I have been watching Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival since it started in 2004, or 21 years ago, which was traditionally held annually at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and various cinemas.
However, for the past three years CCP was not the main festival venue because of its rehabilitation. It was held in alternative venues-Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in 2023, Ayala Mall by the Bay in 2024. It will run this year in Shangrila Edsa from October 3 to 12, 2025.
The CCP building closed its doors at the beginning of 2023 to undergo a three-year rehabilitation, including upgrades, safety improvements, and restoration efforts aimed at preserving the building’s historic and cultural significance. This rehabilitation is a critical part of CCP’s broader vision to transform the complex into a world-class cultural hub for both the arts community and the public. The rehabilitation is slated for completion in late 2026.
My passion in watching Cinemalaya films perhaps is an offshoot of my exposure to experimental films during my college years in the late ’80s and ’90s at the UP Diliman where I saw several highly sensitive and political films.
Some of the films I saw included Lino Brocka’s ‘Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag’ (1975) and ‘Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim’ (1985), Ishmael Bernal’s ‘Himala’ (1982), Mike de Leon’s ‘Sister Stella L.’ (1984), and Marilou Diaz-Abaya’s ‘Karnal’ (1984) and whose daring works portrayed revolt, labor unionism, social ostracism, and class division.
Although it did not win the Best film award in 2005, ‘Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros’ by fellow UP alumnus Auraeus Solito became one of the icons of indie films.
The so-called ‘indie films’ embody Cinemalaya’s vision: ‘The creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.’
The full-length section has only one set of films from 2005 to 2009 called New Breed, with another section added from 2010 to 2014 called Director’s Showcase. It reverted back to one set as the Main Competition since 2016. Only short films competed in 2015, 2020 and 2021.
‘Layag sa Alon, Hangin, at Unos’ is this year’s theme reflecting the festival’s decades of weathering every storm of its era.
Competing in this year’s Full Length Films category are:
‘Bloom where you are planted’ by Noni Abao: Three land rights activists contend with their volatile notions of home amid terror and red-tagging in Cagayan Valley.
‘Child No. 82′ (Son of boy kana) by Tim Rone Villanueva: At a wake, a persevering high school student must prove that he is the 82nd child of the Philippines’ biggest action-fantasy movie star in the hopes of seeing his late father one last time.
‘Cinemartyrs’ by Sari Dalena: Recreating forgotten massacres from Philippine history, a young filmmaker begins shooting at a site where 1,000 men, women, and children were slaughtered. But the angry spirits are awakened and the lives of her team and the local villagers are put in peril.
‘Habang nilalamon ng hydra ang kasaysayan’ by Dustin Celestino: Four Filipinos confront the slow erasure of memory and truth in a country devoured by disinformation.
‘Open endings’ by Nigel Santos: Four queer women in their 30s who are exes-turned-best-friends navigate adulthood, love, friendship, chosen families, and everything in between.
‘Padamlágan’ (night light) by Jenn Romano: Five days before the proclamation of Martial Law, the Colgante Bridge collapsed in Naga, forcing a father into a desperate search for his missing son.
‘Paglilitis’ by Cheska Marfori: Years after experiencing sexual harassment at her workplace, a former executive assistant is persuaded by a passionate lawyer to file a case against her rich and highly respected boss.
‘Raging’ by Ryan Machado: A young man’s quest for truth and justice intertwines with a plane crash mystery, uncovering a sinister plot that propels his desire to be heard but also threatens his community.
‘Republika ng pipolipinas’ by Renei Dimla: When the local government threatens to evict her from her own land, a farmer renounces her Filipino citizenship and builds her own micronation.
‘Warla’ by Kevin Alambra Kitkat: a 19-year-old transgender woman finds the family she’s been longing for in a gang of sisters who kidnap foreign men to fund their gender-affirming surgeries, until their crimes force her to question the true cost of belonging.
Competing in the Short Films Category are ‘Ascension from the Office Cubicle’ by Hannah Silvestre; ‘Figat’ by Handiong Kapuno; ‘Hasang’ by Daniel de la Cruz; ‘I’m Best Left Inside My Head’ by Elian Idioma; ‘Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat Ha Langit’ by Marie Estela Pais; ‘Kung Tugnaw ang Kaidalman Sang Lawod’ by Seth Andrew Blanca; ‘Please Keep This Copy’ by Miguel Lorenzo Peralta; ‘Radikals’ by Arvin Belarmino; ‘The Next 24 Hours’ by Carl Joseph Papa and ‘Water Sports’ by Whammy Alcazaren.