SEASON 2024-2025
AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 15, 2025
WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF BAKUNAWA FEST !
Bakunawa Fest is the first fantastic film fest in the Philippines and one of the logest-running very independent volunteer-artist-ran film fest of its kind this side of the planet. Bakunawa is a mythical dragon-like creature that devoured moons in Visayan mythology. This year 2025, we're running two editions - 11th (to fulfill our commitments from 2024) and 12th (going back to where it started, Bacolod City, in December)
UNLEASHING CREATIVE DRAGONS i BENDING GENRES i
KEEPING THE INDEPENDENT SPIRIT ALIVE
BY THE NUMBERS XI EDITION
4
Screening Venues
278
Submissions
4
New Partners
85
Target Selections
93
Final Selections
RETURNING FILMMAKERS,
BAKUNAWA FEST XI
August 3, 2025, Manila - Bakunawa Fest XI, the Philippines' first fantastic film fest, proudly welcomes the return of awardwinning and acclaimed filmmakers whose works have left a mark on our audiences in past editions. Returning filmmakers whose new films are premiering at Bakunawa Fest XI are directors Arvin Belarmino (Bakunawa Award winner, Philippines), Carolina Ceca (Japan), Migui Francisco (Philippines), Olivia Griselda (Singapore, and with a co-director), Davi Melo (Brazil) and Cremance (Mexico). Also making a fantastic return is Juanjo Avi (Spain), a Bakunawa Award winner as producer of 'El Padrasto' (The Skin). He comes back, this time, as director. Their return signals the deepening creative relationships that continue to grow within the Bakunawa Fest community.
CHECK OUT THE TITLES OF THEIR NEW FILMS AND THEIR SECTIONS!
BAKUNAWA FEST XI ANNOUNCES OPENING FILMS
August 5, 2025, Manila, Philippines — Bakunawa Fest, the country’s first fantastic film festival, announces its Opening Films, for its 11th edition scheduled to premiere on August 29, 2025: Radikals by Arvin Belarmino (Philippines), The Rubber Tappers by Rotha Moeng (Cambodia), The Shadow of Dawn by Olga Stalev (Estonia), The Dreamcatcher by Guillermo Patrikios Alum (Spain). The international film program called “Lores of Folk, Lure the Light,” explores folklore, memory, subculture, and the supernatural through four short films.
READ THE NEWS
CHECK OUT THE FILMS
BAKUNAWA FEST XI WILL CLOSE IN SEPTEMBER IN BACOLOD CITY WITH STORIES OF SURVIVAL, MEMORY AND INTIMACY
August 5, 2025, Manila, Philippines — Bakunawa Fest XI will conclude its eleventh edition this September with ‘Intimate Crossings’ a program with a compelling lineup of international and local films that explore themes of survival, personal longing, and quiet transformation. The Closing Film Program will be held at Cinematheque Centre Negros and The Negros Museum both in Bacolod City. This signals the return of the festival to its home city and will kick off the 12th edition to immediately run in December 2025.
READ THE NEWS
CHECK OUT THE FILMS
MIKEY BUSTOS IS FEATURED MUSIC ARTIST FOR BAKUNAWA FEST XI'S RYTMO SECTION
August 11, 2025, Manila, Philippines — Bakunawa Fest XI proudly announces Filipino-Canadian Mikey Bustos as its featured music artist for the section, Rytmo (Rhythms). Mikey's 2025 music videos are all genre-based. With his versatility, talent, music, charm, artistry and creative music videos, Bakunawa Fest took close notice. As featured artist, his music videos will be playing in all venues during the fest's run plus they're all featured in our website too. Check out the three music videos below.
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WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEOS
FILMMAKERS WHOSE FILMS WILL HAVE THEIR WORLD PREMIERE IN BAKUNAWA FEST XI
August 11, 2025, Manila - Bakunawa Fest being one of the most independently programmed film fests this side of the planet, prides itself with a 'we accept your films at face value' approach to its programming. We don't look at names and budgets, we look at your films. And if we like them and it matches our curated programming and fest sections, you're in. So we take time today to highlight the filmmakers who entrusted us their films as their first festival. These filmmakers will have their World Premieres with us. Except for 'I'll Leave You Words" and 'The Hum', all films here will screen on August 29-31, 2025 at Centro de Turismo in Intramuros, Manila. Meanwhile the other two World Premiere will play in Bacolod City where Bakunawa Fest started.
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IMAGES FROM BAKUNAWA FEST X
Looking back at Bakunawa Fest X at the UP Film Center, Ishmael Bernal Gallery and the UPFI Videotheque in Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. We had filmmaker guests from Vietnam, Spain, Indonesia and Japan (who flew on their own - we love you for that!) with attending Filmmakers from all over the Philippines. Bakunawa X (10th edirion) was done in partnership with SolarFlix, Outlines, Eduksine, TulasalitaanPh, UP Film Institute and Printwiz Digital Printing. In collaboration with the Hundred Islands Film Festival of Alaminos, Pangasinan.
WE'VE BEEN HACKED TWICE!
But we're coming back stronger and with a new email address and website. Thank you for your patience. Selection announcement will be on August 6, 2025.
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