Call Me Mother (film)

Call Me Mother
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJun Robles Lana
Written by
  • Daisy G. Cayanan
  • Daniel S. Saniana
  • Jun Robles Lana
Produced by
  • Daniel S. Saniana
  • Marjorie B. Lachica
  • Vincent Del Rosario III
  • Veronique Del Rosario-Corpus
  • Valerie S. Del Rosario
Starring
CinematographyCarlo C. Mendoza
Edited byBenjamin Tolentino
Music byTeresa Barrozo
Production
companies
Distributed byStar Cinema
Release date
  • December 25, 2025 (2025-12-25)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryPhilippines
LanguageFilipino

Call Me Mother is an upcoming Philippine comedy drama film directed by Jun Robles Lana from a story and screenplay he co-wrote with Daisy G. Cayanan and Daniel S. Saniana (who also served as co-producer). Starring Vice Ganda and Nadine Lustre, the film follows a queer single mother who plans to adopt her adoptive son, but the process becomes complicated when the boy's biological mother unexpectedly shows up.

A co-production between Star Cinema, The IdeaFirst Company, and Viva Films, the film is scheduled to be released theatrically on December 25, 2025, as one of the official entries at the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival.[1][2] It marks Vice and Lustre's second film together since they last co-starred in the 2015 film Beauty and the Bestie.[3]

Premise

Twinkle de Guzman starts the process to legally adopt Angel as her son. She plans to surprise her adoptive child with a trip to Disneyland, Hong Kong, with the adoption process to be completed if no one claims Angel within three months. However, Mara, Angel's biological mother, unexpectedly arrives and forms a bond with Angel. Twinkle goes to great lengths to prove to Mara that she is fit to be a parent.[4][5]

Cast

Main cast

  • Vice Ganda as Twinkle de Guzman, queer mother who is in the process of adopting Angel as her son.[5]
  • Nadine Lustre as Mara de Jesus, the biological mother of Angel and M's mother. Lustre's character is a beauty queen. She underwent a pageant training in preparation for the role.[6]

Supporting cast

  • Lucas Andalio as Angelo "Angel" de Jesus, Twinkle de Guzman's adoptive son and Mara's biological son
  • Brent Manalo as Marco de Guzman, the bordermate of Twinkle's younger brother and Angel's adoptive uncle
  • Mika Salamanca as Bea Santos, a next-door neighbor who was a medical tax student of Twinkle's neighbor and Marco's love interest
  • Klarisse de Guzman as Mowm de Guzman, Twinkle's oldest sister and Angel's adoptive aunt
  • River Joseph as Anton de Guzman, Twinkle's youngest brother and Angel's adoptive uncle
  • Shuvee Etrata as Dia de Guzman, Twinkle's older sister and Angel's adoptive aunt
  • Esnyr as Twinkle's foster daughter and Angel's adoptive sister
  • MC Muah as Dorothy, Twinkle's close friend
  • Iyah Mina as Ms. J, Mara's personal bodyguard and assistant
  • Divine Tetay
  • Tanya Gomez
  • John Lapus as Mama M de Guzman, Twinkle's foster mother
  • Carmi Martin as Asmida de Jesus, Mara's mother and Angel's biological grandmother
  • Jennifer Sevilla
  • Robert Ortega
  • Chanda Romero as Mutya Sidro, the social worker
  • Ces Quesada

Special participation

Production

Call Me Mother was directed by Jun Lana and is a co-production between ABS-CBN Studios, ABS-CBN Film Productions, The IdeaFirst Company, and Viva Communications. Principal photography for Call Me Mother began on September 3.[7]

Filming

Call Me Mother became the first Asian film and third film worldwide to be shot (with permission) at Hong Kong Disneyland, as well as granting access to the park's particular areas and the use of the iconic characters. According to director Jun Lana, he stated that he gave credit to executive producer Perci Intalan, who formerly worked at and has connections with The Walt Disney Company.[8]

Release

Call Me Mother is set to premiere in Philippine cinemas on December 25, as one of the official entries to the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival.[5]

References

  1. ^ Oquendo, Xian (July 8, 2025). "Vice Ganda, Nadine Lustre, Jun Robles Lana join forces for MMFF 2025 entry 'Call Me Mother'". ABS-CBN News.
  2. ^ Bonoan, Reggee (July 9, 2025). "Vice, Nadine sanib-pwersa sa Call Me Mother; Piolo pasok uli sa MMFF 2025" [Vice, Nadine join forces for Call Me Mother; Piolo back in MMFF 2025]. Bandera (in Filipino). Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  3. ^ Mallorca, Hannah (July 10, 2025). "'Call Me Mother' is Vice Ganda, Nadine Lustre's reunion film after 10 years". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
  4. ^ Purnell, Kristofer (August 14, 2025). "Nadine Lustre takes pasarela lessons for MMFF 2025 film". The Philippine Star. Retrieved September 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c Geronimo, Mika (July 10, 2025). "Vice Ganda, Nadine Lustre movie 'Call Me Mother' among first batch of MMFF 2025 entries". ABS-CBN News.
  6. ^ Toff C. (October 1, 2025). "Nadine Lustre to play a beauty queen in MMFF movie 'Call Me Mother'". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  7. ^ Pasajol, Anne (September 5, 2025). "Vice Ganda, Nadine Lustre begin filming for MMFF entry 'Call Me Mother'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  8. ^ Sabio, Nikka (December 6, 2025). "Vice Ganda, Jun Lana reveal story behind Disneyland shoot in 'Call Me Mother' trailer". Push (ABS-CBN Entertainment). Retrieved December 7, 2025.