Cinemalaya 2025’s travel at sea successfully concludes ashore
Cinemalaya 2025, a project by the Cinemalaya Foundation and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), successfully sailed afloat with the theme “Layag: sa Alon, Hangin at Unós.” From October 3 to 14, 2025, the film festival featured 10 full-length films and 10 shorts centered on Filipino narratives. By the end of its weeklong run, the film festival broke a record on its last day.
Indeed, from poignant stories of history to the queerness and complexities of life, the festival offers a relatable story for everyone. It does not matter whether you are a certified cinephile or simply looking to kill time.
Initially, Cinemalaya held the film festival at Shangri-La Plaza, and audiences watched from October 3 to October 12. Following this, audiences were able to watch the films at Gateway, Ayala Malls Cinemas in Manila Bay, Market! Market!, Circuit, and U.P. Town Center from October 4 to 12.
A sea of stories with different depths
Cinemalaya offered 20 films this year, 10 full-length films and 10 shorts. Each film covers a different depth of the Filipino narrative, presenting a unique take that touches Filipinos’ hearts.
Furthermore, the 10 full-length films are the following:
- Bloom Where You Are Planted, Noni Abao
Three land rights activists contend with their volatile notions of home amid red-tagging in Cagayan Valley.
- Child No. 82: Anak ni Boy Kana, Tim Rone Villanueva
A persevering high school student must prove that he is the 82nd child of the Philippines’ biggest action-fantasy star, hoping to see his late father one last time.
- Cinemartyrs, dir. Sari Dalena
A young filmmaker starts shooting a movie at the site of a forgotten massacre, aiming to bring the historic atrocity back to life. Her actions awaken angry spirits, putting her team and the village in peril.
- Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan, Dustin Celestino
Four Filipinos confront the slow erasure of memory and truth in a country devoured by disinformation.
- Open Endings, Nigel Santos
Four queer women in their 30s who are exes-turned-best-friends navigate adulthood, love, life, and everything in between.
- Padamlágan, Jenn Romano
Five days before Martial Law’s proclamation, the Colgante Bridge collapsed in Naga, forcing a father into a desperate search for his son.
- Paglilitis, Cheska Marfori
A former executive assistant experienced sexual harassment at her workplace. A passionate lawyer persuades her to file a case against her rich boss.
- Raging, Ryan Machado
A young man’s quest for truth and justice uncovers a sinister plot that threatens his community
- Republika ng Pipolipinas, Renei Dimla
A farmer, facing eviction by the Philippine government, renounces citizenship and establishes a micronation on her own land.
- Warla, Kevin Alambra
Kitkat, a 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.
The film festival also screened the following: Ascension from the Office Cubicle, Figat, Hasang, I’m Best Left Inside My Head, Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat Ha Langit, Kung Tugnaw Ang Kaidalman Sang Lawod, Please Keep This Copy, Radikals, The Next 24 Hours, and Water Sports.
Cinemalaya’s success upon reaching ashore
The film festival found its prize upon ending its journey at the shore. As a platform for new Filipino filmmakers, Cinemalaya posted record-breaking box office sales of 13.4 million pesos throughout its weeklong screening.
The festival director Chris Millado announced the substantial amount during the film festival’s awards ceremony last October 12. Despite this year’s delay, he also highlighted Cinemalaya 2025’s success in comparison to 2024. In his own words, the jump from last year’s ₱5.8 million is more than a hundred percent increase.
This shows that with Philippine cinema’s continual evolution, the Filipinos are paddling the extra mile to show their support for diverse stories created by their fellow Filipinos.
Beyond the number, Cinemalaya’s success poses a new era not just for the film festival itself, but for the Filipino film industry as well. As long as the tradition of visual storytelling lives on, Cinemalaya continues to allow the strenuous waves of Filipino stories to reach ashore.
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