Filipino filmmakers at CineSilip Film Festival are taking bold steps toward storytelling that challenges convention and explores themes often left untouched by mainstream cinema.
The newly launched film festival aims to become a platform for such provocative and daring narratives, giving young directors and writers the freedom to tell stories that push creative and cultural boundaries.
Running from October 22 to 28 at Ayala Malls Cinemas, the inaugural event is a collaboration between Viva’s film production group and Ayala Malls.
Festival director Ronald Arguelles said the vision is for CineSilip to become an annual event that provides “young and brave filmmakers a platform to tell stories not often seen in mainstream cinema or those some people still consider taboo.”
“The festival will feature seven films that give directors and writers the creative freedom to craft stories that captivate moviegoers and spark imagination,” Arguelles said during a recent media conference at Viva Café in Araneta City. “I hope audiences will experience seven films filled with boldness, unafraid to explore passion, tackle stories that stir intrigue, and push the boundaries of Filipino filmmaking.”
The festival lineup spans a range of genres—from horror and comedy to drama. Among the entries is Ang Lihim ni Maria Makinang (The Secret of Maria Makinang), a coming-of-age drama directed by Gian Arre, starring Gold Aceron, Aiko Garcia, and Mercedes Cabral. It follows Maria, a woman who appears only during the full moon, and her love story with Danilo, tested by time.
Another entry, Babae sa Butas (The Woman in the Hole), is an erotic drama-comedy by Rhance Añonuevo-Cariño featuring Van Allen Ong and Vern Kaye. It tells the story of a tricycle driver entangled in a passionate yet deceptive encounter with a mysterious woman.
Dreamboi, an erotic psychological drama directed by Rodina Singh and starring Tony Labrusca and EJ Jallorina, follows a transwoman obsessed with the voice of an underground audio porn star, blurring the line between fantasy and reality.
In Haplos sa Hangin (A Sinful Touch), an erotic horror film by Mikko Baldoza starring Martin Del Rosario and Denise Esteban, an artist becomes consumed by desire for his neighbor, leading to betrayal and darkness.
Maria Azama: Da Best Prn Star*, a sexy comedy directed by Alan Habon and starring Albie Casiño and Dani Yoshida, tells the story of a man whose fantasy comes true when a porn actress comes to life, only for him to realize that reality is far from his fantasies.
In Pagdaong (A Midnight Kiss), a romantic drama directed by Pongs Leonardo starring Angela Morena and Astrid Lee, a writer and a curious student form a bond that reveals the truth behind the writer’s poetic inspirations.
The lineup concludes with Salikmata (Unseen), an erotic thriller directed by BC Amparado and written by Jason Paul Laxamana, starring Aliya Raymundo and Aerol Carmelo. Set in a small town, it follows a young man caught in scandal and revenge after his affair with a politician’s daughter is exposed.
The CineSilip Film Festival Awards Night will take place on October 27, ahead of the festival’s closing day.
