Two Filipino short films headed to Cannes 2025
Official poster of “Agapito,” one of the two films set to compete in the Short Films Competition at Cannes 2025. Image: Instagram/@arvinbelarmino
Two Filipino short films, “Agapito” and “Ali,” have earned coveted spots at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, once again elevating Philippine cinema in the international spotlight.
On Instagram, the Quezon City Film Commission (QCFC) announced the films’ participation in the Official Short Film Competition of the international film festival.
“Proud moment for Philippine cinema! Two Filipino short films have made it to the prestigious Festival de Cannes 2025 Short Film Competition!” they wrote on Monday, April 28, alongside an art card.
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“Agapito” is directed by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero, while “Ali” is directed by Bangladeshi filmmaker Adnan Al Rajeev with a screenplay from Belarmino and Romero.
Belarmino previously competed in the Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la Critique) section of last year’s Cannes with his short film “Radikals.”
Belarmino celebrated the new milestone by thanking Cannes for believing in their vision, as he dedicates the story to his brother.
“Thank you [@festivaldecannes] for believing in this story. This is a story where I became vulnerable, reflecting on how my family grounds me and keeps me from taking things for granted. A story that is dedicated to my brother Agapito Jay Ar Belarmino,” he wrote as he thanked everyone involved in making the film.
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Romero also took to her Instagram page to celebrate the news as she shared that the feature is set in a duckpin alley in Bulacan.
“I dedicate this to you, papa, Danny. For raising me in a sports facility, surrounded by people who love what they do. Something that resonated when we made this story, set in a duckpin alley in Bulacan. From the halls of the duckpin alley, to the four huge corners of the Grand Theater Lumiere,” she wrote.
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Amid the achievement, Belarmino and Romero’s team is also seeking financial support to be able to fly to Cannes in May.
“Our team was invited to fly to Cannes this May to represent the Philippines. While our accommodations are already sponsored, we are to personally shoulder other travel expenses,” wrote theater actor Anton Nolasco.
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Eleven shorts will be presented in this year’s short film competition. Selected from 4,781 entries, the final selection comprises nine fiction short films and two animated short films. Five of them are directed by women.
Meanwhile, a movie by multiawarded indie filmmaker Lav Diaz, “Magellan,” starring Gael Garcia Bernal, is also set to premiere at Cannes.
Cannes is set to run from May 13 to May 24 in France.
