Ngilngig 2025 Celebrates the Fantastic in Retrograde
Ngilngig 2025 Celebrates the Fantastic in Retrograde
PICTURE 1: The official poster of the 9th Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival, created by artist (@jemima_grace_)
DAVAO CITY — The strange took over the city once again as the Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival returned for its 2025 edition with the theme “Retrograde.”
Running from October 25 to 29, 2025, the festival transformed the Cinematheque Centre Davao into a hub of screenings, talkbacks, pop-ups, and performances — five days of encounters where cinema, conversation, and community came together under the glow of the fantastic. From opening night cocktails and throwback screenings to closing drag and music performances, Ngilngig Retrograde lived up to its name: revisiting its roots while reimagining its own strange orbit.
The Retrograde Turn
This year’s theme, Retrograde, explored moments of reversal — systems breaking down, time looping back, and worlds caught between memory and motion. The program invited artists to find meaning in the act of looking back, making sense of the strange, the broken, and the in-between.
The festival gathered 56 short films from 13 Asian countries, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Iran, India, and Singapore. Each screening revealed a new interpretation of the fantastic — from horror and myth to sci-fi and surrealism — all rooted in the human experience.
Reversing the Familiar
PICTURE 2: Festival Director Fiola kicked off the festival with opening remarks
Festival Director Bagane Fiola opened the Ngilngig Retrograde by welcoming filmmakers, partners, sponsors, and audiences to another celebration of the fantastic. In his remarks, Fiola reflected on Ngilngig’s beginnings at Cinematheque Centre Davao in 2010 and how the festival has flourished through community effort.
PICTURE 3: Moneyslapper director and Ngilngig 2025 jury Bor Ocampo shares insights during the film’s talkback, with moderator Jay Rosas.
Opening night featured Bor Ocampo’s ‘Moneyslapper’, alongside throwback Ngilngig shorts, a pop-up market, and a welcome cocktail that set a tone of reunion and reflection. The night concluded with a Filmmakers’ Night that brought together storytellers and creatives from Davao and beyond.
Encounters Across Asia
In the following days, screenings ran alongside discussions and special presentations. Film professor Ed Cabagnot delivered a talk on cinema in the age of the infosphere, followed by Kenichi Ugana’s feature ‘The Gesuidouz.’
PICTURE 4: Ed Cabagnot captivates audiences with his talk on cinema in the infosphere era.
Later in the week, Atty. Karen Santiago-Malaki spoke about the Eddie Garcia Law, connecting creativity to care and accountability in filmmaking, while Khavn’s ‘Makamisa’ capped the fourth night.
The festival wrapped on October 29 with the Bhutanese feature ‘I, The Song,’ followed by the Ngilngig Awards Night, musical performances, and a drag showcase that closed the celebration on a high note.
PICTURE 5: Jury Prize winner Raia Miranda (for Philippine Third Eye) and Coby Mercado accept the award on behalf of Shoredust, joined by jurors Amir Muhammad and Homer Novicio, Festival Director Fiola, Drag Performer Gnoan, and the Tibungco Arts Guild dancers.
Stories From the Third Eye
The Ngilngig Awards honored short films that captured the essence of the fantastic across Philippine and Asian categories.
In the Philippine Third Eye section:
PICTURE 6: Film still of Bullet Dumas in Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos.
Bullet Dumas earned a Special Mention for his performance in ‘What Did the Sky Tell You, Celso (Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos)’ by Gilb Baldoza.
PICTURE 7: Film still from Hasang.
Daniel de la Cruz’s ‘Gills (Hasang)’ received a Special Mention.
PICTURE 8: Film still from Calling 84843.
The Jury Prize went to Calling 84843 by Raia Miranda. When she received the award, Miranda reflected, “It’s really worth celebrating. Our film reaching Davao and regional spaces fills a gap in the current landscape of Philippine cinema.”
PICTURE 9: Film still from Abogbaybay.
The top honor, Best Ngilngig Film, was awarded to Shoredust (Abogbaybay) by P. R. Monencillo Patindol, recognized for its heartfelt use of sound and imagery to depict longing with restraint and sincerity. Praised for its compelling storytelling, the film recently received the Gimadyawan Award for Best Film during the 12th Nabunturan Independent Film Exhibition last September 2025.
In the Asian Third Eye competition:
PICTURE 10: Film still from The Poison Cat.
The Poison Cat by Tian Guan (China) earned a Special Mention.
PICTURE 11: Film still from WAShhh.
WAShhh by Mickey Lai (Malaysia) won the Jury Prize.
PICTURE 12: Film still from Suintrah.
The Best Ngilngig Film went to Suintrah by Ayesha Alma Almera (Indonesia), commended for its haunting and courageous portrayal of political fear and silence.
Awardees of the Best Ngilngig film received trophies crafted by Noy Narciso through found instruments, whose design reflected the festival’s theme of transformation and reclamation.
The Greenhouse Cinema: A Cinematic Breather
PICTURE 13: Filmmakers come together after screenings at the Greenhouse Cinema to share insights and stories.
Beyond the main screenings, The Greenhouse offered a creative space for informal exchange — hosting the Filmmakers’ Night, a special and private screening of ‘Walk with Jesus’ (which got an X-rating from the MTRCB), Allan Balberona a.k.a. Mantiw’s Sound Alchemy session, and Ngilngig WIP (Work in Progress) presentations of the filmmakers’ unfinished and upcoming projects.
Read: In the Green House Cinema, Cinephilia Blooms Amid the City’s Noise
The Pulse of the Fantastic
PICTURE 14: Festival Director Fiola’s silhouette appears alongside the trophies on screen.
Through its films, talks, and community events, Ngilngig Retrograde reaffirmed its place not just on Mindanao but as Asia’s leading platforms for fantastic and genre storytelling — a space where imagination, reflection, and the ngilngig itself continue to thrive.
Behind this year’s edition was Pasalidahay Inc., the organizing body that has steered Ngilngig since its early years. The 2025 Management Committee was led by Festival Director Bagane Fiola, with Melona Grace Mascariñas, Maki Cabrera, Anj Estrella, Ralph “Doydoy” Megriño, and Andro Conde working together to bring the Retrograde theme to life. The Selection Committee—composed of Fiola, Cabrera, Estrella, Megriño, Conde, and Anna Miguel Cervantes—curated the festival’s 56 short films from across Asia.
Programming duties were handled by Fiola and Cabrera, with Jay Rosas serving as Programming Consultant. Post-screening dialogues and panels were moderated by Conde, Rosas, and Cabrera, whose insights bridged the gap between filmmakers and audiences throughout the five-day run. Supporting the festival’s visual identity and overall aesthetic was the Creative Team, composed of Zi Evangelista, Wowa Medroso, Neo Bryce Largo, Kuda Bux, and Yahshiyya, whose work captured the spirit of Ngilngig Retrograde across its publications and promotional materials.
The festival likewise recognized its volunteers, whose creativity and commitment fueled its lively presence both onsite and online through various gimmicks and engagements that helped keep Ngilngig’s pulse vibrant throughout the week.
SINEGANG.ph is an official media partner of the Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival 2025.
