Step Into the Retrograde: Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival 2025 Unveils Official Lineup
Step Into the Retrograde: Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival 2025 Unveils Official Lineup
PICTURE 1: A group photo from last year’s 8th Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival, showing festival participants and organizers posing together after the awarding event.
The 9th Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival, organized by Davao-based film collective Pasalidahay Inc., is set to unfold this October with a celebration of films, art, food, and culture under the theme RETROGRADE.
First launched as a local horror film showcase, Ngilngig has since grown into the first fantastic film festival of its kind in Southeast Asia. The word ngilngig, a familiar Bisaya expression, describes something that provokes awe, fear, or fascination—something chilling, macabre, or extraordinary. With this, the festival now embraces a wider range of genres and storytelling traditions from across Asia, highlighting films that reimagine myths, histories, and cultural memory through the fantastic.
The pre-festival events kicked off last October 4 to 5 and will continue on October 11 to 12, 2025, from 1 PM to 5 PM at Three Yards, Casiana Villa-Abrille Street, Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City. Audiences can relive the past with back-to-back screenings of Ngilngig winners and festival favorites. Alongside the screenings are a pop-up market, Ngilngig art exhibit, and the launch of the official Ngilngig Festival 2025 poster.
PICTURE 2: The official poster of the 9th Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival, created by artist (@jemima_grace_) a.k.a. Astro (✩👄♡), was revealed last October 4, 2025, during the festival’s pre-festival screenings at Three Yards, Matina, Davao City.
The festival proper will run from October 25 to 29, 2025, featuring screenings and film talks that showcase works from across Asia. A total of 56 short films from South Korea, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Iran, India, Palestine, Bahrain, Brunei, Cambodia, and the Philippines will vie for the Best Ngilngig Asian Short Film Award 2025.
PICTURE 3: John Lloyd Cruz in Bor Ocampo’s ‘Moneyslapper.’
Opening Film: ‘Moneyslapper’
The opening film of this year’s festival is Bor Ocampo’s Moneyslapper, a surreal social satire about a lottery winner’s search for redemption in his hometown. Premiered under QCinema 2024’s Asian Next Wave section, the film stars John Lloyd Cruz and will screen on October 25 at the FDCP Cinematheque Centre Davao.
Catch the official lineup of this year’s Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival 2025:
THIRD EYE (In Competition)
Asian Shorts
A Cleaning Service by Nguyễn Duy Anh
VIETNAM
Black Cotton (Hei Mian Hua) by Tianyang Hou
CHINA
Durian Durian (榴莲, 榴莲) by Nelson Yeo
SINGAPORE
Followers by Kevin Rahardjo
INDONESIA
How An Apocalypse Ends (Cách một đại dịch kết thúc) by Đặng Thùy Trang
VIETNAM
In the Name of Love I Will Punish You by Exsell Rabbani
INDONESIA
Just Watched (그냥 봤을 뿐인데) by Woncheol Seo
REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Radikals by Arvin Belarmino
PHILIPPINES
SUINTRAH by Ayesha Alma Almera
INDONESIA
The Dead Body Looking For Fisherman (Mancing Mayit) by Christian Banisrael
INDONESIA
The Poison Cat (Duyao Mao) by Tian Guan
CHINA
The Repetition for Love (사랑을 위한 되풀이) by Kim Kyungrok
REPUBLIC OF KOREA
WAShhh by Mickey Lai
MALAYSIA/IRELAND
Water Sports by Whammy Alcazaren
PHILIPPINES
Philippine Shorts
Again (Liwat) by Raymund Encanto Salao
ILOILO
Calling 84843 by Raia Miranda
PASIG
Caraingin by Edgar Allan P. Reyes
MANILA
Fool (Mga Ulol) by Vince Ivan Vesiete
GENERAL SANTOS
Gills (Hasang) by Daniel de La Cruz
ILOILO
Hello, Daisy by Franky Arrocena
DAVAO
Inang Wak-wak (Holy Mother Wak-wak) by Drenzel Calopez
GENERAL SANTOS
In the Hour of Judgment (Sa Oras ng Paghuhukom) by Sean Romero
QUEZON CITY
Opil Goes to Heaven (Padung Langit si Inday Opil) by chickenligaya
BATANGAS / QUEZON CITY
Shoredust (Abogbaybay) by P. R. Monencillo Patindol
BAYBAY, LEYTE
Sir and the Kid (Si Sir kag ang Gamay nga Bata) by Seb Valdez
SAGAY
up here, disappear by Arnex Nicolas
QUEZON CITY
VISIONS (Non-Competition)
Asian Shorts
A Safe Dose by Faye Shu
CHINA
Collection title: turtle ع#ٮوان م (حموعه : تش/ٮکلا)) by Ehsan Majouni
IRAN
Final Feast (마지막 피로:연) by Park EZe
REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Friend (Doost) by Rana Safiyari
IRAN
Grocery List by Taqwa Ali Naser
BAHRAIN / QATAR / SAUDI ARABIA
Sleepiness (សុបិនល្អ) by Song Hemkiry
CAMBODIA
Telogi by Abdul Zainidi
BRUNEI
The Flow of Resilience (Boi Thaka) by Pranami Koch
INDIA
The Miracle of Life by Sabrine Khoury
PALESTINE
Philippine Shorts
Beat (Tibok) by Evzen Fredes A Conejeror
DAVAO
GROUP VI by Romeo Gabriel A. Orbase
CALAMBA
I Have Faith (Nagatuo Ako) by Mark Joseph Gicana Perez
ILOILO
In Your Head (Guniguni) by Samantha Santelices
PARAÑAQUE
Merfolk (Kataw) by Alyssa Ashley Manugas
CEBU
Moonlighters by Coby Mercado
PASIG
Red by Aries C. Ferrer
SOLANO, NUEVA VIZCAYA
The Body by Justine
OBANDO, BULACAN
The Return of Max Crocodile (Ang Pagbabalik ni Max Buwaya) by John Luke Miraflor
MALABON
Short Circuit (Special Screenings)
A Crab from a Conch Shell (2024) by Jermaine Tulbo
Beneath the Firefly Veil (Sa Ilalum sa Balabal sa Alitaptap) (2024) by Juvy Ann Clarito
The Furthest Tree of the Eternal Sun (2025) by Kuda Bux & Yahshiyya
Kuman Pictures Challenge (Special Screenings)
Virus Mairus (2020) by Gogularaajan Rajendran
Alam (2021) by Taufiq Kamal
Actions Have Consequences (Tiap Perlakuan Ada Batasnya) (2022) by Shaz Dyn + Azraei Azlan
Sathamindri (2023) by Sidhaarthan
Sooner or Later (Kalau Bukan Sekarang, Nanti) by Yusuf Zulfakhar
Subversif (2025) by Alli Hasrom
The Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival 2025 is set to screen its official lineup from October 25 to 29 at the FDCP Cinematheque Centre Davao. Further updates on screenings, special events, and award ceremonies will be posted on the festival’s official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NgilngigDavao.
