Cinemalaya sets sail for its first-ever virtual film festival since its 16-year long run with the theme Stream Consciousness on August 7 to 16, 2020. Headlining ten short features and an exciting program that defies the challenges of the current pandemic, they’re bringing the festival to our homes and right at the palm of our hands.

It was March this year when the committee decided to push through with just a portion of Cinemalaya because of the necessary restrictions imposed with Manila’s lockdown. Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Vice President and Artistic Director, Chris Millado, reiterates during its virtual press that although we’ll be missing the intimacy of the theater and the community relishing in the rich culture of local indie cinema, they’re hoping that this shift in digital will serve as enhancement to screenings.

“It’s always been in the future plans of Cinemalaya to move much of its experiences online and this situation has only sped up the migration,” Millado says with high hopes. But to ease festival enthusiasts on this seemingly new format, he addresses this might only be temporary to keep up with the demands of our current health crisis.

In this new format, full feature films will resume next year and the short feature films will be competing for the Awards Ceremony. “…the Full Feature Film finalists who are producing their films for this year’s festival have their projects on hold until they find a way to shoot their films safely within the budget during the time of the pandemic,” shared Cinemalaya Foundation president Laurice Guillen.

While we’ll be holding our anticipation till 2021 or until further notice, the ten new Short Features offer a delicate selection of promising films that are carefully curated out of more than 280+ submissions.

Tomorrow, starting from as low as P75 to P350, you can access the full festival powered by Vimeo On Demand at Cinemalaya’s official website to stream 100+ Full Films, 20+ full length features, 20+ webinars. It will be available on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Roku on your preferred devices such as your phones, tablets, or computers. To navigate the page, you may choose either to ‘Rent’ to access a bundle of shows or ‘Subscribe’ to access the entire festival.

There’s more to the festival than just the films itself. Cinemalaya through the years has always been committed in enriching the culture of local cinema through various efforts, programs, and partnerships. To help you navigate the event, here are some details on its offerings this year:

The Main Competition comprises of these 10 Short Feature Films:

Fatigued by James Mayo

Living Things by Martika Ramirez Escobar

Pabasa Kan Pasyon by Hubert Tibi

Tokwifi by Carla Pulido Ocampo

Utwas (Arise) by Richard Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay

The Slums by Jan Andrei Cobey

Quing Lalam Ning Aldo (Under the Sun) by Reeden Fajardo

Ang Gasgas na Plaka ni Lolo Bert (The Broken Vinyl Record) by Janina Gacosta and Cheska Marfori

Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos (To Calm the Pig Inside) by Joanna Vasquez Arong

Excuse Me Miss, Miss, Miss by Sonny Calvento

The IndieNation set will hold at least 20 specially-curated films from more than 200 considerations in exhibition namely:

Ang Meron Sa Wala (Beyond Nothing) by Arby and Christine Larano

Ang Nawalang Haligi (Pillar) by Sarah Mya Regacho

Dama De Noche by Lawrence Sibug

Grand Gestures by Cody Abad

Gulis (LINES) by Kyle Jumayne Francisco

Habak by Paolo Matibag and Mia Salisbury

Himagsik ng Hiwaga (Revolt of the Mystic) by Geoffrey Solidum

Igib by Joey Paras

Jepoy by Avid Liongoren

Kung Saan Patag Ang Bundok (Where The Horizon Meets The Mountain) by Dolliete Echon

OctoGod by Shievar Olegario

Paon by Seb Valdez

Pinakanakapagpapabagabag-Damdamin (Most Disturbing Feeling) by Jermaine Tulbo

Si Gloria at Si Juan by Gilliano Salvador

Sumasaiyo, (Yours truly,) by Jermaine Tulbo

Tarang (Life’s Pedal) by Arvin Alindogan Belarmino

The Rooftop by Avirup Biswas

Asia’s longest-running independent film and video competition—Gawad Alternatibo—will also continue this year with the theme Restlessness (Ligalig). This set serves as a platform for emerging filmmakers to showcase their works under its own set of categories including Animation, Experimental, Documentary, Short Feature, Curated Section, and Emergent Media Exhibition (for indie games). At least 20 films are expected under each category.

In partnership with ABS-CBN, several projects are in place to promote local cinema at its best. ABS-CBN Film Archive through its Film Restoration Project will feature the restored, remastered version of Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo by Lupita Concio, written by Marina Feleo-Gonzales, and starred by Nora Aunor. iWanTV and TFC Global are also streaming competition films and select titles after the festival run.

Since we’re going digital, Cinemalaya Webinars will continue its run in partnership with Regional Arts Council in Naga, Ilo-Ilo, Bacolod, Davao, and Cebu to discuss cinematography, film appreciation, design, and more. Ricky Lee’s Scriptwriting Masterclass is also resuming this year online. Tara, chat! will replace Talkbacks with the filmmakers, cast, and crew. Kumu, a local livestream platform, is also its official livestream partner this year. So, expect news and updates, especially on the Awards Ceremony, through the app.

Tribute to industry pillars and prides will also commemorate the loss of Peque Gallaga and Anita Linda for their contributions to Philippine TV and Cinema.

Allied Festivals will then include partnerships with Eigasai Foundation and CinEuropa to feature films from foreign countries such as Japan and Europe’s domain, respectively.

Other Cinemalaya components are also present to add more content to the festival. Dokyu presents five major full length documentaries and five for shorts. Cinemalaya Retro will house its festival classics that will showcase the evolution of Cinemalaya through the years. Cinemalaya Campus 2019 winners will also exhibit six titles from Ilo-ilo, Bacolod, Naga, and more.