Since its debut in 2005, the Cinemalaya Film Festival has churned countless independent films that reaped honors both here and abroad, becoming the springboard of new movie directors and actors for a mainstream career.
In partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the annual competitive festival aims to encourage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers that boldly and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity. It also seeks to invigorate the Philippine film industry by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers. In doing so, it has been credited more than once for saving the dying art in the last decade by inspiring stakeholders to produce more films and spawning other festivals in the indie circuit.