Bitter Melon, is an independent 2018 American dark comedy film written and directed by H.P. Mendoza. It debuted at the 2018 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival and was released theatrically by ABS-CBN on December 7, 2018 and on home video by Gravitas Ventures on October 1, 2019. The film's title refers to the tropical vegetable with a bitter flavor known in the Philippines as ampalaya. On December 11, 2019, Bitter Melon was named one of "The 20 Best Bay Area Movies of the Decade" by The Mercury News after having placed on numerous "Best of 2018" lists.