Two Mapúa University filmmakers received prestigious awards at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival 2025 held last month, at Shangri-la Plaza Cinema in Mandaluyong. Organized by the Cinemalaya Foundation and Cultural Center of the Philippines, the annual competition recognizes and supports promising filmmakers by recognizing their creative works and awarding seed grants to help them create their cinematic masterpieces.
Mapúa Digital Film alumnus Elian Idioma won Best Director (Short Film Category) for his thesis film “I’m Best Left Inside My Head.” Idioma’s thesis adviser, Dr. David Corpuz, filmmaker and Dean of Mapúa’s School of Multimedia and Digital Arts (SoMDA), was named one of the Top Ten finalists for the Cinemalaya 2026 Feature Film category for his project entitled “Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam.”
The Art of Tonal Finesse: Idioma’s Victory
Mapúa Digital Film alumnus Elian Idioma receiving his Best Director in the Short Film Category award for his short film “I’m Best Left Inside My Head.” Photo from Cinemalaya
Idioma’s winning short film is the first clay-mation thesis film produced for the Mapúa Digital Film program and the first of its kind to compete in Cinemalaya. The animated short film follows a group of boys who reunite after living in the same orphanage, only to confront how privilege has shaped their lives apart. The Cinemalaya jury praised the work “for its deft control of tone, emotional precision and psychological depth… a meditation on guilt, privilege, and belonging rendered with remarkable sensitivity and vision.”
Idioma, who graduated in 2024, thanked his mentors for his film training in Mapua. In his speech, he also shared: “I just want to thank everyone for seeing the vision of my film. Having a platform like this is such a big thing, to be seen and to be heard by so many. I hope all my fellow filmmakers who feel like their voices are unheard, especially students, keep creating films. Just say it. Just make it.”
SoMDA Leadership Steps onto the National Stage
The movie poster of “Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam” by Dean David Corpuz (Mapúa SoMDA); one of the 10 finalists for the Feature Film category of Cinemalaya 2026. Photo from Cinemalaya
Meanwhile, Dean David Corpuz was named one of the Top Ten Finalists for the Cinemalaya 2026 for his project, Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam. Selected from over three hundred submissions, the film, secured a P1 million production grant from the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Film Development Council of the Philippines. This marks Dr. Corpuz’s third participation in Cinemalaya following The Ordinary Things We Do (Special Jury Prize for Short Film, 2014) and Kusina (2016)
“Being part of Cinemalaya will always be an honor. It remains a coveted platform for independent filmmaking in the Philippines, and participating in it reminds me why I continue my practice as a filmmaker. As a filmmaker-educator, I strive to be an active participant in the ever-changing landscape of Philippine cinema,” stated Dean Corpuz. “In a way, I hope my continued involvement also inspires our Mapuan students and faculty to keep creating original works that engage with the times. It is important that our learners see that their faculty members are not only teaching art, but are actively making art. Continuous artistic practice is our responsibility.”
Mapúa celebrates these twofold achievements which bring enormous pride to the institution. They powerfully demonstrate that the University cultivates creativity, excellence, and innovation across its entire spectrum of offerings, ensuring world-class quality education that extends equally to the arts and creative disciplines.
To learn more about how Mapúa’s School of Multimedia and Digital Arts is reshaping today’s creative space, visit the Mapúa website and begin your journey to a world-class, future-focused education today.
