UP Students Dominate 2025 CineMapua Short Film Festival
By Atty. Dennis Gorecho
Published June 1, 2025
Students from the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) received major awards at the 21st CineMapúa Student Film Festival, which was held from May 19 to 23, 2025, at Mapúa University.
With this year’s theme, Expand Your Vision, CineMapúa—the longest-running student film festival in the country—has become a hub for showcasing the talents of young filmmakers from various educational institutions in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
“Ang Halikan sa Water Fountain” by Clyde C. Gamale won Best Film in the Intercollegiate section, along with Best Sound (Hannah Gagalac), Best Cinematography (Maki Makilan), Best Screenplay (Clyde C. Gamale), and Best Director (Gamale).
“Sa Likod ng Salamin” by Joseph Vitali won Second Best Film in the same section, along with Best Production Design (Jude Lim), Best Editing (Emmanuel Tañada), and Best Performance by a Male Actor (Benjie Belano).
“Manic-ing” by Gab Rosique won Best Experimental Film.
“Please Keep This Copy” by Miguel Lorenzo Peralta received a Special Jury Prize in the Experimental Films section.
“Mama” by Alexandra Brizuela won a Special Jury Prize in the Documentary Films section.
The synopsis of “Ang Halikan sa Water Fountain” reads:
A silly bromance sparks from the closeness of two laid-back high school boys, Maki and Kaloy. When a night of reckless drinking with their friends leads them to share a bed together, they discover the true nature of their bromance—and must decide whether to embrace it or risk losing each other’s friendship.
The synopsis of “Sa Likod ng Salamin” reads:
A local barbershop will close after 28 years of service. Rey, the barber, opens his shop for one last day, revealing his true purpose in life.
CineMapúa began as a class competition and evolved into an intercollegiate film festival in 2015. A Senior High School category was added in 2019, while the experimental and documentary categories were introduced this year.
The All Mapúans category is exclusive to Mapúa college, senior high school, and master’s students from the Intramuros and Makati campuses.
Each film entry must run between 10 and 20 minutes, including credits.
CineMapúa aims to enhance students’ appreciation of film as an academic and creative discipline, develop their skills in film production, and promote social awareness through cinema. It also seeks to preserve cultural heritage by highlighting local folklore, traditions, language, and lived realities.
A narrative film tells a structured story with characters, conflict, and resolution—bringing imagination to life through compelling storytelling.
A documentary film captures real people, events, and issues to inform, enlighten, or inspire audiences.
An experimental film challenges conventional forms by using nontraditional techniques, structures, and visuals to explore new ways of expression.
UPFI is a unit of the UP College of Mass Communication (CMC) that provides academic, research, and extension services related to cinema. It was officially established in March 2003 by unifying two UP Diliman units: the UP Film Center and the Department of Film and Audio-Visual Communication.
According to its mission, the UPFI aims to produce graduates who will contribute to developing a genuinely Filipino national cinema while working toward professionalizing film practice and scholarship in the country.
National Artist mentored some young filmmakers at the festival for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, who describes a good writer or filmmaker as “someone who can transport the audience to a place they’ve never been.”
“A good writer lets us see what we’ve failed to notice—even if it’s been staring us in the face all along,” Lee said. “He can take us to places within ourselves we never knew existed. Good stories let us experience death and rebirth at the same time.”
He added: “Some stories are left untold. But a legend leaves behind an immortal legacy—films that transcend both past and posterity. The rest, as they say, is history—or perhaps, his stories.”
CineMapúa has been running for over two decades, often coinciding with the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
Cinemalaya’s vision is: “The creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity.”