Supermarket chain Puregold has unveiled the 16 finalists for its advocacy-driven local film festival, CinePanalo, celebrating the creativity and talent of Filipino filmmakers.
Now in its second year, the festival features films from both seasoned and emerging filmmakers, all competing for one of seven spots. Each selected project will receive a P3 million production grant, with a total of P21 million funding up for grabs.
This year, the festival received a total of 141 entries.
Meanwhile, Puregold president Vincent Co expressed his admiration for the impressive and diverse range of film entries they received this year for the full-length category.
“Our Selection Committee managed to curate an inspiring shortlist of projects that promise to captivate and provoke deep thought,” he added.
“We look forward to showcasing these remarkable ‘panalo’ stories and celebrating the unique perspectives they bring to the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival.”
The sixteen shortlisted projects aiming to sit in the seven available spots include:
- “Ahon” directed by Rafael Mina
- “Co-love” directed by Jill Singson Urdaneta
- “Dopamine” directed by Sigrid Polon
- “Fleeting” directed by Catsi Catalan
- “Food Delivery” directed by Baby Ruth Villarama
- “Journeyman” directed by Christian Paolo Lat & Dominic Lat
- “Olsen’s Day” directed by JP Habac
- “Perlas sa Silangan” directed by TM Malones
- “Princess Maryam” directed by Julius Alfonso & Eric Cabahug
- “Reel Boyz” directed by Rod Marmol
- “Sepak Takraw” directed by Mes De Guzman
- “Si Sol at si Luna” directed by Dolly Dulu
- “Stuck on You” directed by Reeden Fajardo
- “Tagsibol” directed by Tara Illenberger
- “Waiting Shed” directed by Noel Escondo
- “Washing Machine” directed by BC Amparado
These filmmakers will soon pitch their projects to the selection committee, which will then select the top seven who will participate in the film fest.
The final selection of seven films will be screened at the Gateway Cineplex 18 in Cubao from March 14 to 25, 2025.
The festival’s official Selection Committee is composed of Puregold senior marketing manager Ivy Hayagan-Piedad, festival director Chris Cahilig, renowned directors Jeffrey Jeturian and Emmanuel dela Cruz, and representatives of Republic Creative Creations, Inc. Sonny Bautista and Lyle Gonzales.
The film fest has two categories: short films for students and campus-based filmmakers and full-length films for amateur and professional directors.
Unlike last year’s run, applicants are now required to submit complete screenplays for their entries, allowing the selection committee to assess which entries are the most compelling, fully developed, and aligned with the theme.
The theme, “Mga Kwentong Panalo ng Buhay,” encourages submissions that feature uplifting narratives.
Full-length films must have a minimum runtime of 90 minutes, while student short films are limited to a maximum of 20 minutes.
Last year’s festival showcased full-length films from directors like Kurt Soberano, Sigrid Bernardo, Joel Ferrer, and others. Short films were also produced by students from universities like UP Diliman, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and other schools across the country.
READ: Puregold CinePanalo to return with bigger production grants