Full list: the winners of Cinemalaya 2025

This powerful film follows Sheila, a 29-year-old woman living in Metro Manila, as she navigates a cold and bureaucratic system over the course of 24 hours in the aftermath of a sexual assault. In between those hours, she faces a detached healthcare system, hides her trauma at work and resists her assailant’s manipulation.

This harrowing and intimate look at how society fails to protect its victims earned its award “for its hauntingly tender portrayal of trauma and survival; for rendering silence, fear and resilience through rotoscope animation with profound sensitivity and compassion; for using art as advocacy to give voice to those still struggling to speak.”

Read more: On trauma, Oscars campaign, and more: Carl Papa talks about ‘Iti Mapukpukaw’

Renowned independent filmmaker here and abroad, Sari Dalena (The Guerrilla is a Poet, Dahling Nick) received the Best Director award for her film Cinemartyrs, a film that follows the journey of a young filmmaker as she recreates the forgotten massacres from Philippine history. Set during the period of decline in alternative filmmaking in the country during the 1990s, a time when experimental shorts and documentary films were still being shot on 16mm format, Cinemartyrs loosely employs Dalena’s own experiences in filming her Philippine-American War documentary Memories of a Forgotten War and incorporates some of her archived footage from the said film. At its core, the film raises the question of how the horrors of history continue to reverberate to the present.

During the awarding, Dalena was recognised for “her bold and visionary authorship that fuses cinema, history and haunting memory into a singular act of resistance; for reclaiming women’s voices within the nation’s buried traumas through guerrilla filmmaking that is both mystical and political.”

The film also received the Best Musical Scoring award and the Special Jury Prize.

I’m Best Left Inside My Head follows Alec Dominguez, a 20-something-year-old multi-talented, multi-awarded “golden boy”, who was adopted by gay philanthropists who own an orphanage. In reuniting with his friends from his old home, Alec begins to dig deeper into his life after adoption, and how it feels having gay adoptive parents.

Idioma’s film was recognised for “its deft control of tone, emotional precision and psychological depth; for transforming a young man’s haunting homecoming to his former orphanage into a meditation on guilt, privilege and belonging rendered with remarkable sensitivity and vision.”

Commended for their “witty and poignant writing that turns a son’s desperate longing to meet his legendary father into a journey of truth and self-discovery; for peeling away the myth of a larger-than-life movie idol to reveal the fragile heart of fatherhood”, writer-filmmaker Tim Rone Villanueva and his screenwriter partner Herlyn Alegre received the Best Screenplay award for Child No. 82.

This hilariously entertaining film follows Max, a 17-year-old student who was rumoured to be an illegitimate son of the late action-fantasy movie star Maximo “Boy Kana” Maniego, Sr. To prove that he is a son of the late cinema icon, he had to line up with hundreds of fans and villains, plus the many other illegitimate offspring older than him, as they claim their rightful places in Boy Kana’s life.

Rochelle Pangilinan earned her first Cinemalaya award, particularly Best Performance of a Supporting Actress, for her portrayal of Max’s mother in this film. Her citation reads, “Her restrained yet searing portrayal of a mother holding her dignity amid abandonment and illusion; for embodying both the ache of loss and the quiet strength of survival as she watches her son chase the myth of a father who was never there.”

Also, the film received the Audience Choice award, as well as the short film Ascension from the Office Cubicle by Hannah Silvestre, due to its appeal among festival goers.

Filmmaker Handiong Kapuno received the Best Screenplay award for her film Figat, which translates to ‘tomorrow’, a simple and uplifting short film that tackles the pull of technology and modernity among our indigenous peoples. The citation praises the film for “its sheer authenticity, lyrical storytelling and cultural depth, for its powerful affirmation of indigenous identity and modern distractions and for its heartfelt portrayal of a young Kalinga girl preserving her heritage through music.”

Figat celebrates tradition, resilience and the quiet strength of a young girl determined to keep her culture alive by embarking on a journey to craft a traditional musical instrument, not only bridging the gap between past and present but also awakening a sense of cultural pride that resonates far beyond her classroom.

Republika ng Pipolipinas is a powerful take on what might happen when someone protests against the government’s plan to take her land and home and decides to build her own micronation. Telling the story of Cora Vitug, a disillusioned farmer, creates a solitary act of defiance that inspires some people to stand their ground and create a new government with the strong belief that she is doing the right thing, amidst speculations of insanity. This mockumentary was inspired by the concept of “micronation”, a pretend independent state that holds no legal or political power like other established sovereign states. In this David-versus-Goliath modern tale, a woman struggles for her rights and yet faces the questions of blind patriotism.

This film was cited for “its powerful story about resistance, citizenship and the search for belonging. The film stands out for its courage, creativity and heart”, making it earn the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema (NETPAC) award for Best Film in the full-length category.

Hasang by Daniel De La Cruz takes home the NETPAC Award for “its tender, poetic work that blurs the line between myth and memory, and between the real and the spiritual with remarkable restraint. The film stands out for its delicate storytelling, stunning visual simplicity and deep spiritual resonance.”

