MANILA -- Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival is returning with the theme “Mga Kwentong Panalo ng Buhay.”
For its upcoming 2025 Puregold CinePanalo run, a P3,000,000 full-length film production grant will be given to each of seven deserving professional and amateur directors, while 25 promising student filmmakers will each receive a P150,000 short film production grant.
“After a highly successful and celebrated inaugural run in March, Puregold is proud to have started its mark in the Philippine film industry,” Puregold president Vincent Co told the media.
As part of their advocacy campaign, Co said they want to help aspiring filmmakers.
“We aim to continue this for the benefit of Filipino students and filmmakers. This year, we challenge more aspiring filmmakers to push boundaries, tackle new matters and experimental approaches while raising Filipino heritage and values,” he said.
CinePanalo, which gives spotlight on student and professional creatives, has two categories: short films for students and campus-based filmmakers and full-length films for amateur and professional directors.
For the upcoming festival, CinePanalo will now require applicants to submit complete screenplays for their entries to allow the Selection Committee to identify the most compelling and well-realized stories suited to the festival’s theme.
Applications are now open to those aspiring to join the upcoming festival line-up. The deadline for full-length directors is on July 15, while student directors in the short film category must submit their applications before August 15.
Winning stories
All submitted entries must be uplifting stories centered on the theme of “Mga Kwentong Panalo ng Buhay.”
“We seek fresh perspectives in storytelling. Puregold CinePanalo aims to be a platform for local artists to take risks and be bold in their craft. Our goal is to bring more outstanding Filipino films to the national—and even global—stage,” Puregold senior marketing manager and festival director Ivy Hayagan-Piedad said.
The student shorts have a maximum runtime of 20 minutes, while the full-length films must have a minimum length of 90 minutes. All winning entries will be screened during the festival proper from March 14-25, 2025, at the Gateway Cinemas.
Puregold CinePanalo Awards Night will be held on March 19, 2025.
The 1st Puregold CinePanalo which took place last March featured full-length films from directors such as Kurt Soberano, Sigrid Bernardo, Joel Ferrer, and more. Student shorts were produced by young filmmakers from UP Diliman, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and other schools nationwide. -- With report from Josh Mercado
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