Ruru Madrid makes Cinemalaya debut, fulfills career milestone dream

The project pushed the star to explore a different approach to acting.

For Ruru Madrid, joining this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival marks the fulfillment of a long-time career dream.

Madrid, a first-time Cinemalaya participant, leads one of the entries in the festival’s 2026 edition through the film “Hand of God.” The actor shared that he has long been a fan of Cinemalaya for its meaningful storytelling.

“I feel like na-manifest ko siya. When I did ‘Green Bones’ for MMFF, sabi ko, ‘Sana makagawa ako ng Cinemalaya,’” he said. “Since bata pa lang ako, aware na ako sa mga pelikula ng Cinemalaya. Napanood ko pa ang opening film na ‘Above the Clouds’ sa CCP.”

Despite juggling his ongoing GMA series “Hari ng Tondo,” Madrid said he made sure to fully commit to the film.

“It took us 10 days. Ang hirap. The challenge was doing this while taping for ‘Hari ng Tondo’ at the same time,” he said.

The project also pushed him to explore a different acting approach.

“Iba ang masculinity ng characters na ginagampanan ko. In this case, mas idealistic siya, maraming pangarap sa buhay. Bago, so iba,” he said.

Madrid added that he set aside expectations of awards, emphasizing that the film aims to tell an inspiring true story.

“Masaya ako kung ma-nominate or manalo, but we didn’t do this film for awards. Ginawa namin ito para makapagkuwento ng totoong istorya. It’s based on true events. It’s a story of hope na kahit sino makaka-relate,” he said.

The film co-stars Iza Calzado, Sue Ramirez, and Ronnie Lazaro. Shot on location in Basilan, the sports drama explores themes of trust, unity, and hope through football.

Madrid plays an army lieutenant in “Hand of God” (also known as “Kamay ni Bathala”), directed by Mark Duane Angos. The film follows a young soldier stationed in a remote village in Mindanao who teaches football to local children.

The 2026 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival runs from August 6 to 16 in participating cinemas across Metro Manila.

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