Fourteen full-length films, ten short films, ten days, one big event! Get ready for Cinemalaya 6, where the world will be watching!

But before Cinemalaya films hit the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ screens this July 9 to 18, let us take a look at all competing films for this year.

Full Length

HALAW by Sheron Dayoc

An illiterate Badjao, Jahid and his 9-year-old daughter Daying illegally cross the border of the Philippines and Malaysia through the southern backdoor. Determined to reunite with his wife, he leaves behind everything they have in Jolo to search for his lost wife in Sabah where an uncertain future awaits him. He meets Hernand, who poses as a war photographer as he is drawn into the world of white slavery across the sea border. The two meet as they board the pump boat to the nearest Island of Sabah.

10 July/Sat 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
11 July/Sun 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
12 July/Mon 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
13 July/Tue 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
14 July/Wed 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
15 July/Thu 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
16 July/Fri 03:30 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)

LIMBUNAN by Gutierrez Mangansakan II

Limbunan glimpses into the life of Ayesah,  as she is kept from public view prior to the wedding in her private quarters – limbunan.

The seventeen-year-old bride-to-be is betrothed to a man she barely knows. As preparations for her union is underway, Ayesah is reunited with her childhood tutor Maguid who returns to the village as a militiaman after five years, reawakening Ayesah’s past memory of childhood infatuation. Throughout Ayesah’s confinement her precocious and rebellious eight-year-old sister Saripa becomes her eyes to the world beyond her room. Her mother Amina keeps her composure despite the fact her husband sleeps with his second wife half of the time, finding solace in the belief that it is both her religious and familial duty to be an obedient wife. Ayesah’s aunt Farida is tasked to ensure that she is prepared for the wedding. However, Farida’s dark past challenges Ayesah’s resolve finding herself choosing between love and loyalty to tradition and family.

10 July/Sat 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
11 July/Sun 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
13 July/Tue 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
14 July/Wed 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
15 July/Thu 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
16 July/Fri 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
17 July/Sat 12:45 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)

MAGKAKAPATID by Kim Homer Garcia

A family that drifted apart due to socio-economic differences. A brother kills his own brother… A father struggles to accept a daughter’s marriage… A daughter who could not mourn.

Three siblings, three narratives, one tragedy. In a situation where even traditions can’t pull them together, a tragedy drags them together.

10 July/Sat 12:45 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
11 July/Sun 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
12 July/Mon 12:45 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
13 July/Tue 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
14 July/Wed 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
15 July/Thu 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
17 July/Sat 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)

MAYOHAN by Dan Louie Villegas and Paul Sta. Ana

May is the month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of Christ.  In Infanta, Quezon, locals turn each of the 31 days of May into a charming honor not only to celebrate good harvest in their agricultural setting, but also to pay tribute to the virginal virtues of the Mayohan.  Every month of May, a padasal or series of novenas commences to mark the beginning of Mayohan.  This will culminate in a Pasayaw or Tapusan in every purok of each barangay.  A system of ambagan or donation ensues for the festivities to take place.  In the hopes of keeping a tradition alive, the elders support its continued celebration; through the years, however, decadence has long taken over the Tapusan.  Proud  beauty queens, town officials, curious participants and passersby, intoxicated men with carnal needs all play roles in the midst of a spiritual undertaking.  Some have unwittingly tarnished the event’s reputation and essence.  Underlying values and tokens are lost in the turning over of tradition.

Amidst the festivities, a 15-year old young outsider becomes the focal point in  the preparation that the Pasayaw entails.  As this grieving young man comes of age and deals with the recent loss of both parents,  his attention shifts to Lilibeth, a 19-year old provincial lass, the elected presidenta of the pasayaw’s pamunuan, who, herself gets lost in the hoopla and hullabaloo that transpire before May ends. As the event underscores gender lines, generation differences, and class issues, they become entangled in an unlikely partnership, in their own search for growth and acceptance.

10 July/Sat 06:15 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
11 July/Sun 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
12 July/Mon 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
14 July/Wed 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
15 July/Thu 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
17 July/Sat 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
18 July/Sun 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)

REKRUT by Danilo Gomez Añonuevo

Jamir, a devout Muslim, and Lando, a Christian, are among an elite group of young recruits formed by military officers for a classified operation. These impressionable young men would undergo intense and grueling training that put their will and strength of character to the test. Amidst all the hardships, these men set aside their differences and became brothers. But what happens when the institution they have sworn to protect becomes the wedge that will tear their brotherhood apart?

10 July/Sat 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
11 July/Sun 03:30 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
12 July/Mon 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
13 July/Tue 03:30 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
14 July/Wed 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
16 July/Fri 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
18 July/Sun 03:30 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute

SAMPAGUITA by Francis Xavier Pasion

A chronicle of a journey of our national flower and the children involved in it, from the time the buds are plucked in the province to the time they are sold in the city.

