Photo credit: Billboard PH

Combo On The Run, the documentary chronicling the legendary Filipino rock band Eraserheads, has struck a high note overseas—bagging the Best International Feature Documentary Award at the 12th Ierapetra International Documentary and Film Festival in Crete, Greece.

Director and producer Maria Diane Ventura personally accepted the award during the festival’s ceremony, expressing her pride in representing the Philippines on an international stage. “I always feel honored, humbled, and grateful to represent our country in any capacity,” she said.

Ventura also shared how meaningful the film’s global reception has been, especially as it connects with audiences far beyond local shores. “We set out to tell a story close to our hearts, and somehow it found its way across oceans. It’s a privilege to carry our country’s voice and music from the Eraserheads, no less,” she added.

The win was only part of the film’s shining moment in Greece—it was also selected as the festival’s closing film, a coveted spot that capped off the event.

Before its European debut, Combo On The Run made history at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 last July, becoming the first Filipino-produced film and the first music documentary ever screened at the world-famous pop culture convention.

Following its Philippine theatrical release in March—where it earned widespread praise from critics and fans alike—the documentary is now gearing up for an international rollout, with talks underway for theatrical screenings in various cities worldwide before the year ends.

Since 2014, the International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra & Awards has gathered filmmakers from around the globe, offering them not just a platform for storytelling but also a taste of Greek hospitality in Ierapetra, the southernmost city in Europe.
With Combo On The Run making waves across continents, it seems the Eraserheads’ music—and the story behind it—will keep running far and wide.