Rodina Singh’s ‘Dreamboi’ shines brightest at the first CineSilip Film Festival

Rodina Singh’s ‘Dreamboi’ takes the spotlight at the first CineSilip Film Festival, winning multiple major awards and capturing audiences with its bold storytelling and emotional depth.

Bold storytelling and raw emotion took center stage as Rodina Singh’s “Dreamboi” swept major honors at the inaugural CineSilip Film Festival, held at Viva Café in Cubao, Quezon City, on Monday.

The daring queer coming-of-age film captured both the jury’s and the audience’s hearts, earning the festival’s top recognitions including Best Film, Best Director (Rodina Singh), Best Cinematography (Malay Javier), Best Production Design (Chips Day Abando), Best Editing (Arnex Nicolas), Best Sound (Immanuel Verona and John Buquid), Best Supporting Actor (Migs Almendras), and the Audience Prize Award.

Following closely behind was “Haplos sa Hangin,” which won Best Screenplay for Sonny Calvento and Mikko Baldoza, Best Musical Score for Paolo Almaden, and Best Actor for Martin Del Rosario.

Meanwhile, “Pagdaong” made its own mark, with Angela Morena taking home Best Actress, and the film being named Second Best Film.

Top Winners of CineSilip 2025:

• First Best Film: “Dreamboi”
• Second Best Film: “Pagdaong”
• Third Best Film: “Haplos sa Hangin”

In an interview with radar, director Rodina Singh expressed her gratitude and excitement over the film’s success and reception.

“Happy lang ako na nadadagdagan pa kami ng mga sinehan and at the same time nagugustuhan rin ng mga tao iyung pelikula,” Singh shared.

She also reflected on the challenges of promoting a daring and R-18 rated queer film.

“It’s a mix of both. Pero kasi kami, we spent so much time sa promo talaga. Kasi ang challenge dito is to get people inside the cinema, so mayroon ka na ngang struggle locally, what more kung R-18 pa and queer film pa. So the limitations are there.”

Despite the hurdles, Singh said that the team remained motivated especially after overcoming early restrictions and receiving overwhelming audience support.

“Nakatulong rin kasi pinabawalan tayo ng MTRCB kasi people around can vouch na hindi siya dapat X rating,” she began, referring to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board that is mandated to review and classify local audio-visual projects prior to their public release. “So I guess nakatulong rin ‘yon, but lastly, ang magagandang reviews nakatulong ng sobra sa amin,” she said.

Only on its first year, the CineSilip Film Festival stands as a new platform for bold and boundary-pushing Filipino cinema, highlighting stories that challenge convention and celebrate the depth and diversity of local storytelling.

The festival runs until Oct. 28 in selected cinemas nationwide.

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