10 July/Sat 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
11 July/Sun 03:30 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
12 July/Mon 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
13 July/Tue 06:15 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
14 July/Wed 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
16 July/Fri 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
17 July/Sat 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute

SI TECHIE, SI TEKNOBOY AT SI JUANAB by Art Katipunan

Techie and Jay, both OFWs from Qatar, decide to come home for two weeks to get married. Techie is nurturing a plan to meet her virtual lover, Teknoboy, before her wedding day. The story unfolds when Techie connives with her high school best friend, Juana, a TV writer turned struggling indie filmmaker, to be with Teknoboy. The two women journey through Pinoy cyber culture and its many facets — online romance, cyber addiction, Facebook reunion, hi-tech baptismal party, 3G doctor, digital wedding, cyber sex — in the process discovering many things about their lives, dreams and the society they live in. The evolution of cyber Pinoys and how relationships unfold in the middle of a hi-tech society form the core of this film.

10 July/Sat 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
11 July/Sun 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
12 July/Mon 12:45 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
13 July/Tue 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
16 July/Fri 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
17 July/Sat 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
18 July/Sun 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)

THE LEAVING by Ian Dean Loreños

There is always a constant transience in this world. This is the premise of “The Leaving”, set in a neo-Chinatown in Manila where the “Tsinoys” (Filipino-Chinese) struggle with the diminishing of their morals and culture. The story follows the three intertwining stories that leave elements on the other stories such that they are all connected.

10 July/Sat 03:30 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
11 July/Sun 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
13 July/Tue 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
14 July/Wed 06:15 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
15 July/Thu 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
16 July/Fri 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
17 July/Sat 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)

VOX POPULI by Dennis Marasigan

It is Saturday before the 2nd Monday of May, the last day of the official campaign period before elections. Connie is the daughter of a former Mayor of the town of San Cristobal and is now running for the same position. She is now running a three-cornered campaign against the former Vice-Mayor and a former student leader, helped by her brother Ricky, campaign manager Tony and an increasing number of supporters . On this day, she goes out on a factory and market visit, a house-to-house campaign, attends the signing of a covenant for clean elections and her “miting de avance”. She also meets with influential individuals, all in pursuit of an irreversible bandwagon that will prove she is the popular choice of the people.

10 July/Sat 12:45 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
12 July/Mon 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
13 July/Tue 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
14 July/Wed 12:45 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
15 July/Thu 12:45 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
17 July/Sat 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
17 July/Sat 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)

Short Films

Shorts A

BOCA by Zurich Chan

Charlemagne Alejandro has an oral fixation. After losing his mother when he was 3 months old, he compensates the lack of motherly love with chain smoking. All grown up, Charlemagne now works in a retail office, sending catalogs to their standard demographic of lonely people. He doesn’t think much of the job and spends most of his free time in his favorite spot in front of a convenience store smoking. Out of all the monotony of the life he leads, things happen around him and ultimately finds something better to do with his lips than smoking. As Charlemagne finds what his looking for, so does his boss in the office; Benny, his smoking buddy; and Marie, Charlemagne’s stalker.

BREAKFAST WITH LOLO by Steven Flor

A grandson ultimately lives life to the fullest with his grandfather as they go on an adventure in search of the most delicious pancakes for breakfast. The story is based on one of the most memorable experiences of the Director with his grandfather before the latter passed away and the special bond between them.

DALAW by Janus Victoria

After a long absence, a young woman returns to the home of her grandmother near the dying Pasig River.  Across the generations, they discover common depths of loss and loneliness that, while shared, continue to flow as dark undercurrents in their lives.  This numbing realization provides no comfort, and salt water bleeds into the black water of the Pasig, which accepts without a sound.

DESPEDIDA by Borgy Torre

Michael is trap to give care to his dying parents. On a chance encounter, he meets the girl of his dreams. He then finds himself in a situation whether to follow emotions or rationality. Who would he choose?

FACULTY by Jerrold Tarog

A prequel to the feature film Senior Year, the story is about two teachers from a private college clash on their opposing views on education.

Shorts A: Boca, Breakfast with Lolo, Dalaw, Despedida and Faculty
10 July/Sat 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
11 July/Sun 12:45 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
12 July/Mon 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
13 July/Tue 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
14 July/Wed 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
15 July/Thu 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
16 July/Fri 12:45 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)

Shorts B

HARANG by Mikhail Red

Headed to the city, a man drives his jeep along an isolated rural road. He soon encounters a series of strange obstacles and barriers that will challenge him throughout his journey. As several surreal events begin to unfold he meets a few characters along the way. His isolation transforms into desolation as the people he meets appear to be hostile towards him despite his honest intentions. Slowly, he loses his innocence as he adapts to this unfamiliar and deceitful environment. Struggling for his survival every step of the way, he eventually reaches his destination, the city’s outer limits; however, the very core of his being has been twisted as a result of his experiences. When he finally stands at the boundary between the city and the vast nothingness behind him, he yet again faces another barrier, a question he asks himself… which side is the true wasteland?

HAY PINHOD OH YA SCOOTER by Hubert Tibi

Gum-o, an Ifugao boy orphaned by his father, wishes to make a wooden bike for the girl he admires. As Gum-o furnishes his plans, he learns more about his father thru the legacy he had left.

