Documentaries take center stage as Cinemalaya 2025 ticket sales soar to ₱13.4M

With ₱13.4 million in ticket sales and a strong showing from documentary filmmakers, Cinemalaya 2025 showed the power of persistence and storytelling.

Ticket sales for this year’s edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival reached ₱13.4 million—more than double last year’s ₱5.8 million, according to festival director Chris Millado.

“This is based on the sales from Shangri-La, Ayala, and Gateway cinemas,” Millado said during his speech at the Cinemalaya awards ceremony on Oct. 12. “Our reach last year was 30,000, but this year, it was 32,000. Is this a sign of the continued expansion of what we call the Cinemalaya footprint outside the CCP?”

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, Cinemalaya’s home since 2004, is currently under renovation.

“And if this trend continues, we’ll surpass our pre-pandemic revenue next year,” Millado added. “This is proof that despite our limited budget, our filmmakers persist in telling stories of life, death, struggle, and triumph as Filipinos.”

Documentaries take the spotlight

Millado ended on a hopeful note. “There’s hope in the morning,” he said, referring to the news that several Cinemalaya films had also won big at the Gawad Urian the night before. Interestingly, documentaries emerged as the biggest winners in both award ceremonies.

At Cinemalaya, Sari Dalena’s “Cinemartyrs” took home three major awards—Special Jury Prize, Best Director for Dalena, and Best Musical Score for Teresa Barrozo.

“My sister and I made this documentary, and it went through so much,” Dalena said. “We wanted to show how important it is to tell stories about women and history, because in knowing our past, we get to know ourselves.”

Another documentary, Noni Abao’s “Bloom Where You Are Planted,” won Best Film (Full-Length Feature) and Best Editing for Che Tagyamon.

“Our subjects were being pursued by the government,” Abao told Radar Entertainment. “We had to take precautions to make sure that before we finished the film, we were safe first. We managed that with help from lawyers, the crew, and Cinemalaya’s support.”

He added there were no plans for a commercial release. “We want to bring the film to communities and screen it for free. Where better to show it than to the people who live these stories? We want them to realize this is their story too—it’s not someone else’s.”

Celebrating the artists

Cinemalaya Foundation president Laurice Guillen expressed gratitude to those who made the festival possible. “To our jury members, your dedication to evaluating these works has been invaluable,” she said. “And to our audience, thank you for your curiosity and for supporting emerging filmmakers.”

This year’s main competition jury included actor-director Christopher de Leon, filmmaker-producer Pepe Diokno, film critic-journalist Mark Schilling, educator-screenwriter Sophia Wellington, and TV and film writer Michiko Yamamoto. The NETPAC jury members were actress Ina Feleo, director Loy Arcenas, and Indian filmmaker Pradip Kurbah.

“To our filmmakers, congratulations on completing these projects after months of dedication and perseverance,” Guillen added. “This journey isn’t just about awards—it’s about telling your story before an audience and learning what it truly means to be a filmmaker.”

Winners’ circle

Mylene Dizon and Jojit Lorenzo won Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively, for Dustin Celestino’s “Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan,” with Nanding Josef also winning Best Supporting Actor for the same film.

The Best Ensemble award went to Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Janella Salvador, Klea Pineda, and Leanne Mamonong for “Open Endings” by Nigel Santos, while Rochelle Pangilinan won Best Supporting Actress for Tim Rone Villanueva’s “Child No. 82: Son of Boy Kana.”

The NETPAC Award for Full-Length Feature went to Renei Dimla’s “Republika ng Pipolipinas,” while Villanueva and Herlyn Alegre won Best Screenplay for “Child No. 82,” which also earned the Audience Choice Award.

Ryan Machado’s “Raging” won Best Cinematography and Best Sound, while Best Production Design went to Jeric delos Angeles for Jenn Romano’s “Padamlagan.”

In the short film category, Carl Joseph Papa’s “Next 24 Hours” won Best Film, and Elian Idoima was named Best Director for “I’m Best Left in My Head.” 

Maria Estela Paiso’s “Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat Ha Langit” won the Special Jury Award, while Daniel dela Cruz’s “Hasang” received the NETPAC Award. “Figat” earned Handiong Kapuno the Best Screenplay trophy, and “Ascension for the Office Cubicle” won the Audience Choice Award.

Looking ahead

Guillen closed with a promise: “Cinemalaya is committed to continuing your work,” she said. “Soon, Cinemalaya will not just be a yearly event. We plan to bring back winning short and full-length films from 2005 to the present through monthly screenings. Next year, Cinemalaya 2026 returns in August, and before long, the call for entries for Cinemalaya 2027 will begin.”

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