This chapter examines the star images of Philippine cinema's two biggest stars, Nora Aunor and Sharon Cuneta, and the ideological functions they serve in films about Filipino migrant workers. Nora, who rose to fame in the 1970s, is known as the ‘Superstar’, while Sharon, who first became popular in the 1980s, is known as the ‘Megastar’. Both stars achieved enormous success in their music, film and television careers and attracted legions of devoted fans – the Noranians and Sharonians, respectively. Although their star images differ in many ways, there are some significant similarities. Both started out in the music industry before venturing into making movies, and early in their careers they starred in youth-oriented romantic films before later tackling more serious roles. Nora and Sharon are also known for their roles as babaeng martir (the long-suffering female) and recently their roles as Filipino migrant workers, or Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

This chapter analyses the star images of Nora in The Flor Contemplacion Story ( Joel C. Lamangan, 1995) and Sharon in Caregiver (Chito S. Roño, 2008) and the roles they play in shaping the meanings of these films in relation to discourses on migrant labour. I argue that the star images of Nora and Sharon as babaeng martir are mobilised for different ideological purposes in the OFW films according to the larger social context which shapes the evolving discourses on migrant work. While star images can be used to personalise the collective suffering of OFWs, they can also amplify its dangers and cultivate collective action to respond to abuses and injustices. As the analysis below shows, Sharon's star image arouses individualised aspirations that are fulfilled through migrant work, while Nora's evokes collective empathy and solidarity with the OFW. In what follows, I discuss stars as primary ideological vehicles in films, drawing from the works of Richard Dyer (1998) and Janet Thumin (1986). Then, I briefly sketch the emergence of OFW films in Filipino commercial cinema in the context of the country's increasingly naturalised labour export policy, demonstrating how OFW films have become part of the machinery of stardom in Philippine film and media. I then analyse the representation of migrant work in The Flor Contemplacion Story and Caregiver and identify how the star images of Nora and Sharon frame possible readings of these representations.