The third edition of the prestigious Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival is open once again to aspiring filmmakers, this time without restrictions on genre, topic or theme. In previous years, the festival focused on wholesome, inspiring stories under the theme “mga kwentong panalo ng buhay.”
For Puregold CinePanalo 2026, all applicants are free to choose their themes. To give filmmakers creative freedom to do their best work, the festival will now accept film genres previously unrepresented—horror, suspense, crime and fantasy. As long as the pitch shows potential for excellence, it is welcome at Puregold CinePanalo.
Puregold senior marketing manager and festival chair Ivy Hayagan-Piedad spoke on the change in mechanics for this year’s festival. “Sa unang dalawang taon ng CinePanalo, nakita namin kung gaano kalalim ang pagmamahal at gaano kauhaw ang ating Filipino filmmakers na magkwento ng ibang pananaw. This year, we’re opening the festival to all genres and themes in order to showcase stories that are reflective of that diverse voice and creativity,” says Hayagan-Piedad.
This year’s edition also increases financial support for selected filmmakers. Seven full-length film directors will receive P5 million each, the largest production grant in Philippine film festival history, while twenty student filmmakers will receive P200,000 each.
Interested participants may now submit their applications online. Full-length filmmakers may download https://tinyurl.com/PCPFFFullApp for contest mechanics and application forms. Student short applicants may use https://tinyurl.com/PCPFFShortsApp.
Applications for the full-length category close at 11:59 p.m. on September 10. Student short applications close at 11:59 p.m. on November 25.
The selected films will be screened at Gateway Cineplex 18 from August 7 to 18, 2026.
For further inquiries, applicants may email thesecretariat@cinepanalo.com or message the official Facebook page @puregoldcinepanalo.
