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What to expect at the 2024 Cinemalaya Film Festival

Now on its 20th edition

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Every cinephile’s much-awaited annual independent film festival is back, now on its 20th year. Yup, that’s two decades! This year’s edition of the Cinemalaya Film Festival brings the theme “Loob, Lalim, Lakas” to life — with a promise to deliver top-tier visual storytelling that will deeply capture the Filipino cinematic soul.

Planning to go? Here are some things to expect:

A fresh set of competing films

The 20 th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival kicks off on August 2 with the opening film, “The Gospel of the Beast” by Sheron Dayoc, which was recognized in two different international film festivals. After which, all full-length and short feature films competing for the coveted Balanghai trophy will be screened in different schedules.

Here are the 10 films competing for Full-Length Category:

  • “Aliputo” at Muog by JL Burgos
  • “An Errand” by Dominic Bekaert
  • “Balota” by Kip Oebanda
  • “Gulay Lang, Manong” by BC Amparado
  • “Kantil” by Joshua Caesar Medroso
  • “Kono Basho” by Jaime Pecana II
  • “Love Child” by Jonathan Jurilla
  • “The Hearing” by Lawrence Fajardo
  • “The Wedding Dance” by Julius Lumiqued
  • “Tumandok” by Richard Salvadico and Arlie Sumagaysay

On the other hand, below are the 10 competing Short Feature films:

  • “Abogbaybay” by PR Monencillo Patindol
  • “All this wasted space” by Cris Bringas
  • “Ambot Wala Ako Kabalo Unsay I-Title Ini” by Rey Anthony Villaverde
  • “Cross My Heart and Hope to Die” by Sam Manasca
  • “I Was Walking on the Streets of Chinatown” by Ryan Capili
  • “Mama” by Alexandra Brizuela
  • “Mariposa” by Melanie Faye Tampos
  • “Pamalandog sa Danow (Reflection in the Marsh)” by Breech Asher Harani
  • “Primetime Mother” by Sonny Calvento
  • “The Red Trails (An Baga sa Dalan)” by Mariel Ritchie Jolejole and Roniño Dolim

View the full screening schedule here.

Ayala Malls, The Metropolitan Theater screenings

While it’s sad that Cinemalaya won’t be held in its usual home, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (which is under construction, btw), the film festival will be screened in different Ayala Malls Cinemas. Film-watchers can conveniently choose the nearest one to them. The main venue for the festival is Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

Below is the list of participating Ayala Malls Cinemas:

  • Greenbelt
  • Trinoma
  • UP Town Center
  • Market! Market!

Tickets can be purchased on-site or via sureseats.com.

Meanwhile, viewers can catch some non-competing films at the prestigious The
Metropolitan Theater for free. See the list of films here.

Distinguished set of judges

Leading this year’s jury is Golden Globe and BAFTA Awardee and Cinemalaya 2023 Best Supporting Actress Ms. Dolly de Leon. She will be joined by multi-awarded director, editor, composer, and writer Jerrold Tarog, renowned critic and academic Nicanor Tiongson, Berlinale film curator Nicola Marzano, and Dhaka International Film Festival founder and director, Ahmed Muztaba Zamal.

They are tasked to evaluate the competing films and choose which ones are deserving of the coveted Balanghai trophies.

Meanwhile, the jury for NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award will compose of award-winning local filmmaker and producer Monster Jimenez, Russian film producer Nina Kochelyaeva, and Cinemalaya veteran Jay Abello.

Never-before-screened films

Apart from the feature films, Cinemalaya will show never-before-screened films from acclaimed Filipino directors in its Premiere Section.

List of films below:

  • “Rizal” by National Artist Marilou Diaz-Abaya
  • “Lost Sabungeros” by Bryan Brazil
  • “And So it Begins” by Ramona Diaz
  • “Abenida” by Luisito Lagdameo Ignacio
  • “Asog” by Sean Devlin
  • “Guardia de Honor” by Jay Altajeros
  • “Lola Magdalena” by Joel C. Lamangan
  • “Transients” by Kyla Romero

Powerful actresses competing for the Best Actress award

When I saw the film trailers, I immediately noticed the power lineup of actresses competing for the Balanghai trophy.

Renowned actress Marian Rivera will make her Cinemalaya debut with “Balota”, and award winning actress Mylene Dizon is up for a comeback with the “Healing.” Mainstream actress Jane Oineza will play a young mom in “Love Child”, alongside her on and off-screen partner, RK Bagatsing.

Cordilleran actress Mai Fanglayan is also playing a lead role, while film and theatre actress Gabby Padilla is back with “Kono Basho” after competing last year with her Cinemalaya film, “Gitling.”

What are you planning to watch from this year’s edition of Cinemalaya?

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Entertainment

BINI, KATSEYE among top worldwide Google Searches ahead of Coachella

Coachella to kick off this weekend

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April 10, 2026

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Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

BINI and KATSEYE topped recent Google Search trends ahead of their Coachella performances this month.

