SEASON 2024-2025
AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 15, 2025
BAKUNAWA FEST ANNOUNCES OPENING FILMS FOR 11TH EDITION
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. Screening as part of the Opening Night Program is Radikals by Arvin Belarmino. Set in Cavite, the film follows a young dancer drawn into an interesting subculture centered around bakte, a freeform chicken-inspired dance to celebrate harvest. When his poor performance draws ridicule, he is pulled into strange and darker rituals practiced by the group.
Also in the lineup is The Rubber Tappers by Cambodian filmmaker Rotha Moeng, making its Philippine premiere. It tells the story of 11-year-old Khlek, who uncovers the mystery of a massive charred tree in a remote rubber plantation, revealing deeper questions about identity, heritage, and belief.
From Estonia, The Shadow of Dawn by Olga Stalev offers a folkloric fantasy about love, transformation, and a woman’s shadow journeying into a cursed dreamscape. The film is having its Southeast Asian premiere.
Completing the program is The Dreamcatcher by Spain’s Guillermo Patrikios Alum, which also makes its Philippine premiere. The short horror tale follows a boy whose vivid nightmares begin to manifest in reality, forcing his mother to pass on a protective dreamcatcher from her own childhood.
The “Lores of Folk, Lure the Light” program kicks off the festival’s in-person screenings at Intramuros and is co-presented by Sentro Rizal Filipinas. Admission is free and open to the public. More information about the venue soon.
Bakunawa Fest XI runs from August 28 to September 15, 2025, showcasing independent fantastic cinema and fresh voices from the Philippines and beyond.