LIST: All the full-length films screening at Cinemalaya 2024
Heads up cinephiles: the much-awaited Cinemalaya Festival has officially started!
Running until Aug. 11, this year's movie fest features 10 full-length movies as well as 10 short ones that are all crafted by local artists. It carries the theme "Loob, Lalim, Lakas," which is meant to convey the various values, ideas, and issues that Filipino artists strive to instill in the audience.
The new films will be shown at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Greenbelt, Trinoma, UP Town Center, and Market Market, since its original mainstay venue, the main building of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, is undergoing rehabilitation.
If you're not sure which film to watch, PhilSTAR L!fe has listed down all of the full-length films with their directors, stars, and what their plotlines are about. Read them below:
Alipato at Muog
Director: JL Burgos
Plot: The abduction of Jonas Burgos in 2007 was brazen – done at noontime in a crowded mall. As his family launched their search, a car plate brought them face to face with powerful forces. Despite insurmountable barriers, anonymous informants have dropped leads and even provided the last known photo of Jonas in captivity. Edita, the 80-year-old mother, and her filmmaker son lead the long and arduous fight for justice.
An Errand
Director: Dominic Bekaert
Cast: Sid Lucero, Art Acuña, Nanding Josef, Elora Españo, Elora Españo, Eric Kelly, and Thea Marabut
Plot: Moroy, a driver, is jolted awake in the dead of night by an urgent call from SIR, his middle-aged boss, demanding he fetch his Viagra. Speeding off from Baguio to Manila, Moroy’s mind drifts between reality and fantasy, unveiling SIR’s secrets and reflecting on his interactions with fellow drivers and Brenda, SIR’s office mistress.
Balota
Director: Kip Oebanda
Cast: Marian Rivera, Will Ashley, Royce Cabrera, Nico Antonio, Raheel Bhyria, Esnyr, Sassa Gurl, Donna Cariaga, Sue Prado, Joel Saracho, Gardo Versoza, and Mae Paner
Plot: Emmy, a strict yet popular teacher in a small town, is assigned to the Board of Election Inspectors for her local precinct. When violence erupts, she runs into the forest with a ballot box containing the last copy of the election results.
Gulay Lang, Manong
Director: BC Amparado
Cast: Cedrick Juan, Perry Dizon, BJ Tolits Forbes, Ranzel, Dong Abay, and Lui Manansala
Plot: A struggling farmer joins forces with a local policeman to rescue his grandson and take down a marijuana cartel, triggering a deeply personal journey that tests their beliefs and integrity.
Kantil
Director: Joshua Caesar Medroso
Cast: Edmund Telmo, Andre Miguel, Sue Prado, Raul Arellano, Ram Botero, Perry Dizon, Fe Gingging Hyde, Tads Obach, Alyssa Makiling, and Ryle Equia
Plot: The discovery of a mysterious alien shell in a trench transforms the lives of two star-crossed lovers – Paleng and Eliong – and their threatened coastal village in Davao City, unearthing secrets deeper than the surrounding perilous waters.
Kono Basho
Director: Jaime Pacena II
Cast: Gabby Padilla and Arisa Nakano
Plot: Ella, a 28-year-old Filipina anthropologist, travels to Rikuzentakata City for her estranged father Emman’s funeral, where she navigates the cultural and emotional complexities of his second family, including her Japanese half-sister, Reina.
Love Child
Director: Jonathan Jurilla
Cast: RK Bagatsing, Jane Oineza, and John Tyrron Ramos
Plot: College sweethearts Ayla and Paolo decide to drop out of school to start a family after a whirlwind romance leads to an unplanned pregnancy. Four years later, they are devastated to learn that their son, Kali, is diagnosed with autism.
The Hearing
Director: Lawrence Fajardo
Cast: Mylene Dizon, Nor Domingo, Ina Feleo, Ruby Ruiz, Enzo Osorio, Angie Castrence, Marvin Yap, Rom Factolerin, Rome Mallari, and Ruslan Jacob Asumbrado
Plot: Lucas, a deaf boy from a small fishing village, is sexually abused by Fr. Mejor, an influential priest. After his parents Madonna and Dante discover the truth, they decide to file a court case against the priest despite the obstacles in their way.
The Wedding Dance
Director: Julius Lumiqued
Cast: Mai Fanglayan and Arvin Balageo
Plot: Following the Japanese invasion in the 1940s, Awiyao comes home to his wife Lumnay to ask her to attend the wedding dance, an invitation that stirs memories of joy, pain, and emptiness. It is an invitation to celebrate his new wedding dance.
Tumandok
Director: Richard Jeroui Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay
Cast: Jenaica Sangher and Felipe Ganancial
Plot: The Ati, a Negrito ethnic group in Western Visayas, Philippines, have been steadfast in their fight to reclaim ancestral lands. In a rare opportunity, they take center stage in a film that intimately recounts their tales of struggle.
If you've decided on which movies you're going to watch, check out this guide on the screening schedules of the Cinemalaya films.