It’s clear that Coachella attendees are curious about the popular Philippine pop girl group, as well as the Los Angeles-based global girl group.

That’s aside from dedicated BLOOMs who are eager to see Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena take part in the legendary California music festival on Friday, April 10.

According to Google Trends data, global searches for the term “BINI Coachella” hit a perfect
score of 100 on April 8.

This indicates that the search term briefly became the highest-ranking search trend.

Meanwhile, “KATSEYE Coachella” scored 98 on April 7 on Google Trends, followed by a perfect 100 on April 8.

The timing of KATSEYE’s new single, “PINKY UP” couldn’t have been better as it dropped just a day before their Sahara stage set.

At the same time, the Filipino octet has also released “Blush” as their new comeback song — just hours ahead of KATSEYE.

As such, EYEKONS have also been scouring the interwebs for the global girl group.

And as these are worldwide search data, the recent Google Search trends somewhat prove these artists are effectively breaking through the global mainstream, and introducing their respective cultures to the global stage.

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Entertainment

Metal Gear Solid is getting a film adaptation

It will be directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein.

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April 10, 2026

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Metal Gear Solid

Videogame adaptations are so hot right now. After the mainstream success of The Super Mario Bros. duology, several other franchises have committed to seeing their favorite characters on the big screen. Now, Metal Gear Solid is the latest to make the jump. Sony has confirmed that a film adaptation about the stealth franchise is in the works.

Though the game’s movie announcement is a big deal on its own right, it’s attached to an even bigger announcement: Sony has signed the up-and-coming directing duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein to direct a number of its upcoming projects.

The deal’s first confirmed project, via Hollywood Reporter, is an adaptation of Metal Gear Solid, produced by Avi and Ari Arad.

Spanning multiple decades, the Metal Gear series is a stealth-based franchise that often goes off the rails with its supernatural elements. Naturally, it’s all thanks to series creator Hideo Kojima, notoriously known for his unconventional storytelling. When Kojima left Konami, the franchise has since been shelved but still enjoys a lot of hype, thanks to the occasional remake.

Right now, it’s unknown how much of the film will lean into the craziness of the franchise. It should still be a crazy ride to see, though.

SEE ALSO: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol.2 launches August 27 on PS5

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Entertainment

LE SSERAFIM Chaewon flexes Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display

She says the feature is cool

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March 31, 2026

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Collage. Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display | Edited image of Chaewon holding a Galaxy S26 Ultra
Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display | Edited image of Chaewon holding a Galaxy S26 Ultra

LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Chaewon didn’t set out to show off a feature. But somewhere in the middle of a Weverse live, she ended up doing exactly that. It’s a pretty good flex.

In a clip that’s now making the rounds online, Chaewon shared that she recently switched to the Galaxy S26 Ultra and has been enjoying one specific feature in particular:

“I just changed my phone lately to Galaxy S26 Ultra. And it has a privacy screen feature, right? It’s so cool. You really can’t see anything from the side. I show this to everyone I meet and make them jealous.”

It’s just someone genuinely impressed by a feature — and casually flexing it.

A feature that makes sense instantly

The feature Chaewon is referring to is Privacy Display, one of the headline additions on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

When enabled, it limits the viewing angles of the screen. That way. only the person holding the phone can clearly see what’s on it. Anyone looking from the side gets a dimmed or obscured view.

If you’ve ever used a privacy screen protector, the concept is similar. The difference here is that it’s built directly into the phone and can be toggled on or off, or even set to activate only for specific apps.

It’s a small addition on paper, but one that solves a very real, very common problem — especially if you’re using your phone in public spaces.

Samsung contract renewed?

It’s worth noting that LE SSERAFIM has been using Galaxy smartphones for a while now. That’s likely due to a partnership with Samsung and/or Google.

The music video for their track “Come Over” heavily features the smartphone, along with Google Gemini features integrated into the experience.

Another member, Sakura, also mentioned to fans recently that she has switched phones — from a Galaxy Z Flip to now also using a Galaxy S26 Ultra.


Whether this points to a renewed partnership or just continued preference isn’t something officially confirmed. But moments like Chaewon’s certainly keep Galaxy devices in the spotlight.

It’s easy to imagine the same scenario playing out anywhere — on a commute, in a café, or sitting next to someone who’s just a little too curious about what you’re doing on your phone.

It’s also something we’ve explored ourselves.

In one of our reels, we showed a straightforward demo of how Privacy Display works. We tilted the phone to show how the screen becomes unreadable from the side. In another, we leaned into a more playful skit: someone trying (and failing) to peek at what’s on the screen of the person beside them.


The result is the same. From certain angles, the display practically disappears.

The kind of feature you show off

Privacy Display isn’t the flashiest feature on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. But it’s the kind of feature you end up showing people. Not because you have to — but because it’s surprisingly satisfying to see in action.

If Chaewon’s experience is anything to go by, it’s also the kind of feature that makes people just a little bit jealous.

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