The Margaha Film Festival has officially announced the 24 short films selected to compete in its 7th edition, marking another milestone in the festival’s commitment to grassroots, community-based cinema rooted in heritage, place, and people.
Set to run from Feb. 19 to 28, the festival continues to position Sagay City as a vital cultural hub for regional and grassroots cinema, bringing together filmmakers from Negros Occidental and other parts of the country for screenings, dialogs, and community engagements.
This year’s festival carries the theme “LokoMo7ib”, an imaginative reworking of the word locomotive that also signifies the festival’s seventh year.
Inspired by the Legendary Siete, the historic train that once carried logs and lumber across Sagay during the Insular Lumber Company era, the theme reflects movement as both memory and momentum.
In its seventh year, Margaha reclaims that legacy of motion, positioning filmmakers as today’s engines of change, carrying Sagay’s stories beyond its shores through cinema.
“LokoMo7ib is about movement — of stories, of people, of imagination,” said Helen Arguelles-Cutillar, Festival Director of the Margaha Film Festival.
“As we enter our seventh year, our filmmakers continue that journey, transforming history, culture, and everyday life into stories that travel far beyond the sea”, she added.
SAGAYNON SHORTS COMPETITION
The Sagaynon Shorts Competition features films written and directed by Sagaynon filmmakers, developed through the festival’s workshops, story laboratories, and mentorship programs:
Ang Pihak nga Punta – Edward Wilfred Lobaton
Ang Sugilanon ni Lola – Crispel Jhun Ducay
Ayam – Levi James Arellano
Bangga Budong – John Lyndel Alolon
Guloginhawa – Mery Grace Rama-Mission
Hampang sa Balod – Presilio Bajao
Indi Ini Istorya Lang – Jesa Mae Guanzon
Manami Mag**** sa Mansion – Seb Valdez and Trini Garcia
Manimalay – Janno Castillo
Mga Taghunas – Nheferti Ligalig
Sikad – Feona Eddlyn Dela Peña
Tubo sang Gugma – Renz Pantaleon
The films were funded with P40,000 each personally donated by Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva.
PHILIPPINE SHORTS COMPETITION
The Philippine Shorts Competition, titled “Ang Istorya sang Amon Isla,” brings together films from across the country that explore island life, mountains, seas, and the lived experiences of local communities:
Angela and Her Dying Lola – Mark Terence Molave
(San Mateo, Rizal)
Asa ang mga Salida sa Leyte – Linus Masandag
(Baybay City, Leyte)
Cemento – Justine Borlagdan
(Obando, Bulacan)
Coding si Papa – Michael Pogoy
(San Mateo, Rizal)
Eskoba – Sherwin De Leon (Quezon City)
Hasang – Daniel de la Cruz
(Guimbal, Iloilo)
Muli na – Merlie Shane David (Quezon City)
Pastil: Parehas Ra Ta’g Kan-on’g Ginakaon – Franky Arrocena
(Davao City)
Sa Humba Nimo – Janell Ruth Samaniego
(Cagayan De Oro City)
Sa Pwesto ni Pistong – Vincent Joseph Entuna
(Bacolod City)
Sari-Sari – Jam Moreno
(Davao City)
What We Never Said – Jermaine Tulbo (Davao City)
CINEMA BY THE SEA
The Margaha Film Festival will once again culminate in free public screenings by the sea at Margaha Beach on February 21.
This is alongside screenings, talkbacks, community premieres, and awarding ceremonies across Sagay City from Feb. 19 to Feb. 28.
The festival continues to serve as a platform for cultural exchange, regional collaboration, and the strengthening of local film communities.
Anchored in the vision of making Sagay City a center for arts and culture in Northern Negros, the Margaha Film Festival remains a testament to storytelling born from the shore—moving forward, carrying history, and shaping the future of Philippine regional cinema.*