From Sassa Gurl’s supernatural romance to Juan Karlos Labajo’s award-winning drama, Puregold CinePanalo 2026 gave Filipino filmmakers room to tell stories on their own terms.
I love a good Filipino movie, but what I appreciate even more is when filmmakers get to make something that doesn’t have to follow the usual box-office formula.
And looking at the lineup and winners of this year’s Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, that’s exactly what caught my attention.
A ghost with an unfinished love confession? A heartbroken manicurist accidentally taking on a hitman’s job? A Filipino worker in Japan confronting the loneliness of death?
Ang daming ganap. And I’m here for the variety.
For its third edition, held from September 23 to October 4, 2026, CinePanalo brought seven full-length films, 19 student shorts, and a new Panorama Shorts section to cinemas across Metro Manila.
But what made this year’s edition particularly interesting was one decision: the festival removed its prescribed theme.
Instead of asking filmmakers to fit their stories into a particular idea of a winning Filipino narrative, the organizers gave them more creative freedom.And personally, I think that was a smart move.
The Biggest Winner Was a Film About Life’s Impermanence
The night’s biggest winner was Mono No Aware, directed by BC Amparado, which collected nine awards, including Best Full-Length Film.
Set in Japan, it follows Ichi, a Filipino kodokushi cleaner played by Juan Karlos Labajo, who encounters an elderly widower with one final request before his death.
For context, kodokushi refers to the phenomenon of people dying alone, often with their deaths going undiscovered for some time.
Not exactly light weekend viewing, but the premise opens up conversations about loneliness, migration, grief, and the families we leave behind.
Filipinos are no strangers to stories about working abroad. But this one approaches the experience through an unusual and deeply human profession.
Aside from Best Film, Mono No Aware earned Best Director for Amparado, Best Actor for Labajo, and Best Supporting Actress for Momoko Kobayashi.
It also received the International Jury Award, Best Ensemble, and honors for cinematography, editing, and sound design.
Nine wins for a film about loss and the fragile nature of life.
There’s something fitting about that.
Meanwhile, Xyriel Manabat Was Busy Winning Best Actress
On a completely different cinematic wavelength, Xyriel Manabat won Best Actress for Stuck on You.
Directed by Mikko Baldoza, the film follows a heartbroken manicurist who accidentally becomes involved in a hitman’s assignment.
I mean, imagine going through a breakup and somehow ending up in a deadly conspiracy.
Some people get bangs after heartbreak. This character gets an entirely different problem.
The film blends romance, crime, and comedy, proving that Filipino storytelling doesn’t always have to choose between being entertaining and having something to say.
Stuck on You also won Best Original Song for “Reyna ng Quezon City” by Juana.
Elsewhere, Apol of My Ai, directed by Thop Nazareno, received the Jury Award. Zanjoe Marudo won Best Supporting Actor, while Zion Cruz was named Best Child Performer for the film.
Sassa Gurl, Supernatural Romance, and the Audience Vote
One of the films that immediately stood out to me from the lineup was Multwoh (Patay na Patay Sa’yo), directed by Rodina Singh.
Starring Sassa Gurl and Joao Constancia, it follows a queer college student who returns as a ghost to confess a love that was left unspoken.
A supernatural love story with humor, heartbreak, and a little unfinished business?
That’s the kind of premise that makes you curious before you’ve even entered the cinema.
And audiences clearly connected with something in it.
Multwoh won the Audience Choice Award for the full-length category, along with recognition for production design. It also shared the Puregold Always Panalo award with Patay Gutom.
Meanwhile, Patay Gutom, co-directed by Carl Joseph Papa and Ian Pangilinan, earned awards for its story and visual effects.
I especially appreciate seeing films that are willing to experiment with genre, whether through animation, fantasy, queer romance, or supernatural comedy.
Filipino cinema has room for all of it.
The Student Filmmakers Deserve Their Own Spotlight
Here’s another part of CinePanalo that deserves more attention: the student films.
Limlim, directed by Samantha Palaje, won Best Student Short Film.
The story follows a young girl and her mother as they attempt to begin a new life in an isolated setting while confronting grief.
The film also earned Best Cinematography for Geia de Vera and Best Child Performer for Zoey Madison Lim.
