City Recognizes Local Filmmakers in 2nd Bacolod Film Festival Awards

Two up-and-coming filmmakers, Charlene Mead Tupas, director of Tonton, and Dranreb Cimatu, director of Tililing, emerged as the biggest winners in this year’s 2nd Bacolod Film Festival Awards Night held Saturday, November 29, 2025, at SM City Bacolod Cinema.

Tupas’s Tonton received the prestigious Best Picture award and earned accolades for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Actress for Maria Victoria Mendoza.

Cimatu’s Tililing also made a strong showing, earning multiple awards, including:
Best Makeup – Tililing, Swoop Diaz (back-to-back winner)
Best Costume Design – Tililing, Zabiel Nemenzo
Best Supporting Actress – Errol Filoteo (Tililing)
Best Screenplay – Kiefer Occeno (Tililing)
Audience Choice Award – Tililing (₱25,000 prize)
Best Director – Dranreb Cimatu (₱25,000 prize)

Other winners include:
Best Special Effects – Bagong Bayan
Best Original Story – Bagong Bayan
Best Sound Design – We Can Really Only Ever Be One, Jay Baluno
Best Musical Score – Tuyaw, Lex Chavez
Best Editing – We Can Really Only Ever Be One, Aldwin Juson
Best Supporting Actor – Aladin Dato (Tuyaw)
Best Actor – Oliver Villavert (We Can Really Only Ever Be One)
Jury’s Choice Award – Tuyaw
Jury’s Special Award: Best Ensemble – Balay Alibangbang

This year’s festival showcased eight outstanding short films, highlighting the creativity and talent of Bacolod’s young filmmakers under the theme “Panan-aw: Local Frames, Global Change.”

Mayor Greg Gasataya, in his message, reaffirmed the city’s commitment to supporting local creatives, recognizing the efforts of filmmakers, festival organizers, and city departments for successfully staging an unforgettable event despite recent weather disturbances.

“If you think about it, they made something seemingly impossible and exceeded expectations for this year’s festival,” the mayor said. “Bacolod will continue to be a home for young filmmakers dreaming to make it big in the industry. If we work together, this festival will flourish in the years to come—not only here in Bacolod but across the country.”

Vice Mayor Claudio Puentevella, along with Councilor Em Ang, author of City Ordinance No. 1061 which institutionalized the Bacolod Film Festival, echoed the mayor’s commitment.

“We will work together to ensure that the arts remain a vibrant part of our city— inspiring generations to dream, create, and tell their stories,” Ang said.

Festival Director Tanya Lopez of the Negros Cultural Foundation emphasized the deeper significance of the festival.

“This gathering is proof of what collaboration, passion, and shared purpose can achieve,” she said.

Lopez also extended her gratitude to the City Government of Bacolod; Secretary to the Mayor Atty. Jose Marty Go; Department of Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Head Mae Llamas; and distinguished film industry figures Dr. Katrina Tan, Tito Valiente, Butch Ibañez, Chris Millado, and Roland Tolentino, who served as jurors for this year’s festival.

The Bacolod Film Festival is jointly implemented by the City Government of Bacolod and the Negros Cultural Foundation (NCF), with support from the Congressional Office of Bacolod City Representative Albee Benitez. Institutional partners include the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), and The Negros Museum.* (BCCO)