The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival has officially announced the Top 7 finalists for its full-length film category, marking the third and biggest edition of the event yet.
The reveal took place on Saturday, October 25, during a media event held in Gateway Mall, Quezon City.
From over 200 submitted entries, seven projects were chosen to receive a ₱5 million production grant each, giving the selected filmmakers the opportunity to bring their stories to life and compete for awards in next year’s festival.
The finalists are:
- ‘Wantawsan’ by Joseph Abello
- ‘Mono No Aware’ by BC Amparado
- ‘Apol of My AI’ by Thop Nazareno
- ‘Patay Gutom (Dead Hungry)’ by Carl Papa and Ian Pangilinan
- ‘Beast’ by Lawrence Fajardo
- ‘Stuck on You’ by Mikko Baldoza
- ‘Multwoh’ (Patay na Patay Sa’yo) by Rodina Singh
The selected films will be screened alongside 20 short films made exclusively by student filmmakers, reflecting Puregold CinePanalo’s mission to nurture both emerging and established Filipino storytellers.
During the event, the finalists proudly posed with festival director Chris Cahilig and Jim Baltazar of CMB Films, symbolizing the start of their journey toward next year’s festival showcase.
Filmmakers Jim Flores and Krisma Maclang-Fajardo received the grant on behalf of director Lawrence Fajardo, while Thop Nazareno, BC Amparado, Joseph Abello, Mikko Baldoza, and Rodina Singh each took the stage to express gratitude and share insights about their upcoming projects.
“Unlike other festivals, our entries required full script submissions,” said festival director Chris Cahilig. “Our call for entries lasted only two weeks, but we still received 203 full scripts. For those planning to join next time—start writing now.”
Cahilig added that this year’s selection placed a stronger emphasis on casting and storytelling balance, as the organizers aimed to ensure both commercial appeal and narrative integrity.
“We want to bring in good traffic, especially for the commercial films,” he explained. “That’s one of our primary considerations — to make sure the story isn’t sacrificed for the execution or casting. We imposed heavier demands on casting because the budget is bigger this year.”
He also noted that the festival leaned more toward fictional narratives this time, citing a noticeable increase in politically themed submissions.
“There were many political films this year, but we have certain limitations. We preferred fiction over real-life stories,” Cahilig shared. “As a festival, our experiences in the past define who we are. We want stories that leave a mark on audiences.”
Among the finalists, several shared personal reflections about their projects: Thop Nazareno expressed his gratitude for being part of the lineup, calling it an opportunity to tell a story that “inspires and connects.” BC Amparado shared that his film will be shot in Japan, showcasing the global reach of Filipino storytelling. Rodina Singh, joined onstage by Sassa Gurl, revealed her excitement and nerves upon being named the final recipient of the CinePanalo grant. Joseph Abello, whose last film was released in 2018, thanked Puregold for reigniting his passion for filmmaking.
Now on its third year, the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival continues to grow as a platform that celebrates creativity, diversity, and meaningful storytelling—proving once again that Filipino filmmakers have no shortage of stories worth telling.
