Last night at Viva Café, there were no red carpets—just red eyes.
No flashy trophies—just trembling hands holding well-earned certificates.
And no pretense—only raw, unfiltered joy from filmmakers who had fought just to be seen.
The 2025 CineSilip Film Festival didn’t just end with an awards night.
It ended with a testament: that even in the face of censorship, silence, and systemic pressure, Filipino stories will find a way to breathe.
Just weeks ago, one of its flagship films—Rodina Singh’s Dreamboi—was slapped with an X rating not once, but twice by the MTRCB, deemed “unfit for public exhibition.” For days, its future hung in the balance. Would it be buried? Silenced? Forgotten?
Instead, it was revised, resubmitted, and—on the third try—granted an R-18 rating, allowing it to screen legally. And screen it did: to packed houses, standing ovations, and now, Best Film honors.
But Dreamboi wasn’t alone in its struggle.
Other CineSilip entries—like Rhance Añonuevo-Cariño’s Babae sa Butas, a searing portrait of women trapped in cycles of poverty and shame—faced their own battles: last-minute restrictions, denied talk-backs, dimmed lights, and voices forced to shout without microphones. Yet they showed up. They spoke anyway. They stayed dignified.
And last night, they were seen.
🏆 In the Spirit of Courage: The CineSilip 2025 Winners
🥇 Best Film
Dreamboi
Written and directed by Rodina Singh
Starring Tony Labrusca, EJ Jallorina, Migs Almendras, and Jenn Rosa
🥈 2nd Best Film
Pagdaong
Directed by Pongs Leonardo | Written by Carlo Obispo
Starring Angela Morena, Ashley Lopez, Astrid Lee, and Chester Grecia
🥉 3rd Best Film
Haplos sa Hangin
Written by Sonny Calvento & Mikko Baldoza
Starring Martin Del Rosario, Denise Esteban, and Angelica Cervantes
🎭 Honoring the Voices Who Refused to Be Quiet
- Best Director: Rodina Singh (Dreamboi)
- Best Screenplay: Sonny Calvento & Mikko Baldoza (Haplos sa Hangin)
- Best Actor: Martin Del Rosario (Haplos sa Hangin)
- Best Actress: Angela Morena (Pagdaong)
- Best Supporting Actor: Migs Almendras (Dreamboi)
- Best Supporting Actress: Chloe Jenna (Maria Azama)
🎥 The Unsung Heroes Behind the Lens
- Best Cinematography: Malay Javier (Dreamboi)
- Best Editing: Arnex Nicolas (Dreamboi)
- Best Production Design: Chips Day Abando (Dreamboi)
- Best Sound: Immanuel Verona & John Buquid (Dreamboi)
- Best Musical Score: Paulo Almaden (Haplos sa Hangin)
And in a moment that brought the room to its feet—
Dreamboi was also awarded the Audience Prize, a powerful reminder that the people always know what matters.
💔 But Last Night Wasn’t Just About Winning
It was about surviving.
About directors who revised their films not because they wanted to—but because they had to.
About casts who performed in near-darkness but still gave their all.
About producers who stayed on standby for approvals that came minutes before showtime.
It was about Ronald Arguelles, festival director, who stood firm in his belief that “fearless storytelling” isn’t a slogan—it’s a responsibility.
And it was about Vivamax, who didn’t just fund a festival, but protected a movement—one that insists Filipino cinema can be raw, queer, feminist, spiritual, chaotic, and true.
🌅 The Dawn of a New Wave
As candles flickered and embraces lingered at Viva Café, one truth echoed louder than any applause:
These films were never just entertainment.
They were acts of resistance.
Of hope.
Of love for a country that deserves stories as complex as its people.
So to every artist who was told “no”—
You said “Taralets.”
You said “Ipapakita ko.”
You said, “This story must be seen.”
And last night, the world finally saw you.
Mabuhay ang #CineSilip2025.
Mabuhay ang pelikulang Pilipino—hindi perpekto, pero tapat.
Showbiz Tidings honors all seven CineSilip films and their teams. Your courage lights the path for generations to come.
#CineSilip2025 #Dreamboi #BabaeSaButas #PinoyCinema #ArtisticFreedom #Vivamax #ShowbizTidings #Pagdaong #HaplossaHangin #MariaSazama
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