The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, one of the Philippines’ most prestigious film events, has officially announced that its 2025 run will take place from October 3 to 12.
Now in its 20th year, Cinemalaya will be held for the first time at Shangri-La Plaza Cinemas, due to ongoing renovations at its usual venue, the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Laurice Guillen, current president of the Cinemalaya Foundation, noted in a recent interview with Pep.ph that the festival may be a scaled-down affair due to the venue’s limited capacity for screenings and panel events. The festival, which is usually held around July or August, was also delayed to October this year.
“If we downscale in terms of what is at the heart of Cinemalaya, ang ambisyon lang naman talaga namin noon sa simula ay magkaroon ng pagkakataon at may funding na maibigay doon sa karapat-dapat na sampung nanalong script sa screening,” Guillen said.
Since its founding in 2005, Cinemalaya has served as a creative space supporting Filipino independent filmmakers and promoting their work both locally and internationally. The festival provides finalists with seed investments that allow them to produce their movies and debut them at Cinemalaya’s screenings. Several indie films, including the Meryll Soriano-led drama Donor, the Eugene Domingo-starring comedy Ang Babae sa Septic Tank, and the hip hop drama Respeto, among others, have all premiered at the festival and gone on to earn critical acclaim.
