Seven films from the Philippines have made it to the shortlist of the ASEAN International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) 2025, cementing the country’s strong presence at the biennial event.
Now in its seventh edition, the festival will run from Nov. 12 to 15 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia. From more than 200 submissions – the highest in AIFFA history – only select entries made the cut, with the Philippines landing seven coveted slots.
The films representing the country are Sheron Dayoc’s ‘The Gospel of the Beast,’ Dominic Bekaert’s ‘An Errand,’ Louie Ignacio’s ‘Avenida,’ Petersen Vargas’ ‘Some Nights I Feel Like Walking,’ Zig Dulay’s ‘Green Bones’ and ‘Firefly: The Movie’ and Derick Cabrido’s ‘Mallari.’
Rain Yamson III, AIFFA’s liaison officer for the Philippines, announced the shortlist and called the achievement another testament to Filipino creativity. ‘Filipino filmmakers are limitless already. We’re now able to expand. Southeast Asia now appreciates our work,’ he said.
AIFFA festival director Livan Tajang, represented in Manila by Fadhilla ‘Dillah’ Abdulla, highlighted the Philippines’ unwavering support. ‘We look forward to the Philippines bringing a lot more movies in the coming years. The country has been very supportive through the years,’ Abdulla told reporters at a recent media gathering. She also noted that AIFFA has seen historic Filipino winners, including National Artist for Film Nora Aunor, actress Cherie Gil and filmmaker Joseph Israel Laban – all of whom have since passed away, but not before being honored by the festival. Since its founding in 2013, AIFFA has drawn around 300 industry professionals from across Asean and beyond. Alongside screenings and the Gala Night, the 2025 edition will feature workshops, masterclasses, exhibitions, and a new category: the Borneo Documentary Awards.
For Filipino artists, AIFFA has long been both a competition and a celebration. Actor Tommy Alejandrino (‘The Baseball Player’) fondly recalled the camaraderie: ‘We partied almost every night. But we were also very professional about it. We met a lot of filmmakers there. It was such a great experience.’
Filmmaker Christian Paolo Lat (‘Solace’) emphasized the festival’s opportunities for cultural exchange: ‘The most memorable was meeting (Korean celebrity) Rain because I’m a big fan of his. He was the special guest and I saw him during the awards night. I’ve always looked up to him as an actor and as a dancer. The trip was also made memorable by meeting filmmakers from other countries. Overall, it was an amazing experience.’
Roman Perez Jr., who previously screened ‘Kaluskos’ and ‘Sitio Diablo’ at AIFFA, praised the festival’s openness: ‘Bringing ‘Sitio Diablo’ there was tricky since Malaysia is an Islamic country, but they allowed the film to be screened even though there were a lot of love scenes, rape scenes, and drugs. It was shown uncut. I’m thankful to AIFFA because there were no barriers. The best part was, they know all about Vivamax in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Cambodia. They were looking for me, and they asked: ‘Who is the Vivamax director here?”
Past winner Max Eigenmann, who won best actress for ‘Kargo’ in 2023, also joined the announcement. Looking back, Eigenmann reflected on her connection to her aunt Cherie – herself an AIFFA Best Actress winner in 2017: ‘She’s always with me. I got a tattoo of her initials here – that’s CG.’
The festival will culminate in the Gala Night at the Colosseum, Pullman Hotel Kuching, where 12 AIFFA awards will be presented. With seven contenders in the running, the Philippines once again heads into the festival as one of its strongest forces. /ra