The CinePanalo Film Festival 2025 saw veteran actress Ruby Ruiz win Best Actress, while actor-singer Khalil Ramos won Best Actor.
Ruiz's portrayal in the Hiligaynon movie "Tigkiliwi" earned her the Panalong Aktres nomination for Best Actress.
However, JP Larroder, who played Tata in "Tigkiliwi," and Ramos, who played the title character Olsen in "Olsen's Day," split the Panalong Aktor (Best Actor) award.
Other prizes
"Tigkiliwi" won six other awards, including the Jury Prize for Panalong Karangalan mula sa Hurado, the Best Screenplay award for Tara Illenberger, and the Best Supporting Actor award for Jeffrey Jiruma.
Another hotly contested category, Best Cinematography (Panalo sa Cinematography), ended in a tie between Olsen's Day (Kara Moreno) and Journeyman (Dominic Lat).
JP Habac won the Best Director (Panalong Direktor) prize for Olsen's Day, which was another triumph for the popular movie.
Evolving PH cinema landscape
CinePanalo 2025 effectively demonstrated the changing environment of Philippine cinema with a varied roster of films that included both student shorts and Hiligaynon dramas.
The festival showcased the power of independent and regional cinema with more than 30 categories that honored exceptional films, performers, and creative teams.
