For three years now, Puregold (yes, that Puregold) has been running its own film festival called CinePanalo that has been giving the spotlight to local filmmakers and original Filipino movies and stories. And for its upcoming 2026 edition, that mission continues, with a total of 26 movies participating, including the main event of seven full-length films.
Featuring casts filled with veteran stars and up-and-coming talents, these official entries are varied in scope and scale and promise to tell different stories. From ghosts and hitmen to magical road trips, first love, and complicated families, this year’s lineup features more entertainment options for audiences, while also further highlighting how modern Philippine cinema is a lot more than the stereotypes naysayers have thrown at it.
The film festival, which will run from September 23 to October 4, will be shown at Gateway Cineplex 18, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and Market! Market!, with tickets priced at ₱250, while discounted tickets priced at ₱200 will be available to PWDs, senior citizens, students, national athletes, and Aling Puring and Perks cardholders. Also, if you happen to have the time to watch the entire festival, there is a festival pass available for ₱2,000. Scroll down for a rundown of the movie lineup.
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Apol of My Ai – Music That Heals
Music takes center stage in this story starring Zanjoe Marudo, Zion Cruz, and Rochelle Pangilinan and directed by Thop Nazareno. Apol is a grade school student who starts developing feelings for his music teacher. The thing is, his teacher has feelings for Apol’s father. What starts as a cute but awkward love triangle begins to strain the father and son’s relationship, so the two turn to music to repair their bond.
Beast – A Magical Journey to Manila
John Arcilla has played many colorful characters over the decades. And for his latest film directed by Lawrence Fajardo, he’s a farmer who so happens to have a talking carabao. Lolo Omeng is forced by his landlord to have one final harvest. This leads him to go on a road trip to Manila with his trustworthy carabao, Pepe. But what should be a simple trip becomes anything but as they find themselves on a magical journey while chasing the ghost of his niece.
Mono No Aware – A Heartwarming Tale of a Chance Encounter
Set in Japan, this heartfelt tale, which gets its title from the Japanese idiom that describes the bittersweet yet empathetic feeling of realizing that life is temporary, features juan karlos and Perry Dizon and is directed by BC Amparado. When a Filipino cleaner of kodokushi, a Japanese term for people who die alone and whose bodies aren’t discovered immediately, encounters an elderly widower, the two form a friendship that becomes a quiet story of grief, family, and accepting life’s impermanence after he asks him for one last favor before he dies.
Multwoh (Patay Na Patay Sa ’Yo) – Still Love You Even in Death
A ghost story takes a queer turn in this film featuring an ensemble cast that includes Sassa Gurl, John Lapus, Iyah Mina, Phi Palmos, Pipay, Gaia Poly, Yani Villarosa, Kaladkaren, Inah Evans, Sofia Trazona, and Arman Salon.
From director Rodina Singh comes a tale centering on a queer college student who suddenly passes away in their dorm and returns as a ghost. However, they aren’t here to haunt anyone, but instead are brought back to this world to find the courage to admit their feelings for their crush, played by Joao Constancia. Having been in development for a couple of years now, Multwoh has been one of the buzzier films of CinePanalo given how it puts a trans actress at the center of an inventive love story.
Patay Gutom – GL, but Make It About a Boy and a Ghost
Ian Pangilinan returns to the GL genre that gave him his breakout in the early 2020s, and this time, he’s joined by Khalil Ramos. The life of a grumpy shut-in changes forever when he accidentally unlocks his third eye after eating an offering meant for a charming but lonely ghost. With the two now bonded together, they form a connection as they discover family secrets, shared heartaches, and an unlikely relationship that blurs the line between life and the afterlife.
Director Carl Papa has made a name for himself with his use of rotoscope animation in his movies, and that’s the case here, where he uses rotoscoping on Ramos to depict him as a ghost while the rest of the film is live action. Also, Pangilinan doesn’t just star in the movie, but he also co-directs it alongside Papa.
Stuck on You – One of the Festival’s Wildest Entries
Gen Z actors and PBB alumni Xyriel Manabat and River Joseph star in this comedy-thriller by Mikko Baldoza about finding love in the most unexpected of places. What should be a routine client visit becomes much more for a heartbroken manicurista after she thinks she has finally met the man of her dreams. However, things take a turn when she accidentally accepts a hitman’s job, as one does, and now finds herself in a bind: she must kill the man to save her family’s life.
Wantawasan – A Birthday Party Gone Wrong
From the bestie in the biggest blockbusters to the starring role, Joross Gamboa takes center stage in this chaotic adventure from director Joseph Abello. A father and former OFW is planning to hold a birthday party for his son turning eight years old. As luck would have it, he receives ₱5,000 from the newly elected mayor he supported during the elections. However, he encounters one mishap after another as he navigates a moral dilemma that spirals out of control.
Featured Image: Courtesy of CinePanalo
Frequently Asked Questions
CinePanalo Film Festival 2026 runs from September 23 to October 4 at Gateway Cineplex 18, TriNoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and Market! Market!
Regular tickets are priced at ₱250, with discounted ₱200 tickets available to PWDs, senior citizens, students, national athletes, and Aling Puring and Perks cardholders. A full festival pass costs ₱2,000.
CinePanalo 2026 features a total of 26 movies, including a main lineup of 7 feature-length films spanning genres from ghost stories and hitman comedies to magical road trips and family dramas.
Multwoh (Patay Na Patay Sa ‘Yo) is directed by Rodina Singh and follows a queer college student who dies suddenly and returns as a ghost to confess their feelings for their crush.
Beast, directed by Lawrence Fajardo and starring John Arcilla, follows a farmer forced into one final harvest who embarks on a magical road trip to Manila with his talking carabao, Pepe.
