![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.cardmri.com\/cardsmebank\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Sinemaya-2025.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWritten by Edrian Banania
\nPosted on December 22, 2025<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
BENTE Productions Chairman Mr. Hugo C. Yonzon III (leftmost) and CARD MRI Senior Adviser Ms. Aniceta R. Alip (second from left) pose with the Light by the Sea Productions team from Vietnam, recipients of the Best Film award in the Legacy Lens Category for their film \u201cLight by the Sea\u201d, a SineMaya film entry that tells the story of a woman struggling to care for her children and elderly mother after losing her husband at sea, who receives help from her community so her son can stay in school.<\/em><\/p>\n The 2025 SineMaya Community Film Festival, organized by BENTE Productions, the multimedia arm of CARD MRI, culminated in an awarding ceremony on December 15, 2025, at SM City San Pablo. The festival celebrated short films that embodied the official theme, \u201cPAMANAON: Stewards of the Future,\u201d highlighting the importance of legacy, responsibility, and collective action.<\/p>\n This year\u2019s festival brought together filmmakers from diverse communities who used filmmaking as a platform to explore social realities, cultural heritage, and hope, while also embracing innovation through emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. By combining storytelling with innovation, the event showcased how film can be both an artistic and transformative medium.<\/p>\n Reaffirming the festival\u2019s vision, CARD MRI Founder and Chair Emeritus Dr. Jaime Aristotle B. Alip highlighted the transformative power of storytelling, saying, \u201cThrough SineMaya, filmmakers were encouraged to craft stories that reflect how the choices and actions of today shape the lives and opportunities of future generations.\u201d He also praised the participants for creating works that go beyond entertainment. \u201cTheir courage, creativity, and purposeful narratives demonstrate how art can help shape a more compassionate and responsible world,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Following a rigorous judging process of all 18 SineMaya finalists, where each entry was carefully assessed for storytelling, technical skill, creativity, and social relevance, the winning films emerged as works that inspired, moved, and touched the audience.<\/p>\n Top honors were awarded to \u201cAlab\u201d by Paroy Film Productions, which received Best Film for the AI-Powered Film category, and \u201cLight by the Sea\u201d by Light by the Sea Productions, which won Best Film for the Legacy Lens category. Both films also earned special recognition through the Legacy Awards, with \u201cAlab\u201d receiving the CARD MRI Managing Director\u2019s Choice Award, and \u201cLight by the Sea\u201d being named one of the recipients of the CARD MRI Founder\u2019s Excellence Award, alongside \u201cPamaon\u201d by ShotUp Productions. These recognitions underscored the films\u2019 ability to merge artistic excellence with strong messages of service, resilience, and intergenerational responsibility\u2014values closely aligned with the festival\u2019s theme.<\/p>\n Outstanding achievements in performance, direction, and technical craft were also recognized. The Acting Awards honored Rosalie Castillo as Best Supporting Actor in a Female Role for her portrayal of Nanay Riya in \u201cPag-alala\u201d of Balik-Tanaw Productions, and Ken Laurence Ante as Best Supporting Actor in a Male Role for his role as Arvin in \u201cLiham\u201d by Bikolanong Lagalag Productions. The Best Actor in a Female Role was bagged by Jorlyn Ledesma for her performance as Lira in \u201cBinhi sa Kaugmaon\u201d by Kanlaon Film Productions, while Nel Estuya received Best Actor in a Male Role for his portrayal of Tatay Fernando in \u201cSaan Aabot Ang Singkwenta Ni Tatay?\u201d filmed by Kisapmata Film Productions.<\/p>\n Technical excellence was likewise celebrated, with Best Editing awarded to Jhon Lorenz Jegillos for \u201cLiham\u201d and Best Cinematography to Jimuel Sohitado for \u201cBinhi sa Kaugmaon\u201d. Meanwhile, Dang Thi Hanh was named Best Director for the visually and emotionally compelling \u201cLight by the Sea\u201d.<\/p>\n Innovation took center stage in the AI-lamat Category, where \u201cAlab\u201d emerged as a dominant force, winning multiple awards, including Best AI-Powered Visual Effects, Editing, and Cinematography, as well as Excellence in AI-Enhanced Directing for Christian Laurence Jegillos. Meanwhile, \u201cDamay: Mangagaway\u201d by Dangshin Productions received Best Lifelike AI Characterization, highlighting how technology can be harnessed to deepen storytelling while maintaining emotional authenticity.<\/p>\n Special awards recognized creativity and audience impact, with \u201cAng Huling Punla\u201d by Dos-T Productions winning Best Musical Scoring; \u201cSaan Aabot Ang Singkwenta Ni Tatay?\u201d by Kisapmata Film Productions earning both Best Screenplay and the People\u2019s Choice Award; and \u201cDamay: Mangagaway\u201d by Dangshin Productions taking home Best Trailer.<\/p>\n The festival also underscored its commitment to social advocacies through the Community Development Awards. Honorees included \u201cHope in the Rain\u201d by Catalyst Productions for Agriculture; \u201cThe End of the Sky\u201d by CanhDieuVanh Productions for Gender Equality; \u201cPamana\u201d by Liwayway Films for Education; \u201cAng Huling Punla\u201d by Dos-T Productions for Environmental Protection; \u201cHangarin\u201d by Kumatha Productions for Disability Representation; and \u201cPag-alala\u201d by Balik-Tanaw Productions for Youth Empowerment. Additional recognitions went to \u201cTao Rin Ako\u201d by Panangaawat Productions, which received the Inclusive Service Award, and \u201cPamanaon\u201d by ShotUp Productions, honored with the Young Filmmaker Award.<\/p>\n The success of the festival was made possible through the guidance and leadership of key figures who continue to champion community development through the arts. \u201cSineMaya is more than a film festival. It is a shared journey of storytelling where every film becomes a mirror of our values and a bridge to the future we want to build together, ” said Ms. Marilyn M. Manila, BENTE Productions President.<\/p>\n Before the awarding ceremony, all 18 SineMaya finalists were simultaneously screened at SM Cinemas in Iloilo City, Davao City, and Manila on November 22, 2025. This nationwide screening allowed audiences from different regions to experience the stories firsthand and actively participated in determining the People\u2019s Choice Award.<\/p>\n SineMaya Community Film Festival is a platform dedicated to empowering grassroots and community filmmakers to tell stories that promote social development, inclusion, and shared responsibility. Anchored in the belief that cinema can be a tool for education, advocacy, and transformation, SineMaya encourages narratives that reflect lived experiences, highlight community issues, and inspire positive action.<\/p>\n As the festival concluded, the 2025 SineMaya Community Film Festival once again affirmed that storytelling\u2014grounded in compassion, innovation, and service\u2014remains a powerful force in strengthening communities and shaping a more inclusive, hopeful, and sustainable future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Written by Edrian Banania Posted on December 22, 2025 BENTE Productions Chairman Mr. Hugo C. Yonzon III (leftmost) and CARD MRI Senior Adviser Ms. Aniceta R. Alip (second from left) pose with the Light by the Sea Productions team from Vietnam, recipients of the Best Film award in the Legacy Lens Category for their film […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2447"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2448,"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447\/revisions\/2448"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cardsmebankph.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}