Puregold Cinepanalo Film Festival 2025 Awards Night: Winners Bared

Puregold's Cinepanalo Film Festival is certainly getting bigger by the year. This 2025, they've got a lot of full length and short film entries that have been watched at Gateway Mall 2's cinemas this past week. They've been extended a week after the star ridden awards night which has gotten some of my personal bets win major awards. 

Though I didn't get to list some of the winners, I've taken note of those that I've heard from the back of the room because yes, they were all cheering quite loud at the Elements tent in Centris, Quezon City.

Here are the winners:

Panalo sa Film Poster
Student Short Film Category
Checkmate
Full Length
Journeyman

Panalo sa Brand Inclusion
Student Short Film Category
Champ Green
G!
Full Length
Journeyman

Pinakapanalong Promosyon Ng Pelikula
Student Short Film Category
Checkmate tied with Taympers

Pinakapanalong Awitin
Student Short Film Category
Sine Sine (Suga, Camera, Saad by Jonathan Rey Sartorio and Lloyd Martin Villacortes Arce, Performed by Jonathan Rey ROTT Sartorio)
Full Length
Diko Pinili Co-Love

Pinakapanalong Sound Design
Student Short Film Category
Champ Green (Elan Idioma)
Full Length
Salum

Panalo sa Editing
Student Short Film Category
Jose Andy Sales of G!
Full Length
Vanessa Ubas de Leon of Co-love

Panalo Musical Scoring
Student Short Film Category
Uwian (Len Calvo)
Full Length
Salum

Panalong Ensemble
Student Short Film Category
Sine Sine
Full Length
Tigkiliwi

Panalo Sa Production Design
Student Short Film Category
Uwian (Andrea Jane Perang)
Full Length
Salum

Panalong Cinematography
Student Short Film Category
Dan En Pointe
Full Length
Olsen's Day tied with Journeyman

Responsableng Paglikha
Student Short Film Category
3rd Place 123 Strike
2nd Place Sine Sine
1st Place Dan En Pointe
Full Length
Journeyman

Special Citation from Mowelfund
Student Short Film Category
Champ Green
Full Length
Olsen's Day

Pinakapanalong Kwento
Student Short Film Category
Champ Green Clyde Cuizon Gamale
Full Length
Tara Illenberger of Tigkiwili

Panalong Pangalawang Aktor
Student Short Film Category
Sol Eugenio of Champ Green
Full Length
Jeffrey Jinuma for Tigkiwili

Panalong Pangalawang Aktres
Student Short Film Category
Uzziel Delamide of Uwian
Full Length
Gabby Padilla of Tigkiliwi

Panalo sa Manonood
Student Short Film Category
Sisenta
Full Length
Co-Love

Pinaka Panalong Aktor
Student Short Film Category
Lucas Martin of Sam Pie and Jasper John of Juan Dela Cruz
Full Length
Khalil Ramos and JP Larroder of Olsen's Day and Tigkiliwi

Best Actress
Student Short Film Category
Geraldine Villamil for Uwian
Full Length
Ruby Ruiz of Tikiliwi

Always Panalo Film (embody the brand's values)
Student Short Film
Sampie
Full Length
Journeyman tied with Fleeting

Panalo sa International Jury
Journeyman

Panalong Director

Student Short Film Category
Vhan Marco Molacruz of Uwian

Full Length
JP Habac for Olsen's Day

Pinakapanalong Maikling Pelkula
Champ Green
(Jury Prize) Dela Cruz Juan P.

Pinakapanalong Pelikula
Salum
(Jury Prize) Tigkiliwi

The films will be showcased at the Gateway Mall 2 Cineplex 18 cinemas until March 25th. If you haven't watched an entry yet, or haven't finished watching the shorts and full length films, head on to the mall and purchase tickets. It's not expensive and the entries are pretty good. It will feed your hunger for films especially since people are flocking back to cinemas this year. 

A Bigger Bolder PUREGOLD CINEPANALO 2025

 

These are exciting times, not just for the movie goers but the creatives, those who work behind the scenes in this year's PUREGOLD Cine Panalo Film Festival.

