Cinemalaya 2017 winners include (L-R) Dido dela Paz, Angeli Bayani, Noel Comia Jr., and Yayo Aguila.
Considered the country’s biggest indie film festival, Cinemalaya has supported and promoted the production of 136 full feature independent films and 118 short films.
In 2018, it will produce 10 more full-length feature films when it mounts the 14th edition for the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Next year's edition is scheduled for August 3-12, 2018.
The filmmakers for next year's batch were introduced during the awards night of Cinemalaya 2017 held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Main Theater.
The finalists will each receive a Php750,000 production grant from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Cinemalaya Foundation.
In this year’s Cinemalaya, nine films competed in the Full Length Feature category. These were: Ang Guro Kong Di Marunong Magbasa (My Teacher Who Doesn’t Know How To Read) by Perry Escaño; Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha (The Family That Doesn’t Weep) by Mes de Guzman; Baconaua by Joseph Israel Laban; Bagahe (The Baggage) by Zig Dulay; Nabubulok (The Decaying) by Sonny Calvento; Kiko Boksingero by Thop Nazareno; Requited by Nerissa Picadizo; Respeto by Alberto Monteras II; and Sa Gabing Nanahimik ang mga Kuliglig (Clouds of Plague) by Iar Lionel Benjamin Arondaing.
The winners of the main competition were selected by jury members Padmashri Dr. Girish Kasaravalli, Freddie Wong, Sheron Dayoc, Lee Briones-Meily, and Joselito "Lito" Zulueta.
In the NETPAC Jury were Ismail Basbeth, Tsengel Davaasambuu, and Ricardo "Ricky" Lee.
Here are the 10 finalists chosen for the 14th edition of Cinemalaya to be held in August 2018:
Continue reading below ↓
Ang Mga Bisita ni Mamang by Denise O'Hara delves into the story of Mamang, an old woman who hangs on her memory to be with her unmarried middle-aged son.
Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago by Martika Escobar is a fantasy film about Leonor Reyes, the only female writer of Filipino action movies, who falls into an irreversible coma after an accident and is transported to a 1980s classic Filipino action flick playing on a television at the hospital lobby.
Continue reading below ↓
In Babae At Baril by Rae Red, a girl’s life changes drastically when she finds a gun lying on the street and discovers the power that comes with owning one. She eventually learns the reality when she actually uses the found gun.
Kung Paano Hinihintay Ang Dapithapon by Carlo Enciso Catu follows Teresa, a lady at the twilight of her life. Currently living with her longtime partner Celso, she receives a call from her estranged husband Benedicto who is seeking forgiveness from her and their son Chito.
Continue reading below ↓
In Kuya Wes by James Robin Mayo, a man called Kuya Wes working in a money transfer company finds himself “in a relationship” with a regular client, a married woman who suffers from marital woes.
Liway by Kip Oebanda is about a notorious NPA rebel in Negros whose beauty is legendary and her tactics, unparalleled. The film is based on the real story of the director’s mother.
Continue reading below ↓
In ML by Benedict Mique Jr., Carlo meets Colonel, an old resident in their village who was a former soldier during the Marcos regime. After learning how the Colonel cruelly tortured student activists, Carlo’s life changes when he experienced all the Martial Law cruelties one night.
Pan De Salawal by Che Espiritu tells about Sal, a lonely panadero suffering from a chronic kidney stones who wants nothing but to die. Sharing his sick, grey life along the riles are his neighbors - a barber with severe pasma, a former beauty queen with emphysema, a Carinosa dancer paralyzed by stroke, and a macho meat vendor with tumor in his breast – who are all battling for dear life, hoping a miracle comes along the riles.
Continue reading below ↓
Pilot by Dexter Hemedez and Allan Ibañez deals with the challenging, painful, rewarding yet unrewarding world of soap opera writing.
Continue reading below ↓
In Pinay Beauty by Jay Abello, Migs needs to settle a huge debt to a loan shark. When Migs explains that he doesn't have the money yet, the loan shark proposes that he could settle the bill if Migs could find Lovi Poe and introduce him to the actress. How does a regular guy who knows no one in show business meet a celebrity?
During the awards night of Cinemalaya 2017, audiences were shocked to see a casket being carried inside the Main Theater of the CCP. It turned out to be part of the opening skit titled "The Joys and Perils of Making an Indie." It featured Lou Veloso as the narrator who talked about the different elements needed to produce an indie film.
Continue reading below ↓
Gretchen Barretto was seated beside partner Tonyboy Cojuangco during the awards night. A few days earlier, the actress posted photos of her at the CCP when she watched the Cinemalaya 2017 entry Nabubulok.
Continue reading below ↓
Gretchen Barretto was previously part of the Cinemalaya 2013 entry The Diplomat Hotel.
Ai-Ai delas Alas had a deglamorized look when she entered the CCP Main Theater. Her character (who is a drug addict) was anguished because her husband is missing.
Continue reading below ↓
In the skit, Ai-Ai delas Alas was cast as the sister of Jaclyn Jose's character. Jaclyn was advising Ai-Ai to leave the place immediately or else she might face tokhang, a police operation targeting drug users and pushers.
Cannes Best Actress Jaclyn Jose grieves over the body of Ai-Ai delas Alas
Continue reading below ↓
Jerald Napoles mesmerized the crowd with his rendition of a song number
Jerald Napoles
Continue reading below ↓
Aside from Jerald Napoles, the skit also featured Tanghalang Sta. Ana
JC Santos (right) was one of the celebrities that night. He and director Sonny Calvento (right) presented the trailer of their film Nabubulok.
Continue reading below ↓
Alberto "Treb" Monteras II directed Respeto, which won seven awards in Cinemalaya 2017. The film is an exploration of the Pinoy hiphop underground world where a young aspiring rapper and a Martial Law poet cross paths.
Respeto won Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound, Best Editing, the 2017 NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Award and the Audience Choice Award.
Noel Comia Jr. was named Best Actor for his movie Kiko Boksingero. He was cited "for his charming and heartrending performance of a boy who misses his late mother and tries to learn boxing to connect with his estranged prizefighter-father."
Continue reading below ↓
Angeli Bayani won Best Actress for her role in Bagahe by Zig Dulay. She portrayed an OFW suspected of dumping a newborn child in the trash bin of an airplane toilet.
Angeli Bayani shed tears when she accepted her Balanghai trophy. She said she was emotional because she literally grew up in the CCP since she used to rehearse there a lot when she took part in theater productions.
Continue reading below ↓
Cinemalaya 2017 Best Actress Angeli Bayani was cited for "her convincing portrayal of an overseas Filipino worker subjected to state criminal and psycho-social investigation, media sensationalism, and political opportunism, which merely worsen the trauma of her abuse."
Best Supporting Actor Dido de La Paz (leftmost) was lauded “for his powerful portrayal of an old man haunted by the demons of his past and compelled to adjust to the present.” He co-starred with rapper Abra in the film Respeto.
Yayo Aguila (rightmost) of Kiko Boksingero won the Best Supporting Actress award. She was cited "for her quiet and endearing portrayal of a nanny seeking to relieve the loneliness of a boy who has lost his mother and is trying to endear himself to his estranged father."
Continue reading below ↓
Angel Aquino, the lead actress of Sa Gabing Nanahimik ang mga Kuliglig, was one of the presenters that night.
Continue reading below ↓
Moi Bien co-starred with Sharon Cuneta in the entry Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha
We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on PEP.ph. By continued use, you agree to our privacy policy and accept our use of such cookies. Find out more here.
