After an arduous screening process, eight panalo finalists emerged victorious, earning a three million peso (PHP3,000,000.00) production grant and the chance to showcase their masterpieces at the 2025 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival.

The lineup of filmmakers for the 2025 Puregold CinePanalo includes:

“Co-love,” Jill Singson Urdaneta

“Fleeting,” Catsi Catalan

“Food Delivery,” Baby Ruth Villarama

“Journeyman,” Christian Paolo Lat & Dominic Lat

“Olsen’s Day,” JP Habac

“Perlas sa Silangan,” TM Malones

“Sepak Takraw,” Mes De Guzman

“Tagsibol,” Tara Illenberger

While the number of finalists for the festival was initially limited to seven, the selection committee found that the superior quality of the entries warranted the inclusion of one more finalist, and thereby one more recipient of the P3M grant. This decision was fully supported by Puregold and its President Vincent Co, who deem the CinePanalo Film Festival as an avenue for bolstering the growth of Philippine cinema.

"Giving the opportunity to eight (8) full-length stories to be official entries in Puregold CinePanalo 2025 is a reflection of the significant talent and craftsmanship of Filipino filmmakers," said Vincent. "We are committed to showcasing the vision of these young directors. And we are confident that supporting their films will enrich Philippine cinema."

The inclusion of an eighth entry may also be credited to the Festival’s partners, including CMB Film Services Inc., Terminal Six Post, Mowelfund Film Institute, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and Gateway Cinemas, where the eight films will debut.

To be selected, each filmmaker had to compete against multiple applicants from all across the country. Following the initial screening, sixteen filmmakers were selected to go through a face-to-face pitch. From this choice list, only half were chosen to participate in the second-ever Puregold CinePanalo.

“These applicants went through a tough selection process,” said Puregold Senior Marketing Manager Ms. Ivy Hayagan-Piedad. “Just getting this far in the film festival is a testament to their dedication to their craft and to the brilliance of their ideas.”

Hayagan-Piedad was one of the six that comprised the Selection Committee, which included festival director Chris Cahilig, renowned directors Jeffrey Jeturian and Emmanuel Dela Cruz, and representatives of Republic Creative Creations, Inc. Sonny Bautista and Lyle Gonzales.

“Last year’s Puregold CinePanalo was a massive success and sent this festival on the road to becoming one of the country's most prestigious film competitions,” said Cahilig. “This drove us to be incredibly meticulous in choosing which films to display in next year’s festival. The Puregold CinePanalo is here to tout only the best that Filipino filmmaking offers.”

The eight feature films will now have the chance to compete for the Puregold CinePanalo’s selection of awards, including Pinakapanalong Mahabang Pelikula (Best Picture); Panalong Direktor (Best Director); Panalong Aktres (Best Actress); Panalong Actor (Best Actor); Panalong Karangalan Mula sa Mga Hurado (Special Jury Prize); Panalo sa mga Manonood; Panalong Pangalawang Aktres (Best Supporting Actress); Panalong Pangalawang Aktor (Best Supporting Actor); Panalong Kwento (Best Screenplay); Panalo sa Cinematography; Panalo sa Production Design; Panalong Awitin; Panalong Ensemble; Panalo sa Musical Scoring; Panalo sa Editing; Panalo sa Sound Design; and Panalo sa Film Poster. These will also get a chance to receive the Always Panalo Film Award for the film that best encapsulates the festival’s theme of celebrating uplifting stories of the Filipino condition.

Apart from the awards at the CinePanalo event proper, the eight films now have one more platform in which to display their films on the world stage. Last year’s CinePanalo had three of its entries recognized in foreign film festivals, namely “Road to Happy” (Jagran Film Festival, India); “One Day League” (Exposures Montreal Trans Film Festival, Canada); and “A Lab Story” (Jagran Film Festival, India, and Asian Film Festival Barcelona, Spain.)

Alongside the eight features, Puregold CinePanalo 2025 will also hold its student shorts competition. Twenty-five student filmmakers will receive a grant of one hundred and fifty thousand pesos (P150,000.00) each to create their film project for the world to see.

Each of the eight films, together with the 25 student short films, will be screened at the 2025 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, which is set to run in Gateway Cinemas from March 14 to 25, 2025.

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