MANILA -- Two internationally acclaimed independent films that reflect the diversity of Filipino experiences will be the opening and closing films of the 22nd Cinemalaya Film Festival.
For its opening film, the Cinemalaya will feature "Enjoy Your Stay," which explores a mother's enduring love for her daughter. It stars award-winning actress Mercedes Cabral, alongside Anna Luna, Hasmine Killip, Irma Adlawan, Donna Cariaga, and Madeleine Nicolas.
Directed by Dominik Locher and Honee Alipio and co-produced by Close Up Films and JBA Production, the film "follows Luz, a Filipina who has spent years working as an undocumented cleaner in Switzerland. Living in the shadows alongside her friend Aileen and other Filipina migrant workers, she constantly faces the threat of being discovered and deported. When she sees her ex-husband appear on a Filipino reality TV show with their six-year-old daughter, Luz’s life is shaken. In desperation to keep her child after years of working abroad, she promises on live television to return home in time for her daughter's birthday."
"Enjoy Your Stay," which had its world premiere in the Panorama section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival in Germany just last February, will be screened free to the public on August 6, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Red Carpet Cinemas 1 and 2, Shangri-La Plaza.
For the closing film, Cinemalaya 22 will feature "Filipiñana," which follows a teenage girl whose job at a country club leads to unexpected discoveries.
Directed by Rafael Manuel, the movie tells the story of Isabel (Jorrybell Agoto), a teenage employee at an exclusive country club who finds herself drawn to its president, Dr. Palanca, played by Teroy Guzman. "But as Isabel begins to uncover the violence hidden beneath the country club’s pristine facade, she realizes that what started as an innocent infatuation is rooted in a far more sinister shared history."
"Filipiñana" had its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival in January 2026.
It will be screened on August 16, at 8:30 p.m. at Red Carpet Cinemas 1 and 2, Shangri-La Plaza.
Tickets are priced at ₱350 for regular admission and ₱250 for students. Tickets to the opening and closing films screening will be given on a first-come, first-served basis two hours before the screening schedule.