Cinemalaya sets sail at a new venue
If you’re to judge the upcoming Cinemalaya 2025 slate by sheer number of microphones and cameras thrust at celebrities in the media pit, then it was probably Ely Buendia (in a surprise leading role in Jenn Romano’s debut feature Padamlágan), and the media frenzy over Janella Salvador and Klea Pineda in the sapphic drama Open Endings, that lit up Shangri-La Plaza’s East Atrium, forum for the 21st Cinemalaya launch.
Buendia was “surprised” that the filmmaker tapped him to star in a historic drama about the collapse of the Colgante Bridge in Naga in 1972, five days before the declaration of martial law. But since he’s from Naga City, he called it “a return to my roots.”
Open Endings, from Nigel Santos and Keavy Vicente, explores the friendship of four queer women, exes-turned-best friends, with a surprise twist.
Sporting a nautical theme, “Cinemalaya 21: Layag sa Alon, Hangin, at Unos” was launched with sizzle reels of the 10 short film and feature film finalists for competition this Oct. 3-12, held for the first time at Shangri-La Plaza, what with the ongoing CCP renovations.
From the nautical sculpture at the entrance to the festival poster—a vivid image of a colorful vinta speeding through waters that seem smooth, but which could turn turbulent anytime—it’s a reflection on the forever wax-and-wane of the local film industry.
CCP president Kaye Tinga mused: “Films are essentially voyages where each image goes into the next, past and present converge like tides, and where the act of sailing itself becomes a meditation on time and becoming. And sometimes our filmmakers must navigate through the storms of difficult truths, challenging subjects, and bold storytelling that refuses to spare anyone.”
Festival director Chris Millado also waxed poetic on this year’s theme, “Layag sa Alon, Hangin, at Unos” (Sail through waves, winds, and storms): “Remember, 21 years ago, the whole filming industry was caught in the doldrums,” and the festival then sought to harness the creativity of “wave after wave of this new breed of filmmakers in their storytelling.”
Shangri-La Plaza Corp. senior retail marketing head Arrianne Nadurata called the choice to host Cinemalaya a “natural continuation of that advocacy, and we see it as a proud highlight of cultural focus: our ongoing program to spotlight art and cultural experiences that shape both community and identity.”
Competing for the Best Film Balanghai Trophy in the Full-Length Category are: Bloom Where You are Planted by Nonilon Abao; Child No. 82 by Tim Rone Villanueva; Cinemartyrs by Sari Dalena; Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan by Dustin Celestino; Padamlágan by Jenn Romano; Paglilitis by Cheska Marfori and Raymund Barcelon; Open Endings by Nigel Santos and Keavy Vicente; Republika ng Pipolipinas by Renei Dimla; Raging by Ryan Machado; and Warla by Kevin Alambra.
The CCP and Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc. bring the festival this year to even more venues, with Red Carpet Cinemas by Shangri-La Plaza as main venue; Ayala Malls, a valued partner of the CCP and Cinemalaya over two decades, continues as a partner venue for Cinemalaya 21; and Gateway Cineplex also joins the list of venues for screenings.
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For more information, visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph and www.cinemalaya.org.
