The next generation of Filipino filmmakers takes center stage at the Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival 2026, with 19 student short films set to showcase fresh perspectives, bold storytelling, and diverse voices from across the country. Presented during the recent Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival mediacon at Quantum Skyview in Gateway Mall 2, Araneta City, the student filmmakers joined the event alongside the festival’s full-length filmmakers and cast members.
For this year’s student shorts category, the participating filmmakers are divided into four screening sets, featuring stories that explore identity, family, grief, social realities, coming of age, community, faith, and the Filipino experience. Festival chair Ivy-Hayagan Piedad emphasized the importance of giving emerging filmmakers a platform, saying that every film in this year’s CinePanalo carries the passion of its creators and that the festival aims to support Filipino artistry and contribute to the continued growth of Philippine cinema.
SET A
“Starfish”
Director: John Clite Apolinar
Starring: VR Relosa, Nour Hooshmand, Jake Ulan, Floyd Tena, and Dads Valencia
A male sex worker is forced to return to his provincial hometown, where he confronts his estranged father and sister while facing a community where oppression takes on a familiar face.
“Kun Hain, Bisan Diin. (Anywhere and Everywhere)”
Director: Jomarie Reyes
Starring: Pau Baluyan, Carla Zarcal, and Anton Nolasco
A young lawyer travels back to Samar in search of her estranged activist mother before her wedding, bringing her back to a past she has seemingly left behind.
“Kanibal”
Director: Michael Baylon
Starring: Rowen Jean Ledesma, Roselle Lao, and Ma. Lourdes Maculada
Set in a changing public market, the film follows Lea as transformations in her surroundings coincide with changes in her beliefs and her own body.
“Sa Mga Nagdaan at Lumipas”
Director: Ezaldea Carla Fernandez
Starring: Darelle Tiu, Aly Torres, and Karla Dipasupil
A queer archivist named Ella, grieving the loss of her lover, preserves a historical video documenting the Philippines’ first Pride March in 1994—where she and her partner are both featured.
“Limlim”
Director: Samantha Beatriz Acoja Palaje
Starring: Zoey Madison Presentacion Lim and Angela Salga
A ten-year-old girl and her mother retreat to an old chicken farm, where their secluded new life forces them to confront grief and begin again.
SET B
“Alumahan”
Director: Christian Melvin M. Arejola
Starring: Don Rishmond Cerbito, Zoey Madison Lim, and Jeremy Mayores
In a small provincial fishing town, 13-year-old Unyok, a grieving fish-port helper who is bullied by his peers, tries to find belonging by joining a violent youth gang. His search for acceptance leads him toward a brutal initiation.
“When Heaven Inched Towards Earth”
Director: Vinh Marco
Starring: André Miguel and Kaleb Ong
Set in a Catholic high school in Bulacan, the film follows the bond between a farm boy and a sacristan as he grapples with faith, shame, and the space between heaven and earth.
“No Mad is an Island”
Director: Carl Geronimo
Starring: Arjhay Mangulabnan and Vic Romano
In a vibrant fishing town, Matmat dreams of dancing like a fish, but the world around him continues to place restrictions and barriers in his path.
“Tingi”
Director: Rowan De Aro
Starring: Jero Andrey Marcelino and Evangeline Argete Gigante
Inside a neighborhood sari-sari store, a graduating student quietly saves every coin he can for college. But an unexpected turn threatens the future he has carefully planned.
“Ang Huling Banlaw ni Susan”
Director: Hezekiah M. Estorque
Starring: Jonalyn Mateo, Ian Laczi, Chayl Flores, and Jeffrey James
A Filipina labandera increasingly loses the boundary between fantasy and reality, revealing the hidden cost of trying to survive within a broken system.
SET C
“Pulis Dunggab”
Director: Maxine Dela Bajan
Starring: Van Jordan Gacayan, Elj Seth Tababa, and Richel Ann Basiga
While playing his favorite childhood game, Pulis Dunggab, nine-year-old Dongkoy encounters something that transforms innocent make-believe into a frightening reality.
“The Sound of K”
Director: Jay Gabriel A. Cañada
Starring: Jay Gabriel A. Cañada
A young boy who fears speaking discovers that finding his own voice may mean confronting the very sound he has spent his life avoiding.
“Nakabinbin”
Director: Carlo Gula
Starring: Soliman V. Cruz
A widowed father attempts to secure a death certificate so he can bury his daughter. But when there is no proof that she was ever born, he is pushed into a conflict between the law and what he believes is right.
“Nang Matakasan ang Tagay”
Director: Giancarlo Santiago
Starring: Chino Alfonso and Jovic Gabriel Cardano
On the eve of his departure, a seaman spends time drinking with his friends and sharing quiet moments with his son. The tension between machismo and tenderness eventually forces him to confront something he can no longer avoid.
SET D
“Teks Battle: Shoot Pati Pato!”
Director: John Russel Capule
Starring: Trisha Nicole Corpus, Kenneth Mendoza, Rhandylle Marius Obra, and Samantha Gleo
In a small barangay, the familiar children’s game of teks becomes a reflection of power. Maya challenges Rod, the reigning champion who has become a tyrant, in a battle that could change the fate of their community.
“Kapag Tapos na ang Umpukan”
Director: Justine Lee Estinor
Starring: Oz Kenshin Rodas
A young man caught between family obligations and personal ambition reaches a crossroads as the traditions of lambanog-making and a night of celebration force him to confront the courage he has long been postponing.
“12 Shots”
Director: Minnesota Flores
Starring: Nor Domingo, Kyrie Samodio, and Ethan King
Inside a dying Manila photo studio, a teenage apprentice inherits her mentor’s vintage camera and fascination with the past. But when a debt turns deadly, she must find a way to retrace the hours that led to the tragedy.
“Bumtak Sara ti Nuangen (The Carabao’s Horns Have Cracked)”
Director: Lloyd Pereira
Starring: Belle Francisco and Riya Miranda
A young woman prepares to become her town’s first OFW in her search for her mother, triggering a wave of exaggerated reactions among the townspeople.
“Miss Intrams”
Director: Henri Marie C. Belimac
Starring: Mariella Cuerpo, Mika Hamajo, and Diana Palma
A queer transmasc college student enters her campus Miss Intramurals pageant—not necessarily to win, but to understand herself and determine whether the experience represents who she is or a farewell to who she once was.
A Showcase of Emerging Filipino Voices
The 19 student shorts represent a broad range of storytelling approaches, from intimate family dramas and coming-of-age stories to queer narratives, social commentary, community stories, and films rooted in distinctly Filipino experiences.
More importantly, the category provides young filmmakers from different parts of the Philippines with an opportunity to have their work seen on the big screen and to connect with audiences beyond their respective schools and communities.
The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival 2026 runs from September 23 to October 4 at Gateway Cineplex 18, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and Market! Market!
Regular tickets are priced at ₱250, while discounted tickets are ₱200. A ₱2,000 festival pass is also available for moviegoers who want to experience the festival lineup. PWDs, senior citizens, students, national athletes, and Aling Puring and Perks cardholders are eligible for discounted tickets.
Festival passes will be available at Gateway Cineplex 18 beginning September 22, and at TriNoma beginning September 23.
With 19 student filmmakers bringing their stories to the festival, the student shorts category offers audiences a glimpse into the future of Philippine cinema—one emerging filmmaker and one original story at a time.
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