MALABUG BISTA I VISTA FEATURES
Nine full-length features will comprise the Vista Features section (twelve in total if we include all films in other sections that are beyond one 60 min). Each offers strange and creative visions. Like sailing in a vista to navigate the seas, the features for this edition showcase fearless storytelling and diverse cinematic perspectives that expand the festival’s horizon of discovery.
Ang Lihim ni Maria Makinang by Gian Arre (2025) Philippines 1hr 30min
Magical Realism, Supernatural, Romance, Coming of Age I Visayas Premiere
Maria, a girl who only appears and ages during a full moon, struggles to maintain a decade spanning romance with Danilo, whose sexual awakening and maturity reshape their connection. As she witnesses their relationship and the world around them evolve rapidly, changes that seem mere days to her but span years, she grapples with the fleeting nature of time and love.
City Exterminator by Christophe Karabache (2025) Lebanon 1hr 28min
Thriller, Neo-Noir, Sci-Fi I World Premiere
Nabil, an ambitious engineer, envisions a total overhaul of Beirut, erasing the old to build a new city powered by his own radical design. His plan relies on implanting vitalist AI bombs into human bodies, but everything begins to unravel when he unexpectedly crosses paths with Sana.
Dream Theatre
by Daniel Limmer (2025) Austria 1hr 25min
Sci-Fi, Horror, Psychological Drama I Southeast Asian Premiere
When graphic designer Margot discovers the start-up "Dream Theatre," which enables the recording of dreams, she decides to use this technology to uncover the cause of her recurring nightmares.
LEl Ritual de Lily (Lily’s Ritual) by Manu Herrera (2025) Spain 1hr 45min
Folk Horror I Southeast Asian Premiere
In the late 20th century, four friends retreat to a remote forest house to perform a witchcraft initiation ritual meant to unite the four elements. Lily, a quiet newcomer chosen to embody air, soon discovers that their “white magic” gathering is unraveling into a sinister nightmare.
Le Terre Incolte (The Forbidden Lands) by Mattia De Pascali (2025) Italy 1hr 38min
Fantasy, Horror I International Premiere
In a remote Southern Italian village, fear spreads after a series of mysterious disappearances in the nearby woods. When two strangers arrive claiming to be messengers of the Lord, the desperate townspeople see them as saviors except for one woman, who, with the help of a free-spirited girl and an outcast accused of witchcraft, uncovers a darker truth that lies beyond the edge of the known world.
SASYQ
by Yerden Telemissov (2025) Kazakhstan 1hr 45min
Sci-Fi, Drama, Comedy I Southeast Asian Premiere
As the district administration prepares for the arrival of high-ranking officials, local alcoholic Sadyk Ospanovich takes on problems of intergalactic proportions. Two large-scale events collide, leading to inevitable conflict. Caught in the middle are Nadya, a weary shopkeeper, and Baur, a naive police officer.
Tie Man by Rémi Fréchette (2024) Canada 1hr 39min
Fantasy, Action, Adventutre, Crime, Comedy I Asian Premiere
Policewoman Marjolaine Coppola (Catherine Beauchemin) is looking for her sister, who has been kidnapped while their parents were being murdered. Those responsible are believed to be working for Franz DeMann (Peter Seaborne), the megalomaniac businessman who is trying to become mayor of Ridgway City. Following an attempt on her life, the young woman finds herself teamed up with Tie Man (Jérémie Earp), a shadowy vigilante who was victimized by the same man, and who has only one thing on his mind: Revenge!
Time Machine Girl by Akiyoshi Koba (2025) Japan 1hr 45min
Fantasy, Surreal, Sci-Fi I Philippine Premiere
Kako develops a strange condition: every time she’s startled, she slips briefly into the past and her excitable junior Chizuru keeps triggering it. As the two grow closer through these accidental time-slips, they find themselves targeted by people who want to exploit the ability and warned that their powers could even endanger the world, forcing them to seek a way to stop it before it’s too late.