Santa Maria Music & Film Festival returns with global lineup

After the Sierra Madre Mountain Range faced this year’s devastating Super Typhoon Uwan, it’s now time to pamper her with fine music and documentary films as the setting of this year’s Santa Maria Music & Film Festival (SMMFF), featuring both local and international entries.

In an interview, SMMFF founder Jennifer Maliwanag said the music and film festival, set for 6 December in Sta. Maria, Laguna, serves as a ray of light after a devastating storm.

She noted that Sta. Maria was not spared from the wrath of Super Typhoon Uwan, which struck the festival venue — the Santa Maria Open Air Cinema.

“When Typhoon Uwan hit, Santa Maria, Laguna, took a heavy blow. Our cabins were destroyed. The stage we had already started building was torn apart. Trees fell, pathways shifted, and up until now, we’ve had no electricity for the past three days. We’re still sweeping, fixing, clearing, and honestly, trying not to lose heart,” she said.

Maliwanag described the festival grounds as sitting right on the ridges of the Sierra Madre, the very mountain range that often helps weaken storms before they reach the lowlands.

“Even this time, although the mountains were battered too, they stood their ground. And seeing that quiet strength, it reminded us of something important — that life continues. Even when everything breaks. Even when you’re exhausted. Even when the lights are literally out,” she said.

Rise again

Even as many Filipinos are still recovering from the destruction caused by Typhoons Tino and Uwan, Maliwanag stressed that SMMFF is not meant to erase people’s problems.

“What we want to offer is a space, even a small one, where people can breathe again. A moment under the sky, with music, films, and community, something that reminds us all that beauty still exists even after a storm,” she said.

“Because after a storm, whether it’s Typhoon Uwan or the storms in the news, people still need hope, light, and something to look forward to. So why is our event relevant? Maybe because it shows we can rebuild. That communities can rise again. That the mountains keep standing with us. And that the world keeps moving, even after the hardest days,” she added.

SMMFF offers a rare experience — cinema and music under the stars, surrounded by nature, and rooted in stories from around the world.

Since its inaugural run in December 2023, the festival has pioneered a fusion of film, music, and the outdoors, inviting audiences to step away from the city and into a creative sanctuary where they can “See What Others Can’t.”

What began with seven international short films, live music, and a close-knit community has now grown into a globally reaching platform.

17 countries participating

For 2025, SMMFF features 39 films from 17 countries, showcasing bold storytelling and diverse artistic voices across continents.

The festival is the brainchild of Maliwanag. What began as her passion project — part student initiative, part creative pursuit — has evolved into a cultural tradition.

In 2023, she launched Santa Maria’s first mountaintop open-air film festival on her family’s mountain property, transforming the space into a creative retreat above the clouds. Despite challenges brought by its remote setting, her mission remained clear: to show how perseverance, community, and storytelling can elevate Filipino talent on the global stage.

Now on its third year, SMMFF 2025 welcomes 39 finalists representing countries including Australia, Austria, Canada, the Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

These finalists — a mix of narrative films, documentaries, experimental works, musical stories, and cultural pieces — emerged from the festival’s largest and most diverse submission pool yet. Only the final winners will be screened at the December event.

At the festival, the signature open-air venue will showcase music entries, standout films, and the winners that rose above the competition.