Mobile-shot Ilonggo short film heads to CCCL Film Festival in Thailand

Ilonggo mobile-shot film “Ang Gadya Sang Suba” enters Thailand festival.

Ilonggo short film “Ang Gadya Sang Suba” (The Tale of the River Monster), directed by Daniel de la Cruz, continues its international run after being officially selected for the CCCL Film Festival in Thailand.

The festival is Thailand’s first film showcase dedicated entirely to climate crisis stories and environmental awareness in Southeast Asia, highlighting urgent ecological issues through cinema.

Set to take place from June 12 to 21 at Lido Connect and Jim Thompson Art Center, Bangkok, the festival highlights films tackling climate impacts, resilience, sustainability, and the realities faced by communities across the region.

The announcement was shared by De la Cruz, who reflected on the milestone of seeing a mobile phone-shot regional film reach another international stage.

“Regional stories are not small stories,” De la Cruz wrote. “Western Visayan narratives carry entire histories, wounds, resistance, and memory within them.”

He also emphasized how stories from the regions are often treated as peripheral despite carrying deeply human truths that resonate universally. For the filmmaker, the selection is proof that personal and local narratives can travel beyond borders regardless of budget or production limitations.

Among the Filipino films competing in the short film section alongside Dela Cruz’s are Hans Rivera’s “Day of the Everlasting Sun,” Ashley Manugas’ “Emergency,” Austin Tan’s “Lagi na lang Umuulan sa Probinsya,” and Ashley Manugas’ “Kataw.” 

“Ang Gadya Sang Suba” previously premiered at the Montañosa Film Festival in 2025, where it won Best Film. The short film also took home the Best Short Film (Open Category) award at Sinag Maynila Film Festival 2025.

The CCCL selection marks De la Cruz’s second international film festival appearance after “Hasang” became the sole Filipino film selected for the 40th Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) held in Switzerland.

Produced under Bdabda Studios, the film’s inclusion in CCCL further shines a spotlight on regional Filipino cinema and the growing presence of Western Visayan storytelling in international film spaces.