LOLA by Joey Agbayani

Lola is an ‘aswang’. In Philippine folklore an “aswang” is a combination of vampire, witch, and shape-shifter. She is hired as an actress by a very ambitious and demanding director who exploits her supernatural abilities to save on production cost.

“P” by Rommel “Milo” Tolentino

A playful piece about a pesky little boy’s peevish and precarious summer prance with his petrifying Auntie Pekta.

WAG KANG TITINGIN by Pam Miras

A father and his two young daughters, travel through a war-torn area. The father explains to his eldest why they need to shield the youngest from what’s really happening around them. The eldest finally understands and vows to protect her sister. But how far will she go to keep her promise?

Shorts B: Harang, Hay Pinhod Oh Ya Scooter, Lola, “P” and ‘Wag Kang Titingin
10 July/Sat 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
11 July/Sun 06:15 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
12 July/Mon 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
16 July/Fri 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
17 July/Sat 03:30 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
17 July/Sat 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
18 July/Sun 12:45 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute

Directors Showcase (Open Category)

ANG PAGLILITIS NI ANDRES BONIFACIO by Mario O’Hara

The untold story of the trial of Andres Bonifacio under the Revolutionary Government of Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo.

Two leaders, Andres Bonifacio, Supremo of the Katipuneros, and Emilio Aguinaldo, president of the Revolutionary Government, made their way to fight for freedom for the Filipinos against the dominant rule, fought for a cause and for a reason to be one nation. Yet only one should rule.

The start of the Philippine politics, let the people be the judge whether Andres Bonifacio is guilty or not guilty of treason.

11 July/Sun 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
12 July/Mon 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
13 July/Tue 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
14 July/Wed 03:30 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
15 July/Thu 03:30 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
16 July/Fri 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
17 July/Sat 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)

DONOR by Mark Meily

In her desire to work abroad, Lizette, a seller of pirated DVDs, decides to sell her kidney to a wealthy Arabian kidney patient. When a law is announced banning organ transplants between Filipinos and foreigners, Lizette agrees to marry the Arab, a man she has never met , for the surgery to push through.

10 July/Sat 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
11 July/Sun 12:45 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
12 July/Mon 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
13 July/Tue 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
14 July/Wed 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
15 July/Thu 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
16 July/Fri 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)

PINK HALO-HALO by Joselito Altarejos

Natoy, like any other child, finds joy and excitement in the simplest of things — especially in eating halo-halo filled with pink gelatin and red sago. Things change suddenly when, as he is watching television, a news report about the ongoing war in Mindanao shows footage of a badly wounded soldier waiting for rescue . That soldier — almost bleeding to death, was his father, Corporal Lino Bolante.

This starts his journey as he and his mother, Sonia, wait for help that comes too late. As far away as the war, this story does not just show how the war in Mindanao robs a child of his innocence, but also shows the shadows of the wars that Filipino homes confront everyday.

10 July/Sat 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
11 July/Sun 06:15 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
13 July/Tue 12:45 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
15 July/Thu 03:30 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
16 July/Fri 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
17 July/Sat 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
12 July/Mon 06:15 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)

SIGWA by Joel Lamangan

“Sigwa,” meaning “storm,” spans 40 years of Philippine social unrest.

Our story is initially told by Fil-Am Dolly, a junior correspondent of a US magazine, who was sent to the Philippines in 1970 to do a story on student activism in Manila. Today, she has returned after being arrested and deported in 1975, on the third year of martial law. Her mission is personal this time: to look for her daughter, who was supposed to have died 35 years ago, but who, she has been told, is alive.

The film, being a composite of the stories of Dolly and each one of her former activist collective, is revealed fragment by fragment, as she surprises them by her unannounced presence.

10 July/Sat 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
11 July/Sun 06:15 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
12 July/Mon 03:30 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
14 July/Wed 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
15 July/Thu 12:45 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
16 July/Fri 09:00 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
17 July/Sat 03:30 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)

TWO FUNERALS by Gil Portes

A black comedy cum road movie about a grieving mother’s journey to recover her daughter’s body after a funeral mix-up caused it to be accidentally switched with a stranger’s corpse. The journey from Tuguegarao, Cagayan in the north to Matnog, Sorsogon in the south is actually a journey to the heart of the country during Holy Week in the heat of the election season.

10 July/Sat 03:30 PM Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theatre)
11 July/Sun 12:45 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
12 July/Mon 09:00 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
13 July/Tue 06:15 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute
14 July/Wed 03:30 PM Bulwangang Alagad Ng Sining (CCP MKP Hall)
15 July/Thu 09:00 PM Tanghalang Nicanor Aberlardo (CCP Main Theatre)
17 July/Sat 12:45 PM Tanghalang Huseng Batute

Ticket price is P150 per screening. Student price is P75.00 per screening. Day Pass is P500 valid for one day, while Festival Pass is P1500 valid for the entire duration of the festival.

For more information and inquiry, please call CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or 832-1125 local 1406 and 1409.

*Images and synopsis are from the media releases of each movie.