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Stories about family, grief, identity, love, survival and growing up will take the spotlight as 26 original films compete in the 2026 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival.
The films were presented to the media during a conference at Quantum Skyview in Gateway Mall 2, Araneta City in Quezon City on Thursday, September 17, ahead of the festival’s September 23 opening.
The lineup includes seven full-length films and 19 student short films from filmmakers from different parts of the country.
Among the full-length entries is “Apol of My Ai,” directed by Thop Nazareno, which follows a young boy whose coming-of-age is complicated by his feelings for his choir teacher and a decision made by his father.
“Beast,” directed by Lawrence Fajardo and starring John Arcilla, follows a farmer and his carabao on a journey to Manila after a final harvest imposed by their landlord.
Meanwhile, BC Amparado’s “Mono No Aware” centers on a Filipino kodokushi cleaner in Japan who meets an elderly widower seeking one final favor.
The festival also features stories exploring queer experiences and identity.
In “Multwoh (Patay Na Patay Sa’yo),” directed by Rodina Singh, a college student who dies unexpectedly returns as a ghost to express feelings they were unable to share while alive. The film stars Sassa Gurl and Joao Constancia.
Other full-length entries include “Patay Gutom,” co-directed by Carl Papa and Ian Pangilinan, a story involving a shut-in, a ghost and an accidentally opened third eye; “Stuck on You,” directed by Mikko Baldoza, about a manicurista who becomes involved in a deadly conspiracy; and “Wantawsan,” directed by Joseph Abello, which follows a cash-strapped father whose attempt to buy food for his son’s birthday leads to an unexpected adventure.
Student filmmakers take the spotlight
The student shorts category features 19 films grouped into four sets.
The entries cover a range of subjects and settings, including family, faith, poverty, gender identity, childhood and life in provincial communities.
Among them is “Starfish,” directed by John Clite Apolinar, about a male sex worker who returns to his hometown and confronts his estranged family and the oppression he encounters there.
“Kun Hain, Bisan Diin. (Anywhere and Everywhere),” directed by Jomarie Reyes, follows a young lawyer who returns to Samar to search for her estranged activist mother before her wedding.
Other student films include “Sa Mga Nagdaan at Lumipas,” about a queer archivist preserving a historical video of the Philippines’ first Pride March in 1994; “Limlim,” about a young girl and her mother confronting grief while living in seclusion; and “Alumahan,” which follows a 13-year-old boy seeking acceptance in a violent youth gang.
The lineup also includes “When Heaven Inched Towards Earth,” “No Mad is an Island,” “Tingi,” “Ang Huling Banlaw ni Susan,” “Pulis Dunggab,” “The Sound of K,” “Nakabinbin,” “Nang Matakasan ang Tagay,” “Teks Battle: Shoot Pati Pato!,” “Kapag Tapos na ang Umpukan,” “12 Shots,” “Bumtak Sara ti Nuangen (The Carabao’s Horns Have Cracked)” and “Miss Intrams.”
The filmmakers and cast members behind the entries appeared at the media conference and gave audiences a preview of the stories they will bring to the festival.
“Every film in this year’s CinePanalo carries the passion of its creators,” Ivy-Hayagan Piedad, festival chair of Puregold CinePanalo, said.
“Giving these stories a platform where audiences can experience and celebrate them is our way of supporting Filipino artistry and contributing to the continued growth of Philippine cinema,” she added.
The festival will run from September 23 to October 4 at Gateway Cineplex 18, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay and Market! Market!
The festival offers regular and discounted tickets, as well as festival pass.
PWDs, senior citizens, students, national athletes and Aling Puring and Perks cardholders are eligible for discounted tickets. (Interaksyon entertainment news)
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