Why this Film Festival deserves love and respect

Getting the love and respect of filmmakers, artists and audiences is the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival. This is because the festival showcases cinematic gems with fresh narratives that highlight inspiring and uplifting stories. Directors are given opportunities to realize their dream projects, and actors shine on the silver screen with characters portrayed with authenticity.

Kurt Soberano’s Under a Piaya Moon, the festival’s inaugural full-length film, not only received rave reviews but also became a box office sensation during its theatrical run in Bacolod City and at an upscale cinema mall. It also earned Jeff Moses, a GMA Sparkle artist, the Best Actor award for his career-defining performance as a young man striving to uphold his family’s baking tradition.

Other major winners include Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s Push Cart Tales, Carlo Obuspo’s A Lab Story, and the short films Last Shift by Ronjay-C Mendiola and Smokey Journey by Jenievive Adame. These films are a testament to the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival’s commitment to narrative excellence, recognizing the director as the motion picture’s captain and celebrating stories that encourage and uplift humanity.

The sophomore year

With the success of its inaugural year, the second season of the festival offers professional and student filmmakers across our 7,100 islands greater opportunities to showcase their artistry, creativity, daring, drive and passion for the cinematic arts.

Bigger and bolder — these words fuel the 2025 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival as it searches for seven full-length directors to receive a production grant worth P3,000,000 each, and 25 selected student short film directors to receive a grant of P150,000 each.

Festival director Chris Cahilig said: “This year, seven full-length film grants will be awarded, surpassing last year’s six. We are on the lookout for panalo stories — narratives that fire the imagination and bring out the best in every Filipino.”

Puregold’s senior marketing manager Ivy Piedad said in a statement: “When we first launched Puregold CinePanalo, we envisioned it as a platform to champion Filipino stories, advocate for student filmmakers by providing them with a venue for their dream short films, and elevate the local film scene.”

She added: “The Puregold CinePanalo was instrumental in bringing to light the talents of several young, aspiring filmmakers, some of whom have used the momentum from the competition to further fuel their artistic dreams. We saw the birth of promising talents, with several inspiring stories that came to life on the big screen. Fueled by last edition’s success, here we are once again. Back and bigger than ever, ready to celebrate another year of incredible films and mark the second chapter of Puregold CinePanalo.”

To encourage new filmmakers to join, several directors from last year’s event shared their experiences. Among them were Always Panalo Film awardee Carlo Obispo, Best Picture winner Kurt Soberano and five student directors: Always Panalo Film awardee Jenievive Adame, Best Director winner Dizelle Masilungan, and regional filmmakers Marian Jayce Tiongzon and Joanah Demonteverde. They imparted their experiences and learnings from the festival.

Cahilig said there are already more than 120 script submissions, including those from professional filmmakers, major studios and students. He reminded everyone that the deadlines for screenplay submissions are 30 July for full-length films and 15 August for student shorts.

All interested filmmakers are encouraged to review the mechanics of the 2025 Puregold CinePanalo Festival, which are publicly available on Puregold’s official social media accounts. After reviewing the mechanics, aspiring contestants may submit their official applications at https://forms.gle/wNUUQ62okYcyW5r37.

The second Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival is off to an exciting start, and we can only expect full-length and short films with winning narratives that showcase the Filipino at his finest and most inspiring.

For those looking to learn more, inquiries may be sent to thesecretariat@cinepanalo.com.