Bakunawa Fest XI
August 29 – September 15, 2025
Manila I Bacolod I Quezon I Alaminos
Full schedule at bakunawafest.com
BAKUNAWA FEST : UNLEASHING CREATIVE DRAGONS, BENDING GENRES, KEEPING THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT ALIVE
BAKUNAWA FEST is the first fantastic and genre film festival in the Philippines, currently presented by E Unlimited, Sentro Rizal, UP Film Institute, and Negros Museum. It is driven entirely by volunteer filmmakers and artists. The festival takes its name from the Bakunawa, a mythical creature in Philippine folklore known for devouring moons. As a genre-bending celebration, we reclaim the myth, turning the Bakunawa into a symbol of the creative monsters that live inside us.
Rather than following a strict annual calendar, Bakunawa Fest unfolds in “seasons,” shaped as much by our deep commitment as by the reality of our pockets after hard-earned work. Since the pandemic lockdowns, the festival embraced a hybrid form. With little press coverage and minimal recognition from mainstream media, we remain proud to be among the very first film festivals in the world to stage a full edition during the first year of the pandemic.
During its first three years in Bacolod City, Bakunawa Fest (then called Bakunawa Young Cinema) opened with a film camp, a series of workshops designed for first-time young filmmakers. These workshops culminated in a competition where participants premiered their very first genre films, competing for our handmade Bakunawa toy trophy. By the third edition, the festival began welcoming films beyond the camp, celebrating each year’s wave of genre cinema through both online and in-person screenings, with competitive and curated sections. From the seventh edition onward, Bakunawa Fest closed its season with a broadcast on Primetime Philippine Cable TV, capped by a pre-recorded Awards Show aired on SolarFlix TV, bringing our films, artists, and stories to millions of Filipino households.
Bakunawa was founded on a simple principle: new visions, new voices. That principle continues to guide us. We champion unknown yet promising filmmakers, artists, and musicians who may not have access to costly workshops or the visibility to enter larger festivals. At Bakunawa, your film is your face value. No need for big names or prestigious pedigrees: if we connect with your work, whether you’re a star or a newbie, we will program it.
Most of Bakunawa’s film camps and screenings are outreach-driven, built with film education in mind, which is why they are almost always free. Participants are supported through scholarships funded by the festival and its partners, and the events are often hosted by different cities and municipalities across the Philippines (1st-3rd, Bacolod City; 4th, San Carlos City; 5th, Bayawan City; 6th, back to Bacolod; 7th-8th, Online; 9th, Manila and Bacolod; 10th, Manila; and now, the eleventh edition, in four major cities). In this way, Bakunawa remains a festival and a shared journey carried by communities, for communities.
BAKUNAWA FEST XI Official Selections
Bukas-Sintas I Opening Shorts
Radikals I Arvin Berlarmino I Philippines
The Rubber Tappers (រឿង៖ អ្នកចៀរជ័រ) I Rotha Moeng I Cambodia
The Shadow of Dawn(Eha Vari) I Olga Stalev I Estonia
The Dreamcatcher (El atrapasueños) I Guillermo Patrikios Alum I Spain
Sara-Sintas I Closing Film
Zaman Dark I Christophe Karabache I Lebanon
Sara-Sintas I Closing Shorts
I’ll Leave You Words I Anwar Johari Ho I Malaysia
Ang Huling Liham (The Last Letter) I Miguel Reyes Potestades I Philippines
Voyager I Pablo Pagán I Spain
Malabug Bista I Vista Features
Apollon by Day Athena by Night (Gündüz Apollon Gece Athena) I Emine Yildirim I Turkey
Boreal I Pelayo Muñiz Cabal I Spain [to be confirmed]
Clarice’s Dream (O Sonho de Claric) I Fernando Gutierrez, Guto Bicalho I Brazil
Jon Vardar vs the Galaxy (Jon Vardar Protiv Galaksijata) I Goce Cvetanovski I North Macedonia
Maligpot Fantastika I Fantastic Competition Shorts
An Artist’s Curse I Steven J Mihaljevich I Australia
Bath Bomb I Colin G Cooper I Canada
Canto I Guilherme Daniel I Portugal
Capturing the Ghost (Capturar o Fantasma) I Davi Mello I Brazil
Dagon I Paolo Gaudio I Italy
Imago I Rafa Dengrá Oliver I Spain
Mu I Javier Méndez Cañada I Spain
