Cinemalaya 2027 Main Full Length Competition Now Open for Entries

Cinemalaya 2027 has opened its call for entries for the full length film competition!

A. MECHANICS

1. Interested participants must submit ONLINE through:

https://forms.gle/9GZD7CoayhMJrAxG6

the following requirements on or before 6:00 PM of SEPTEMBER 17, 2026 (Thursday):

• Concept paper of the project. It may contain the premise(s) of the film you want to make, the genre, the tagline, the key characters and their descriptions. The concept paper should provide the Competition Committee with a clear idea of the movie you want to make.
• Concept paper should be in Filipino or English (1 page, Courier 12 points font size)
• Storyline: a two–page synopsis of the film project being presented (2 pages, Courier 12 points font size)
• Resume of proponent
• Recent photo of proponent (2in x 2in)
• Sample of a short film between 5–20 min. in mp4 format, directed by the proponent.

The sheets containing the concept paper must NOT bear the name of the proponent. Full scripts will not be accepted.

2. By OCTOBER 17, 2026 (Friday), the Competition Committee shall inform 30 promising entries, whose proponents will be invited to a pitching session for their respective projects.

3. The selected 30 proponents must then submit a sequence treatment and pitch deck to the Selection Committee by OCTOBER 24, 2026 (Saturday). The sequence treatment is an outline that generally describes all the important scenes, story points and overall structure and tone of a screenplay. It should be in Filipino or English and the writer may include dialogue as long as the sequence treatment will be only 15 to 20 pages, using 12 points font size.

4. Pitching of the 30 respective projects shall be on OCTOBER 31, 2026 (Saturday).

5. From the pitching session, the Competition Committee will choose 20 project proponents who will participate in a film laboratory and mentorship program under the Cinemalaya Institute from November 2026 to January 2027.

6. From the film lab and mentorship program of the Cinemalaya Institute, the Competition Committee will choose the 10 finalists for the 2027 Cinemalaya Main Competition.

7. Each of the ten (10) finalists will receive a seed production grant of P1,000,000.00 to be released in tranches.

8. The deadline for the submission of the completed full-length film is June 18, 2027 (Friday).9. The ten (10) film finalists will be screened during the festival period on August 5- 17, 2027, at various festival venues

10.The Awards Ceremony will be held on August 16, 2027, Monday, and shall give out the following cash prizes subject to appropriate government taxes:

Best Picture – PhP420,000

Special Jury Prize – PhP120,000

Audience Choice – PhP90,000

B. RULES AND REGULATIONS

1. Only entries by Filipino filmmakers will be accepted to the Full-Length Feature category. Entries by Filipino filmmakers residing abroad may be accepted only on exceptional cases such as in the submission of a superior material and if both director and producer can personally meet with the Selection Committee to discuss their material.

2. The members of the Cinemalaya Organizing Committee are disqualified from joining the competition.

3. Interested participants may submit a maximum of three entries. However, only one entry per proponent may be considered as a finalist.

4. Works which are attached to film and television productions as well as those of local streaming platforms are eligible for submission as long as said works are not commissioned projects but originated from the filmmaker as proponent. Commissioned works from commercial platforms are disqualified for consideration.

5. All works must have their national and international premiere at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

6. Works already in principal photography or postproduction phase before August 2026 are disqualified except for the documentary category. For documentaries, principal photography should have started prior to the call for entries.

7. Finalists are required to attend the Cinemalaya Film Lab. Failure to attend or participate disqualifies the filmmaker and his entry.

8. Any entry selected as finalist can no longer be withdrawn from the competition by the proponent. The Cinemalaya Organizing Committee reserves the right to disqualify any proponent who had pulled out an entry that was chosen as a semi-finalist or finalist in previous Cinemalaya competitions.

9. To ensure technical and professional quality, post-production work of the finalists should be undertaken by a reputable post-production house/company.

10. Any entries must be in a data file HD format.

11. The total production budget for the full-length feature verified by final liquidation should not exceed PhP5,000,000 (Five Million Pesos).12. Pursuant to copyright laws, the music used in any entry must be original, licensed or in the public domain.

13. Dialogue should be primarily in Filipino or any Philippine language as appropriate.

14. The proponent(s) will undertake the English translation and subtitling of his/her film, subject to the approval of the Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc. (CFI)

15. The proponent(s) must assign a single representative to act on behalf of his team. All official communications shall be addressed to the representative. The Cinemalaya Organizing Committee shall not be liable for any controversy regarding the sharing of awards among the members of the group.

16. The Festival shall ensure the safety of the films throughout the period in which the cinematographic materials are in its custody.

17. The decision of the Jury is final.

Download the 2027 Full-length MECHANICS in PDF here

Cinemalaya, the Philippines’ first and oldest independent film festival — and the pioneer of its kind in Southeast Asia — has transformed the way film competitions are staged. Unlike most festivals where finished films are submitted, Cinemalaya created a ground-breaking grant-making program that nurtures projects from concept to completion. This innovation has spurred film production nationwide and introduced some of the most important new voices in Philippine cinema.

The process begins with a call for entries, where filmmakers submit a concept paper, synopsis, resume, and photos. From these, a Selection Committee identifies around 30 proponents who are invited to pitch their projects. The pool is then narrow to 20 semifinalists, who enter the Cinemalaya Film Lab for further development. From this group, 10 finalists are chosen. Each receives a P1 million production grant from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and another P1 million production grant from the Film Development Council of the Philippines, released in tranches, to turn their vision into a finished film.