Every year, Davaoeño genre nuts take roost in the communal nest of Ngilngig, an annual showcase of fantastic films in Davao that echo the eponymous expression in just about every sense: unique, fantastic, horrific, and so on.
For its eighth edition, the Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival happens at the Cinematheque Centre Davao from October 27th through the 30th.
Check out the official key visual after the bump:
The fest programs a curated selection of full-length and short films, with the latter populating its in-competition programs. The in-competition short films from the Philippines include stories about an intergalactic affair, a vampiric baby, and a young boy in the throes of his wavering faith.
Here’s the full list of Ngilngig’s PH Shorts entries.
- Aga-Hiw, The Dreamer (dir. Jaime Morados)
- Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig (dir. Vahn Leinard C. Pascual)
- Animo (dir. Raymund Encanto Salao)
- Atin ang Langit (dir. Victor Lorenzo Ventura)
- Call Me Santa (dir. Chrismar Rue Soegaard)
- Dead in the Dark (dir. Conrad Dela Cruz)
- Free Yun (dir. Kris Kristofferson Halog)
- Hatud (dir. Pawlo Lasmarias)
- I, Labyrinth (dir. Jag Garcia)
- Ing Tianak (dir. EJ Gagui, Marienel Calma)
- Itom nga Bugas Kanaryo nga Ugat (dir. Leonard Ian Blancada Billones)
- La (dir. Angelli Lazarte)
- Maudi nga Arapaap (dir. Daniel Magayon)
- Mga Bag-ong Nawong (dir. Mark Raymund Garcia)
- Naglipana ang Mga Mata (dir. Jael Mendoza)
- Our Redirected Hopes (dir. Mina Cruz)
- Paano Humuli ng Kidlat (dir. Rei Cordero)
- Round Trip (dir. Gabriel Carmelo)
- Silo (dir. Alyssa Ashley Manugas)
- Slip (dir. James Labrador Damasin)
- Tagoay (dir. Chris Duco)
- The Transfiguration of Saint Mike (dir. Jermaine Tulbo)
Meanwhile, the Asian Shorts competition films include films from Indonesia, like the horror-documentary Ghost Like Us, and the fantastical drama from Vietnam, Live in Cloud-Cuckoo Land. The section also programs local shorts, like Keith Deligero’s Days of the New and Maria Estela Paiso’s Ampangabagat nin Talakba ha Likol. Click here to check out the full lineup.
The festival also showcases 19 other short films, including the wacky experimental short, Jakol or Claire de LûLû in “D” Major, the psychological-horror, Wala pa Matawo, and the sci-fi short, Signals. Check out the full lineup here.
Ngilngig opens with a screening of Dodo Dayao’s sophomore feature film, Midnight in a Perfect World — interestingly, the film’s first theatrical screening after its virtual release two years ago.
Closing the festival is Mattie Do’s The Long Walk, a Laotian sci-fi drama about a hermit who discovers the woes and wonders of time travel.
Honestly, Ngilngig’s four-day affair is a truly packed one, with even more screenings available to Davao’s keen moviegoers, film talks on filmmaking and horror cinema, as well as director showcases.
The screenings are FREE and will take place at the Cinematheque Centre Davao, in Davao City, Philippines. You can check out the full festival lander here.
Here’s the link to the full screening schedule.