Palaje shared the Best Student Short Director award with Jomarie Corro-Reyes of Kun Hain, Bisan Diin. (Anywhere and Everywhere).
The latter also received the Student Shorts Jury Award, Best Story, and Best Editing.
Other notable winners included Ang Huling Banlaw ni Susan, which received the Student Shorts Audience Choice Award, and Alumahan, which won the International Jury Award.
The newly introduced Panorama Shorts category also recognized Zig Dulay’s The Other Side of Reality as its Best Short Film.
What I like about this part of the festival is that students weren’t simply included for representation.
Their work had a place in actual cinemas, in competition, and in conversations about the future of Filipino storytelling.
For young filmmakers still building their careers, that kind of opportunity matters.
CinePanalo 2026: The Major Winners
Here are the key results from the September 30 awards ceremony.
Full-Length Films
- Best Film: Mono No Aware
- Best Director: BC Amparado, Mono No Aware
- Best Actor: Juan Karlos Labajo, Mono No Aware
- Best Actress: Xyriel Manabat, Stuck on You
- Best Supporting Actor: Zanjoe Marudo, Apol of My Ai
- Best Supporting Actress: Momoko Kobayashi, Mono No Aware
- Best Child Performer: Zion Cruz, Apol of My Ai
- Jury Award: Apol of My Ai
- International Jury Award: Mono No Aware
- Audience Choice: Multwoh (Patay na Patay Sa’yo)
- Puregold Always Panalo: Multwoh and Patay Gutom
Student Short Films
- Best Film: Limlim
- Best Director: Samantha Palaje, Limlim, and Jomarie Corro-Reyes, Kun Hain, Bisan Diin.
- Best Actor: Jay Gabriel Cañada, The Sound of K
- Best Actress: Jonalyn Mateo, Ang Huling Banlaw ni Susan
- Best Supporting Actor: Nor Domingo, 12 Shots
- Best Supporting Actress: Nour Hooshmand, Starfish
- Best Child Performer: Zoey Madison Lim, Limlim
- Jury Award: Kun Hain, Bisan Diin.
- International Jury Award: Alumahan
- Audience Choice: Ang Huling Banlaw ni Susan
- Puregold Always Panalo: Miss Intrams and Pulis Dunggab
Panorama Shorts
- Best Short Film: The Other Side of Reality, directed by Zig Dulay
Beyond the Awards, Here’s What I Appreciate
Let’s talk about something less glamorous than red carpets and trophies: actually financing films.
For 2026, Puregold provided ₱5 million in production funding to each of the seven full-length finalists and ₱200,000 to each student short-film finalist.
That’s a meaningful commitment when you consider how expensive filmmaking can be, even before a movie reaches an audience.
Making a film requires far more than a good script. There are production crews to pay, locations to secure, equipment to rent, and countless creative and logistical decisions along the way.
Of course, funding alone doesn’t guarantee a great film or a successful theatrical run.
But it gives filmmakers something essential: a better opportunity to finish the stories they want to tell.
And while festivals can create that opening, the challenge of reaching audiences doesn’t end when the awards are handed out.
I think that’s where viewers like us come in.
Watching Filipino films, sharing the ones that interest us, and being curious about stories outside mainstream releases are small but meaningful ways to keep the conversation going.
More Films Like These, Please
If there’s one thing I take away from Puregold CinePanalo 2026, it’s that Filipino filmmakers have far more stories to tell than any single theme or genre can accommodate.
Some are funny. Some are uncomfortable. Others are quiet, strange, deeply personal, or wonderfully unpredictable.
Not every film needs to appeal to everyone. And not every story needs a happy ending to be worth telling.
What matters is that filmmakers get the opportunity to make them, and audiences get the chance to discover them.
So here’s to more film festivals that make room for different voices, more student filmmakers getting their shot, and more Filipino movies finding their way onto our screens.
Because the next Filipino film worth talking about might be the one you haven’t heard of yet.
And I’d love to see more of those stories.
The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival 2026 ran from September 23 to October 4 at participating Metro Manila cinemas. The awards ceremony was held on September 30, 2026.
TheWanderReign covers film, theater, entertainment, lifestyle, and the creative voices shaping Filipino culture.
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