The 21st edition of Cinemalaya “sets sail” with compelling short feature and full-length films

The tedious process of preparing for the roster of competing films each year is something that Cinemalaya Foundation president Laurice Guillen calls as a “never-ending cycle”.

“Yes, the whole process, submission, development to final film took about 20 months. That means, as we introduce to you today, the new films of Cinemalaya 2025, work on the 2026 batch had already begun,” Guillen explains. “After 20 years, you can say it’s a never-ending process and a continuing cycle. Difficult, almost impossible, but thoroughly necessary, meaningful and valuable to the industry and to Philippine culture.”

To further deepen the relationship that the festival has built among practitioners and supporters of the film industry, Guillen shares the foundation’s intention to establish a Cinemalaya Club, open for filmmakers, audience, press, partners and friends. The reason behind this is the foundation’s aim to know their audiences who share their vision and mission, can give them feedback, assist them in whatever capacity to grow in number and in spirit.

Read more: Cinemalaya 2024’s closing film ‘Bona’ sheds light on the perils of obsession

Hannah Silvestre’s Ascension from the Office Cubicle follows Thelma, an exploited call center agent, who grows increasingly enamoured by the host of a late night local lottery draw.

Handiong Kapuno, a multifaceted indigenous Filipino artist, is premiering his film, Figat, which translates to “tomorrow”. It tells the story of a young Kalinga girl, untouched by the pull of technology, who brings a handmade instrument to class, carrying the voices of her ancestors and inspiring a quiet yet powerful return to cultural pride.

Daniel Dela Cruz’s Hasang [Gills], is set on a young boy’s poignant summer experience—witnessing his grandmother slowly transforming into a fish as the rural community they live in believe that the deceased transform into animals after death and return to the wilderness.

I’m Best Left Inside my Head, directed by Elian Idioma, follows Alec Dominguez, a 20-something-year-old multi-talented, multi-awarded, golden boy adopted by gay philanthropists, who returns to the orphanage he came from to reunite with his old friends.

In Maria Estela Paiso’s Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat Ha Langit [Objects Do Not Randomly Fall From the Sky], she explores the similar theme by tackling the tension in the West Philippine Sea affecting local fisherfolk from the lens of a young girl who turns into fish.

Former seafarer Seth Andrew Blanca, who later ventured into filmmaking and participated in local and international film festivals, is showing the struggles of a debt-stricken seafarer in his film Kung Tugnaw ang Kaidalman sang Lawod [Cold as the Ocean Runs Deep].

In Please Keep This Copy, Miguel Lorenzo Peralta tells the story of a rowdy class of high school students from an elite private all-boys Catholic school through archival voices, old documents and mementos.

Arvin Belarmino, whose recent film Agapito made it to the 78th Festival de Cannes, tells the story of a young rookie from a bizarre chicken-dance group in Radikals. What begins as a humiliating encounter spirals into a bizarre chain of events, revealing the troupe’s unsettling way of handling its weakest links.

Carl Joseph Papa, whose acclaimed film Iti Mapukpukaw represented the country at the previous Academy Awards, is joining the short film competition with The Next 24 Hours. It follows sexual assault victim Sheila’s plight in navigating a cold and bureaucratic system over the course of 24 hours, fighting to reclaim her safety and sanity while battling the manipulation of her assailant.

Lastly, Whammy Alcazaren is telling the story of two sad boys harnessing the power of their love in an attempt to survive a world devastated by climate change, with the film Water Sports.

Noni Abao’s Bloom Where You Are Planted, highlights three land rights activists unable to return to their homes because of the rampant terror and red-tagging in Cagayan Valley.

Tim Rone Villanueva’s Child No. 82 (Son of Boy Kana) tells a fictional, yet resonating tale of a 17-year-old student rumoured to be the 82nd child of Maximo “Boy Kana” Maniego Sr, the biggest action-fantasy movie star of Philippine Cinema.

Renowned independent filmmaker, Sari Dalena, in Cinemartyrs showcases a young filmmaker who sets out to recreate forgotten massacres from Philippine history. But when she is challenged by the committee, filmmaking journey led her to present-day war-torn locations where the atrocities occurred—awakening angry spirits and putting the villagers in peril.

Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan [As the Hydra Devours History] by acclaimed filmmaker Dustin Celestino features four Filipinos confronting the slow erasure of memory and truth in a country devoured by disinformation.

Open Endings by Nigel Santos marks her Cinemalaya debut with Open Endings, highlighting four queer women in their 30s who are exes-turned-best-friends navigating adulthood, love, friendship, chosen families and everything in between.

Padamlágan [Night Light] by Jen Romano retells the story of the collapse of the Colgante Bridge five days before the proclamation of Martial Law in 1972. 

Cheska Marfori’s Paglilitis [A Trial] tackles trauma from sexual harassment at workplaces through the story of Jonalyn Samuel, who was persuaded by a passionate lawyer to file a case against her rich and highly respected boss.

Ryan Machado’s Raging is set in the mid-Nineties in Sibuyan, Romblon and tells a young man’s quest for truth and justice after witnessing a plane crash mystery.

In Palanca-awardee Renei Dimla’s Republika ng Pipolipinas, a local government threatens to evict a disillusioned farmer from her own land. This propels her to renounce her Filipino citizenship and build a micronation as an act of defiance.

Lastly, Kevin Alambra spotlights Kitkat, a 19-year-old transgender woman, in his film Warla. This film, though a crime drama on the surface, sheds light on the struggles and aspirations of transgender women and explores their pursuit to belonging.

NOW READ

Step into Central Perk: the ‘Friends’ experience lands in Manila this October

Everything you need to know about Lav Diaz’s most ambitious film yet, ‘Magellan’

From ‘José Rizal’ to ‘Himala’: Filipino films that swept awards nights and set records