Established in 2005, Cinemalaya's aim is the development and promotion of Filipinoindependent films. The film festival is organized by the Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc. with the support of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Econolink Investments, Inc.
The organizing committee, headed by veteran Filipino director and actress Laurice Guillen, oversees the production of the films and the festival.[1]
History
The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film competition and festival that supports Filipino filmmakers. Cinemalaya's first edition was held in 2005 with the main competition meant for filmmakers who have made less than three commercial feature films.[2][3] It also began with a short film competition.[4] The organization of Cinemalaya was first proposed as early as 2004.[5] The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is among the original main proponents of Cinemalaya.[6]
The Cinemalaya's traditional main venue has been the CCP Complex in Pasay.[7]
In 2010, the festival was opened to veteran filmmakers under the Directors Showcase competition with the main competition branded as the New Breed category.[3][8] The Directors Showcase lasted until the 2014 edition.
From its inception in 2005 until the 2013 edition, Cinemalaya was held annually in July. The schedule was moved to August in 2014 to avoid competition from "big Hollywood films".[6]
Only short films was featured in the 2015 edition. The main competition was revived in the 2016 edition with the short film competition being the only other category.[10]
Cinemalaya was held virtually for the first time in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was held online again in the next year. Both editions focused on short films.[11][12] The film festival returned to on-site screenings in the 2022 edition.[13]
From the 2023 edition due to the due to renovation work of the CCP complex, the main venue of the Cinemalaya has been moved elsewhere within Metro Manila.[7][14] It is projected that Cinemalaya will only be able to return to the CCP Complex in 2028 at earliest.[15]
By 2025, Cinemalaya faced financial difficulties with the 2025 edition "streamlined" due to reduced funding from the CCP which is still renovating its complex. The schedule was also shifted to October from August.[16][17]
Funding
Each director receives a seed grant to produce their feature films. In the early years, each received a grant of ₱500 thousand. In the 2023 edition, filmmakers received a record high grant of ₱2 million each.[18]
Competitions
Main competition – known as the New Breed category from 2010 to 2014 is the primary competition for Cinemalaya for new Filipino filmmakers
Director's Showcase – Held from 2010 to 2014, the competition was open to veteran filmmakers
Short film competition – category for short film submissions. The 2015, 2020, and 2021 editions solely held the short film competitions.
1 2 Flaviano, Emerald (2017). "Contesting a National cinema in becoming the Cinemalaya Philippine independent film festival (2005-2014)". Humanities Diliman. 14 (2): 10. From 2005 to 2016, Cinemalaya has produced one hundred twenty-six featurelength films, one hundred two of which are under the "Main Competition" (later renamed to "New Breed Category" in 2010) made by filmmakers who have not produced more than three commercial feature films prior and fourteen under the short-lived "Directors Showcase" category made by veteran filmmakers.
↑ "Cinemalaya 2025, wala pang opening at closing films"[Cinemalaya 2025 does not have opening and closing films yet]. PEP.ph (in Filipino). Philippine Entertainment Portal, Inc. September 5, 2025. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
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