This film follows Boni, who lives in a rural community steeped in indigenous beliefs that the deceased are believed to transform into animals after death and return to the wilderness. One summer, he is entrusted with caring for his grandmother, only to witness her slowly transforming into a tilapia. Conflicted by love, fear and helplessness, he must navigate his grief and the spiritual significance of her transformation. Boni faces a challenging journey of letting go and embracing the mystical truths while discovering the interconnectedness of all beings in their slowly deteriorating world.

In this film, four Filipinos cope with their lives after a painful political defeat. Kiko, a political strategist, questions the purpose of his lifelong struggle. Bea, a history professor, attempts to teach a past her country would rather forget. David, a disillusioned speechwriter, becomes entrapped by the very lies he tries to challenge. Mela, an election lawyer, confronts family secrets she has long avoided. Each one searches for purpose as truths fade, histories blur and memory itself becomes an act of defiance.

Actor Jojit Lorenzo won Best Performance of an Actor for “his restrained yet piercing portrayal of a political strategist confronting disillusionment and moral exhaustion in a nation consumed by lies; for embodying the quiet despair and stubborn hope of a man searching for meaning amid history’s erasure.”

While Tanghalang Pilipino artistic director Nanding Josef was recognised as Best Performance of a Supporting Actor for “his chilling yet deeply human portrayal of a once-feared Martial Law general now fading into the fog of dementia; for embodying both the terror of tyranny and the fragility of remorse.”

Actress Mylene Dizon won the award for Best Performance of an Actress. Dizon was praised for “her searing and compassionate portrayal of a daughter haunted by the sins of her father—a onetime enforcer of a brutal regime—yet bound to protect him in his frailty; for embodying a conscience torn between love, guilt and moral reckoning.”

Set in the mid-90s in Sibuyan, Romblon, Philippines, Raging follows Eli, a young man in his late teens who was raped by one of his peers. After reporting the incident to the authorities and having it dismissed to be a playful prank between friends, he retreats into a world of silence and isolation, magnified when his father leaves him to work in a covert mining site in their small town. When he tries to return to normal life, his abuser continues to appear, casting a shadow over his every move and provoking at every opportunity. One night, when Eli witnesses a plane crash that vanishes without a trace, something sparks inside him, igniting a strong desire to break his silence. This strange event leads him to conduct a personal quest that parallels his quest for justice.

Cinematographer Theo Lozada earned recognition for the film’s “evocative interplay of light and shadow that mirrors a young man’s silence and awakening; for capturing the humid stillness of Romblon’s seas and forests as landscapes of both trauma and truth.”

Meanwhile, Lamberto Casas Jr received the award for Best Sound as the film notably rendered an immersive soundscape “that transforms silence, sea and sorrow into an echo of buried trauma; for amplifying the unspoken anguish of a young man whose cry for help is met with indifference, deepening his isolation and pain.”

The film tells the story of Doring, a devoted participant in Naga City’s annual fluvial procession for Our Lady of Peñafrancia, set against the backdrop of the 1972 Colgante Bridge tragedy. This year, the procession is complicated by the return of his estranged son, Ivan, from Manila. The bridge, overloaded with spectators, collapses during the procession, plunging the crowd into the river. Doring believes that he saw Ivan participate in the procession despite his initial retaliation. In the chaotic aftermath, Doring desperately searches for Ivan amid overwhelmed hospitals and indifferent officials. The search is frustrated by a broken system and rumours that some victims may have vanished into something darker, that is, with the insurgents in the mountains. The unresolved tragedy is then silenced five days later by the declaration of Martial Law. Doring's personal search for his son becomes a reflection of a nation's haunting, unresolved loss that continues to linger in memory and archives.

Jeric Delos Angeles received the award for Best Production Design, for “transforming archival fragments, survivor testimonies and lived spaces into a seamless visual world where fiction and history converge; for reconstructing 1972 Naga City with both authenticity and reverence—from the fluvial devotion of Peñafrancia to the ruins of the Colgante Bridge—and for crafting a setting that honors memory as much as it reveals loss.”

Open Endings follows Hannah, Charlie, Kit and Mihan, four queer women in their early 30s who share a deeply entangled history: first girl crush, first girlfriend, first kiss, first love, great love, heartbreaks, one-night stands, even ghosting. The romance may have ended, but the friendship held strong.

Janella Salvador, Klea Pineda, Leanne Mamonong, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith were commended for their portrayal in the film, which was cited for “the seamless chemistry, emotional depth,and playful vitality... that breathe life into a rare story of chosen family and intimacy; and for capturing with honesty, humour and grace the enduring bonds between queer women navigating love, loss and friendship.”

Utilising magic realism and photo-animation, this short film follows a young girl’s transformation into a half-fish-half-human with her mother while the territorial aggression of China in the West Philippine Sea looms over their fisherfolk. Fusing fragments of Zambales memory, Objects tackles Chinese territorial aggression but also poses the question: what do we do about them and all the other imperialists preying on our sovereignty?

Maria Estela Paiso’s short film entry to the Cinemalaya was cited for “its fearless vision, poetic fury and striking fusion of myth and memory; for transforming the West Philippine Sea’s wounds into a powerful cinematic allegory of sovereignty and rage.”

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