The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Boy Villasanta
Sail, balanghai, sail!
Balanghai, the traditional and national boat of the Philippines, adapted and adopted by the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival as its symbol of excellence in filmmaking, is again in the forefront of embarkation this season.
Written in its ensign unfurling is this year’s Cinemalaya theme: “Layag sa Alon, Hangin at Unos,” a catchphrase in Filipino, roughly translated to the King’s Language as “Sail on Waves, Wind, and Tempest.”
According to Festival Director Chris Millado during the 2025 Cinemalaya press conference (which, in a way, marked the start of the voyage) held recently at the Shangri-La Plaza East Atrium in Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, the theme signifies the historic journey of Cinemalaya (CM) in twenty-one years—tranquil and unwavering, at times, turbulent.
“It almost capsized,” Millado chuckled.
Distractions got in the way, like questions of total artistic freedom among filmmakers, budget constraints etc.
But it surged anew.
In full swing, CM Competition and Monitoring Committee Chairman Carlos Siguion-Reyna announced the official line-up of this year’s Cinemalaya competition in the Full-Length Feature Category and Short Film Section.
Let’s focus first on the ten (10) Full-Length films:
“Bloom Where You Are Planted,” a documentary on three land rights activists in Cagayan Valley who seek freedom of homecoming in the middle of adversity, directed by Noni Abao;
“Child No. 82,” a dramedy/fantasy about a rumored illegitimate son of a Philippine cinema icon who must prove his identity among adoring fans in a frenzied movie showing for an inheritance to save his pregnant girlfriend and to feed their baby, directed by Tim Rone Villanueva;
“Cinemartyrs,” a drama about a young filmmaker who shoots her ideal film project in a historically war-torn location where thousands of people were slaughtered but spirits start to be awakened that put the production creatives in peril, directed by Sari Dalena;
“Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan (As the Hydra Devour History),” a so-called existential drama about four people grappling with disinformation and confusion, directed by Dustin Celestino;
“Open Endings,” an LGBTQIA+ romance drama about four queer women whose friendship is tested by circumstances, directed by Nigel Santos;
“Padamlagan (Night Light),” a period drama about the collapse of Colgante Bridge in Naga City during the Our Lady of Penafrancia celebration that saw the death of many devotees and a woman’s search for her son in vain, directed by Jenn Romano;
“Paglilitis (A Trial),” a drama about a woman who is victim of sexual harassment who turns to social media for alliance but finds herself the perpetrator of injustice, directed by Chaske Marfor;
“Raging,” a drama about a guy who was raped in his late teens by one of his peers, gets reclusive but finally breaks his silence and fights for justice, directed by Ryan Machado;
“Republika ng Pipolipinas (Republic of Pipolipinas),” a mockumentary about a disillusioned farmer who disowns her citizenship and creates her own nation in defiance of the government’s plan to take her land, directed by Renei Dimla; and
“Warla,” a tale of transgender women who kidnap foreign men to fund their gender-affirming surgeries, directed by Kevin Alambra.
Cinemalaya 21 runs from October 3 to 12, 2025 at Gateway, Ayala Malls and Shangri-La Plaza cinemas.