Parking Area I Toru Masuyama I Japan
Plazer bat (A Pleasure) I Sonia Estevez I Spain
Resistance I Carolina Ceca I Japan
She and Her Good Vibrations I Olivia Griselda, Sarah Cheok I Singapore
The A to Z of Being An Excellent Kid (Instruccions per a ser un nen assenyat) I Albert Aymar I Spain
The Bottle I Tuan Kien I Vietnam
The Shadow of Dawn (Eha Vari) I Olga Stalev I Estonia
The Yarn Man (E I hombre de estambre) I Cremance I Mexico
Uncertainty Principle (La identitat del vent) I André Brugnara Petry I Spain
Vivid I Bugoy Gandeza I Philippines
Vivir I Gerardo Maravilla I USA
Mata-Asya I Asian-Eye
Caraingin I Edgar Allan Reyes I Philippines
Diving for Air I Tang Kang Sheng I Singapore
Fish, Please! (Pelabuhan Berkabut) I Haris Yuliyanto I Indonesa
Indigo I Ace Balbarez I Philippines
Isang Gabing Nawala ang Diyos (The Night God Disappeared) I Jose Miguel Garcia Francisco I Philippines
Leng Leng I Mark Andrea Abellera Lim I Philippines
Ligawang Malay (We’re Just Sleepwalking) I Redsh Alba I Philippines
Master-piece (Karya) I Afiq Affendi I Malaysia
Old World I Roland Cartagena I Philippines
samtang naghulat ko nga maakoa ka… (as i await you to be mine…) I Linus Masandag I Philippines
Sewing Love I Xu Yuan I Japan
Sleep on It I Hix Murakami I Philippines
Sound from the Kitchen (ສຽງຈາກຫ້ອງຄົວ) I Lee Phongsavanh I Laos
The Night is Alive I Vincent Ibut I Philippines
The Repetition for Love (사랑을 위한 되풀이) Kyungrok Kim I Republic of Korea
The Story of My Meat Life (肉にまつわる日常の話) I Ishikawa Mai
Will You Come Up? I Ho-Seung Son I Republic of Korea
Lam-ag nga Banagbanag I Excessive Dawn
Chainsaws We’re Singing I Sander Maran I Estonia
Civil War (Guerra Civil) I Flávio Carnielli I Brazil
Jenglotman and the Goddamn In-Law I Berak Brothers I Indonesia
Merkurio I Sébastien Pesle I France
The Inescapable Desire of Roots I 根欲 I Mark Chua, Lam Li Shuen I Singapore
Rytmo I Rhythms I Featured Music Artist I Mikey Bustos
Crossroads (Official Music Video) I Mikey Bustos, JC Gellidon I Philippines
Cancel Me (Official Music Video) I Mikey Bustos, JC Gellidon I Philippines
Parachute I Mikey Bustos I Philippines
Tutok:Espanya I Focus: Spain
A Day in the Countryside (Un dia al camp) I Albert Portal
Abora I Javier Cerdá
Arditurri I Oihan Gastesi, Ander Arrieta
At the End of the Thread (Hariaren Amaieran) I Aitor Molina
Edge I Abel Moreno
In Half I Jorge Morais Valle
Killergotchi I Carlos Cobos
Knock I Guillermo Mejias
Listen I Javi Prada
Nap I Javier Chavanel
Night Shift: The Wrong Place (Turno de noche: el lugar equivocado) I Juanjo Avi
Oysters (Ostras) I José Antonio Olivares
Set Menu I Denim Caranza
Siluro, The Beast of Ebro I Jordi Romero
The Christ of the Skull (El Christo de la calavera) I Chus Lara
The Fence (La valla) I Sam Orti
The Nest (El nido) I Ignacio Rodó
The Wicked Game of Ice Cubes (El perverso mundo de los cubitos de hielo) I Joaquín Górriz
Tulpa | Pablo Pastor
Panagin-up Kalibutan I World Vision Shorts
2042 I Alessio di Lallo I Italy
Blood Will Rise (Lo Que Sangra) I Juan Gonzalez Henao I Colombia
Cassandra Insköld’s Last Word I Dan Asenlund I Sweden
Cut the Tie I Anna Oikonomous I Greece
Dead Year (Año Muerto) I Facundo Naso I Argentina
Fiaxebit I Lorenzo Giovenga, Giuliano Giacomelli I Italy
Lavenza I Lauren Eden I Canada
Metamorphosis (La Mue) I Elodie Lebrun I Belgium
Munieka TV I Boris Wolffgardt I Germany
Passengers I Rodrigo Reyes Fabre I Mexico, France
Stopclock I Max Hicks I UK
The Game I Inga Sunagatullina I Russian Federation
The Hum (Le hum) I Rémi Fréchette, Émilie Sigouin I Canada
The Nothing (O Nada) I André Ladeia I Brazil
Thirty2 I Tim Luna I Germany
Tiger (Tigre) I Maria Victoria Sanchez Lara I Mexico
REW I Be Kind Rewind
Autumnal Sleeps I Michael Higgins I Ireland
TV Man (Te L(e)o Comando) I Leonardo Valenti
FREE but you need to register GO TO THE LINKS provided
Manila Aug 28-30, 2025 ►
bakunawafest.com/sked-aug28-allday
bakunawafest.com/sked-manila-aug29-allday
bakunawafest.com/sked-manila-aug29
bakunawafest.com/sked-aug30-allday
Alaminos Aug 30, 2025 ►
bakunawafest.com/sked-alaminos-aug30
Bacolod Sep 5-6, 2025 ►
bakunawafest.com/sked-bacolod-sept5
bakunawafest.com/bacolod-sep6-sat
QC Sep 11-12, 2025
bakunawafest.com/qc-sept11-thu
bakunawafest.com/qc-sept12-fri