I went up the elevator of Artson events place this morning with some of the brightest stars, including filmmakers, directors that have already made names in the industry. I already knew how much this costs, millions just in production. Php 3M for 8 entries, and Php 125,000 for 24 student filmmakers, makes this a worthy festival in the country. Mind you, this has already produced international awards in previous years, so no doubt, this is a great platform for all these stars, production in the coming days. This year, they have partnered with MTRCB, Gateway Cineplex 18, Mowelfund, Terminal Six, CMB Films, and MFP rentals.

Choosing entries this year has been stressful for the committee and Puregold execs because of the so many talented individuals who sent their films. If my memory serves me right, they had over a hundred ++ to screen and only 8 would be picked. They had even more hopefuls for the Student Short film category and they got 24 out of it. Some of which are actually schools from provinces, so you see, that's exactly what they wanted to do, a platform for talented ones anywhere you are in the country.

Here are the 8 FULL LENGTH Entries:

 

 

 For the STUDENT SHORTS Category, here are the entries:

If you see that I have a wee bit of obsession when it comes to the entry of KD Estrada and Alexa Ilacad's entry called CO-LOVE, it's because people have been waiting for their pairings movie debut. Although this is probably going to be a moment for KD Estrada, Alexa is so supportive about their appearance in this film together with Kira Balinger and Jameson Blake. There's going to be real hard work to be done to showcase what they can do as a pair, and as individual artists. We also talked to Alexa a bit about their movie and her other projects:

 There's more where these movies came from, and certainly, we have a lot to look forward to on March where they plan to put these in theaters. Please make sure you also come in the theaters a bit early so you could see the short films that students have also made.

 

For more information about the films, please follow PUREGOLD's social channels and their official website. Be part of the growing crowd that not only adores Puregold's products and prices, but their passion to help film makers have this platform, to tell their story.

CABRINI Hits Philippine Cinemas Today June 19th

If you are religious, faithful, care about other people, or know an OFW, you definitely should watch this movie called CABRINI. This stars Cristiana Dell'Anna, John Lithgow, David Morse and an ensemble cast of Italian-Americans, because this is mainly, a story about them.

Cristiana plays the role of Francesca Cabrini, a woman who after landing in New York's shores, saw the shocking plight of immigrants, their children, and the condition they live in. The story is TRAGIC right from the moment she stepped foot in Five Points, a place where she saw the orphaned children, the abused women, the people who live through unbelievable means. She was frantic, and wanted to do something about it. 

Cabrini was also with other nuns, whom all worked from sun up to sun down preparing what's supposed to be an orphanage so they could house the kids, take them away from the streets and burrows, the sewers of the same city. They began feeding them, cleaning them up. They did sew a lot of clothes, they looked quite nice in dresses and suits which the nuns personally had woven, and sewn together. Though this was the time they began noticing, they needed funds in order to serve a lot of children (bambinis).

But just like the Philippines, the politicians had a different view. They felt there should be no funds, and they should never be seen as part of the city. It was disheartening to see how when Chrisitana was making headway together with the nuns and community, they began sabotaging, do unnecessary things to stop them from flourishing on American soil. It felt like when they already had a roof on their head, they begin throwing a ton of bricks on top, or burn them to the ground because they didn't like what they were seeing.

She started to device a way to put the spotlight on those who need help specifically the immigrants, Italians, and children. After getting displaced, lack of funds, she began believing she could do more for the voiceless, those who are quarantined and in the slums, the ones with dignity and still have the chance to live. She does ALL these while suffering from an incurable disease (back then). A woman who in spite of adversities, used art, a second language, her faith and love in order to make sure the women, children and people she serve gets adequate medical care, nourishment, and dignity they deserve.

Watch this trailer to get a grasp of the story

Her story based on real events is so inspiring. The dark treatment/color grading for this masterpiece by Director Alejandro Monteverde was apt for the mood they wanted to exude. Its excellent, and warrants you to definitely see and hear her story, on how this once sickly but feisty lady from Italy became the first American saint, and patron of immigrants.

It shows in the Philippines starting today, June 19 in theaters nationwide!