Cinemalaya: New breed of Filipino talent

Ira Agting

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The 9th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival takes place from July 26 to August 4

CINEMALAYA. A celebration of fresh Filipino talent.

MANILA, Philippines – A new breed of Filipino filmmakers will be showcased in the 9th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival from July 26 to August 4.

Cinemalaya is a festival and competition that brings forward fresh perspectives and “works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.”

It was established in the hopes of developing and supporting Filipino independent filmmakers whose work promote the Filipino identity.

The best works selected from hundreds of entries will be screened at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Trinoma and Greenbelt Cinemas.

Films in the New Breed Full Length Category are given financial grants.

New Breed Full Length Category

Babagwa” (The Spider’s Lair) by Jason Paul Laxamana

Jason Paul Laxamana’s film tells the story of an Internet scammer who falls in love with his victim while he tries to trick her with a fake Facebook page. 

Debosyon” by Alvin B. Yapan

A devotee injured in the forest at the foot of Mayon Volcano, falls in love with a mysterious woman who nurses him back to health. A curse, however, keeps the two apart, leaving Mando to look to his devotion to the Virgin of Peñafrancia to lift the curse.

Instant Mommy” by Leo Abaya

Leo Abaya’s film starring Eugine Domingo, tells the humorous story of Bechayda, a wardrobe assistant for TV ads, who fakes a pregnancy  to escape a personal problem. 

INSTANT MOMMY

Nuwebe” by Joseph Israel M. Laban

Inspired by true events, Joseph Laban’s documentary-style film tells the story of a young girl who becomes pregnant at the age of 9 after being sexually abused by her father.

NUWEBE. A film inspired by the real-life story of a girl who became pregnant at the age of 9. Photo from the Nuwebe Facebook page

Purok 7” by Carlo Obispo

Carlo Obispo’s “dramedy” (drama-comedy) tells the story of two siblings left to fend for themselves after their mother goes abroad and their father leaves them for another woman. 

PUROK 7. A drama-comedy about siblings living life without their parents. Photo from the Purok 7 Facebook page

Quick Change” by Eduardo Roy Jr.

Eduardo Roy Jr’s “story of suffering, acceptance, and hope,” revolves around a transsexual looking for his rightful place in a messy and complicated world.

QUICK CHANGE. A story of a transsexual finding his place in the world. Photo from the Quick Change Facebook page

Rekorder” by Mikhail Red

In “Rekorder,” a 1980s film cameraman is presently occupied with illegally recording films in movie theaters. “One night he records something else, and the footage goes viral.


The Diplomat Hotel” by Christopher Ad Castillo

Gretchen Barretto plays a famous news reporter who suffers a meltdown after a hostage crisis goes terribly wrong. To redeem herself, she and her crew create a documentary of the abandoned Diplomat Hotel in Baguio City, only to find “monstrous evil” that will change them for life.

Transit” by Hannah Espia

Jasmine Curtis-Smith stars in “Transit,” a story about a single father who is forced to hide his children from immigration police in Israel after the Israeli government decides to deport children of immigrant workers.

TRANSIT. A family of immigrants fight to stay together. Photo from the Transit Facebook page

“David F.” by Manny Palo

Historical film “David F.” pieces together 3 stories about African Americans in the Philippines, beginning with the Philippine-American war in the early 1900s, to the Japanese occupation, until the present era.

Director’s Showcase

Amor y Muerte” (Love and Death) by Ces Evangelista

Cen Evangelista’s erotic drama set in the Spanish period portrays the relationship between indios (natives) and Spanish colonizers.

Watch the trailer here:


“Ekstra” by Jeffrey Jeturian

Described as a “socio-realist drama-comedy film,” Jeffrey Jeturian’s “Ekstra” stars Vilma Santos as a soap opera actress. Social inequality is seen as the telenovela‘s production goes on.

“Porno” by Adolfo B. Alix Jr.

Adolfo B. Alix Jr. presents “3 souls, one explicit illusion,” in the search of “ultimate joy and a safe haven.”

Sana Dati” by Jerrold Tarog

Romance drama “Sana Dati” tells of the heartbreak of a love lost. A woman is reminded of her past love hours before her wedding with a man she does not love.

“The Liars” by Gil M. Portes

Inspired by a true story, Gil M Portes’ film delves into how the truth, revealed by a journalist, changed the fate of a baseball team of poor boys. – Rappler.com

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