The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, established in 2005 as one of the Philippines' most prominent platforms for independent filmmaking, has built a reputation for nurturing emerging directors and launching works that have gone on to earn recognition at international festivals. Each year, its main competition lineup features a significant number of returning filmmakers. BusinessWorld spoke with three of them about the current state of Philippine independent cinema.

For Ma-an L. Asuncion-Dagñalan, a director and screenwriter whose debut film Blue Room won Best Film at Cinemalaya in 2022, independent cinema enables filmmakers to explore concepts that would be difficult to pursue within major studio systems.

"Independent cinema is produced outside a big or mainstream studio," she said via e-mail. "But in terms of funding, we are able to apply for grants, or pitch to festivals and potential investors."

Her entry to this year's Cinemalaya is 2 Valid IDs, a drama addressing the difficulties marginalized populations face in accessing government benefits. The screenplay was written by Abet Pagdagdagan Raz, who drew inspiration from his mother's month-long confinement in a provincial hospital. That experience motivated him to write a story intertwining two systemic issues — bureaucracy and healthcare.

"This story was the one he submitted to the Mowelfund workshop, though it was originally a short story," Ms. Asuncion-Dagñalan said. "Then he approached me and pitched this story to me because he wanted me to direct it. Since it is a socio-political story, which I am so drawn to, I felt it was very important to tell so I immediately said yes."

The two developed the script after submitting it to the Cinemalaya Lab, where it was accepted. The festival's development lab has served as a critical pipeline for first-time and returning filmmakers, offering mentorship and feedback that help shape projects before they reach audiences.

Dustin Celestino, a playwright and director whose films Ang Duyan ng Magiting and Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan were featured at Cinemalaya in 2023 and 2025, respectively, took a similar development route. His entry this year is A.ni.mal, a black comedy and social satire centered on politically powerful families.

"Beyond the grants Cinemalaya provides, the festival also allows for plenty of creative freedom. The stories I tell are difficult ones, not always the most profitable ones," Mr. Celestino told BusinessWorld via Messenger.

"There are very few venues and platforms that actually make room for such work," he added.

With production costs rising each year, today's independent directors aim to demonstrate that filmmaking is "for everyone and not just for big productions with money to burn."

A.ni.mal marks a tonal shift from Mr. Celestino's two previous films, adopting a more devious and humorous approach. Notably, it was shot entirely on cellphones over the course of four days, reflecting a broader trend in global independent cinema where accessible technology has lowered barriers to entry for storytellers outside traditional studio structures.

"We want to encourage people to stop trying to make films the way big studios do," he said.

JL Burgos, whose documentary Alipato at Muog was screened at Cinemalaya in 2024, is moving in a different direction this year. His entry, Ganggang, is a coming-of-age drama set in a province, focusing on children who stand up to bullying.

"The need to tell these stories remains inseparable from the need to change deplorable conditions that make them necessary in the first place," he said. "We have no delusions that films will change society for the better, but at least we put important issues up for discourse. While Alipato at Muog is a documentary and Ganggang is narrative in form, both have the same fire for human rights."

He noted that "commercial cinemas are afraid of socially charged films, especially themes that expose abuses committed by the state." Festivals like Cinemalaya, by contrast, remove that limitation by giving filmmakers the opportunity to explore themes of their choosing.

Ms. Asuncion-Dagñalan echoed this view, observing that both Blue Room and 2 Valid IDs address harsh realities in the Philippines.

"But 2 Valid IDs focuses more on the marginalized population of our country. Most of these people are from far-flung places. They are busy working seven days a week and they are preoccupied surviving in their daily lives," she said. "We all know how fragmented our identification system is. Not only that, our healthcare system is also broken. The first people who are affected by it are those people on the margins of society."

Working across both mainstream and independent productions, she added that independent cinema can also influence the mainstream industry.

"Big studios can also venture into bold and unconventional stories," she said.

Mr. Burgos concluded by saying that true independent films make "the message the hero," regardless of the actors or the budget.

"Independent films should be the counterculture to the dominant culture," he said.

The 22nd Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival runs from Aug. 6 to 18 at the Red Carpet Cinemas at Shangri-La Plaza, select Ayala Malls Cinemas, and Gateway Cineplex 18. Nine full-length features and 10 short films will be screened. Regular tickets are priced at P350.

— Brontë H. Lacsamana