Binisaya 2025: Post-Fest Notes from a Bit Player

In the words of the late, great Teddy Co, “If Philippine Cinema is to become a dynamic social force, it can only do so by diversifying the kinds of films that it churns out. One is to move away from the congested city and look to the provinces in search of fresh new images.” 

For its 15th year, the Binisaya Film Festival took that to heart, projecting this manifesto in neon Comic Sans over every screen and surface. Fans of the Binisaya movement are familiar with this flavor by now. From an impromptu karaoke session inside a movie theater to an online program entitled Saksaksinagol, Binisaya has never been one to shy away from irreverence. 

Photo from Binisaya Archives\

Here, there are no sacred cows. Playful takes on religion? This is a safe space. In “Walk with Jesus” by Redh Honoridez, a woman down on her luck finds the Son of God in the strangest of circumstances. Miko Buan Acuña likewise summons the second coming of Christ in “Maryosep”. In Ligaya Villablanca's "Padung Langit si Inday Opil”, a tragic heroine goes on a multilingual acid trip through an interfaith afterlife. The 24-hour Shootout “Diring Dapita” was an interschool omnibus film on the seven deadly sins. It ended with Lust, the winning entry from the University of San Carlos called Team O-Team with members: Simon “Batman” Tabaloc, Jose Andy Sales, Johannes Tejero, Xod Plania, Adrei Dulay, and their Coach and Instructor Kris Villarino. They tackled prevalent Gen-Z feelings of male loneliness and hugot in this surprisingly sensitive, mature and thoughtful film. Festival Director Daniell Aballe-de los Reyes adds, "The Shootout hybrid was something new so of course there were so many challenges but it was fun to see these young filmmakers flesh out their ideas, even with the limited time. It was a really great exercise in technique and storytelling".

Photo from Binisaya Archives

Photo from Binisaya Archives

Two Mindanawon shorts were thematic sisters in spirit as female rage revenge fantasies: “Sa Ilalum sa Balabal sa Alitaptap” by actress-director Juvy Clarito and “When the Sun Sets Over Davao” by Adrian William Lo. The latter, a period piece that won the Audience Choice award, was ballsy in its portrayal of the Visayan settler in Mindanao. Yes, the Cebuano speaker is mocked in the capital and “imperial Manila” is the go-to enemy around these parts. But just as Cebu’s scene may seem quaint compared to NCR, next to a province like Leyte, that underdog dynamic flips. The meta-documentary “Asa Ang Mga Salida sa Leyte?” was fashioned into being because of filmic FOMO, of neighbors having it better. Co-directors Linus Masandag and Lebron Ponce ruminate on their region’s cinema, from the decaying theaters to the departure of local talent who seek greener pastures. 

What then becomes of those with nowhere else to go? In Stephen Kelly Mahusay’s “dangpanan”, the city offers no safe haven to its most vulnerable denizens. In the surrealist sociopolitical critique that won Binisaya Best Short, the displaced are fed lies and cast aside, made to offer what little they have to get by. Binisaya Horizons Best Film Brownout Capital treads similar ground. In this documentary by Pabelle Manikan, we are transported to a rural outpost in Palawan that routinely experiences power outages. The neglect of a community, the negligence of authorities—these themes are unfortunately an archipelago-wide phenomenon.  

Stills from Stephen Kelly's film "dangpanan"

Where programming is concerned, Binisaya is as inclusive as it is expansive. Filmmaker and curator Aiess Alonso was the pioneer who selected the first batch of Asian Shorts in 2014. Three years later, the 2017 call for submissions went global. This year’s Binisaya World was stacked with all-stars like Singaporean directing duo Lam Li Shuen and Mark Chua. They marked their festival comeback with “The Inescapable Desire of Roots”, a bizarre body horror short shot on 16mm and Super 8 film. Another returnee was Whammy Alcazaren who brought the heat with “Water Sports”, a climate change banger that won this year’s Binisaya World Best Film. Alcazaren’s “Bold Eagle” also won the same category in 2023.

This plurality of perspectives didn’t just manifest in the selection of films, but also the curation of special guests for a panel talk. It began with representatives from the Film Development Council sharing their assistance programs and production grants, along with open calls for applications. From the film student to the industry practitioner, the message was loud and clear: aid exists for local filmmakers. 

Director and screenwriter Arvin Belarmino’s origin story was one that some members of the audience must have resonated with. Cavite-born Belarmino used to major in Information Technology. His version of film school wasn’t conducted via classroom instruction—he honed his craft from being on set, collaborating with friends. This eventually led to his first official foray into filmmaking with Kyel (2015). He has since built a body of work running the gamut from gritty neorealism to experimental absurdism. Hist latest short Agapito (2025), co-directed with Kyla Romero, is a family drama doing the rounds at prestigious film festivals such as Cannes and Toronto.

From there, we went behind the byline with a film critic. Jason Tan Liwag knows what the average reader is looking for with a review. Those three-out-of-five stars, thumbs up and down are seen to serve a utilitarian purpose: Is it worth the ticket expense and time? Liwag makes a case for criticism that isn’t reduced to mere consumer guide. To write about film is record-keeping. It is a conscious act of defiance against forgetting. 

One of the topics touched on in the talkback was the artist's relationship with rest. The panel was transparent about their grindset. From pitching sessions to premieres, there's barely any breathing room between projects. The optional break is frequently opted out of. Regional filmmakers operate on island time, running on different Circadian rhythms. As a result, our calendars look different. We don’t have all-access passes to the same infrastructure and opportunities. In a city still cinematheque-less as of writing, there are barriers to (re)entry. And so it goes, those long bouts of inactivity in between spurts of productivity. 

This is best illustrated with Binisaya’s closing film, "Pinikas" by Cris Fuego. From its pre-pandemic shoot to post-production, Pinikas took six years in total. While it would be easy to pin the delay on Fuego’s status as an engineer based overseas, distance was not the real culprit. It was a matter of finances—or the lack thereof. Life imitated art for the people behind Pinikas whose money troubles mirrored the protagonists in Pintuyan. However, the fate of Pinikas the film had a happier ending. Cast plus crew pulled through. The success story of this self-funded, self-distributed independent film shall continue. 

Stills from Pinikas' official FB page

This struggle is one that Binisaya as a whole knows well. Historically barebones and bootstrapped, its 15th edition was considerably much more boujee than previous iterations. The bigger budget was made apparent in the booking of a mall cineplex for four days of physical screenings and the free accommodation for out-of-town finalists. And so the spilling of tea, the sharing of beef, that summer camp camaraderie at those nightly afterparties were made a lot less insular. 

What’s in store for Binisaya at 16? They always keep us guessing. Perhaps that is what brings people back for more, year in and year out. For the found family of orphans and outcasts who belong in Binisaya, rest easy. Home will always be here. 

Photo from Binisaya Archives

Shout out to Binisaya Founder Keith Deligero, Festival Director Danielle Aballe-de los Reyes and members Idden de los Reyes, Remton Zuasola, Atty. Grace Lopez, and Darcy Arguedo.