Cinemalaya deputy festival director Tess Rances and president Laurice Guillen during the festival’s opening ceremony at Shangri-La Mall in Mandaluyong on Friday, Oct. 3. Images: Courtesy of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Cinemalaya 2025 sets sail with a call to end corruption, fund local cinema
By: Hannah Mallorca
The 2025 iteration of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival sailed ahead after a months-long delay, with its executives demanding that government officials be transparent about public funds and reallocate the people’s money to support the arts.
In their respective speeches at the Cinemalaya opening ceremony at the Shangri-La Plaza on Friday, Oct. 3, deputy festival director Tess Rances and president Laurice Guillen took the time to echo the public’s fury toward the corruption of public funds and why the country’s film industry needs proper funding.
“While billions of taxpayers’ money are skimmed in ghost projects right under the noses of our lawmakers, who were supposed to safeguard them, artists scrape the bottom of the pot to bring their stories to life,” Rances said.
“Corruption stumps and kills creativity. We urge our government to prioritize the allocation of funds to support the arts, specifically institutions like Cinemalaya and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the FDCP that nurture the growth of Philippine independent filmmaking,” she continued.
Staying on the topic, Rances called on government officials to practice “urgency in responding against corruption,” as it also plays a role in “stifling creativity and artistic excellence.”
“We demand accountability and transparency of public funds meant for cultural and artistic development. The Cinemalaya festival, now in its 21st edition, has proven time and again its significance in shaping the narrative of Philippine cinema, promoting innovation, and giving a voice to the people,” she said.
“We call on our lawmakers to act with urgency in [responding] against corruption. It stifles creativity and artistic excellence. The future of Philippine cinema and the art demand it. The voices of our artists demand it. Labanan natin ang korapsyon at suportahan ang sining (Let’s fight against corruption and support the arts),” she further added.
The directors of the short film entries of this year’s Cinemalaya pose for photos during the opening ceremony in Mandaluyong. Image: Courtesy of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
Meanwhile, Guillen revealed that the festival currently has 197 films in its arsenal, while acknowledging how the current political climate has an impact on filmmakers and local cinema.
“Cinemalaya is not just a festival, it is a journey. The filmmaker who joins the competition with a story close to his heart sets out on a personal journey to a process that emphasizes craft and creativity, he learns to refine his vision and finds his voice,” she said.
“Unless our filmmakers acknowledge the hard truth and the upheavals today. Climate change, migration and refugee flows, war and conflict, political instability, economic disparity, we can’t even begin to take up the challenge,” she continued.
With the theme “Layag sa Alon, Hangin, at Unos,” this year’s Cinemalaya will be held from Oct. 3 to 12 at the Mandaluyong-based mall and partner cinemas.
The directors of the full-length film entries of this year’s Cinemalaya pose for photos during the opening ceremony in Mandaluyong. Image: Courtesy of the Cultural Center of the Philippines
The full-length film entries include “Bloom Where You are Planted,” “Child No. 82,” ‘Cinemartyrs,” “Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan,” “Open Endings,” “Padamlagan,” “Paglilitis,” “Raging,” “Republika ng Pipolipinas,” and “Warla.”
Meanwhile, the short-film entries are the following: “Ascension from the Office Cubicle,” “Figat (Tomorrow),” “Hasang (Gills),” “I’m Left Inside My Head,” “Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat ha Langit (Objects Do Not Randomly Fall from the Sky),” “Kung Tugnaw ang Kaidalman Sang Lawod (Cold as the Oceans Run Deep),” “Please Keep this Copy,” “Radikals,” “The Next 24 Hours,” and “Water Sports.”