattanzio @ryanlattanzio]

It turns out Jordan Firstman's directorial debut is very, very good...

My review out of #Cannes:

[Lé Baltar @baltarle]

“Here, the director gestures toward the point at which the echoes of the earth assume personal and transcendental weight.”

My @InRO interview with Ildikó Enyedi on SILENT FRIEND, starring Tony Leung.

https://t.co/shB0tLzlkk