LANTAW TA SA DUWA: Saliduwa Film Fest debuts as Leyte’s first local film festival

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May 10

Written By Jea Nicole

LANTAW TA SA DUWA: Saliduwa Film Fest debuts as Leyte’s first local film festival

Jea Nicole May 10, 2026, 9:40 PM

*Saliduwa Film Festival | Banner courtesy of Saliduwa Film Festival*

BAYBAY CITY — Leyte takes another leap for its growing film scene with the debut of its first local film festival, Saliduwa Film Fest, an imagined Filipino neighborhood playground that liberates the inner child genius of Eastern Visayas filmmakers and beyond.

Set to run from May 16 to 17, the grassroots festival features a roster of films that challenge conventional forms of filmmaking through playful, subversive, and experimental approaches. It will be held in Baybay City, Leyte, with a festival program featuring film screenings, a short film competition, and a (non-traditional) script workshop with Cebuano filmmaker Keith Deligero.

Unsaon ang duwa?

“If we listen to our inner duwende, we will tell our own story,” said National Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik, reflecting on the source of imagination in an interview with The Filipino Story.

Much like other creative pursuits, the filmmaking process calls for a kind of curiosity and whim found in the inner child. Free and without fetters, the film festival echoes the spirit of what Kidlat Tahimik calls ‘inner duwende’ by testing the rigid mechanics of the craft and building appreciation for regional filmmakers whose experimental works are inspired by local roots.

Organized by Small Treehouse, an independent film collective of young Leyteño filmmakers, the festival derives its game-like concept from Larong Pinoy, blending the words “salida,” which translates to film in English, and “duwa,” meaning game. Its division of categories is also named according to classic Filipino outdoor play. The Takyan or Sipa category opens the screening with a lineup of experimental films that embody its running theme, while the competing categories are divided into Piko for films from Eastern Visayas and Patintero for non-Eastern Visayas films.

Fifty-one out of 120 short film submissions made the initial shortlist. The selection committee narrowed these down to 22 official selections, with five films for Piko and 17 films for Patintero. These works will move to the third round to compete for the Golden Lata and other festival awards.

These will be evaluated by the festival jurors, consisting of figures who have made significant contributions to regional cinema, namely, BINISAYA Film Festival founder Keith Deligero, award-winning Leyteño filmmaker JP Corton, and local film publicist Daniela Kuizon.

‘Dili ni ordinaryo nga workshop’

During the two-day event, twelve participants will join Keith Deligero and other regional filmmakers for "In the Middle of Things," an immersive scriptwriting workshop featuring open readings, group discussions, and one-on-one consultations.

Breaking away from the traditional, the workshop instruction encourages the exchange of ideas beyond formulaic learning, aligning itself with the playful and experimental theme that runs through the film festival.

*“In the Middle of Things,” Saliduwa Film Fest Scriptwriting Workshop*

Full Lineup

The Saliduwa Film Festival features a selection of short films from Eastern Visayas and across the country. It will begin with the screening of Takyan or Sipa category, to be followed by the selected works under the Piko (Eastern Visayas) and Patintero (non-Eastern Visayas) competition categories.