Cinemalaya winner ‘Mag-iina’ to close 10th Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival

 Cinemalaya 2026 Best Film “Mag-iina” (The Mothering) will be the closing feature of the 10th Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival. Running from October 24 to 28 at Cinematheque Centre Davao, Ngilngig returns with a curated lineup under the theme “Metamorphosis.”

The five-day event gathers 50 short films and five regional feature premieres, celebrating genre stories rooted in myths, shifting identities, and regional perspectives across Asia.

Directed by Giancarlo Abrahan and written by Guelan Varela-Luarca, “Mag-iina” explores grief, inherited trauma, and the complex bonds between women. The film centers on Anj (played by Janine Gutierrez), who returns to her family’s home as the 40th day of her estranged father’s passing approaches, a period when his spirit is believed to make its final departure.

Instead of closure, Anj encounters an environment suspended in madness, where three generations of women confront a legacy of love that operates dangerously close to evil.

The horror-drama also stars Cherry Pie Picache, Agot Isidro, Lucas Andalio, Ness Roque, Jackie Lou Blanco, Bart Guingona, and Alejandra Cortez. Abrahan and Varela-Luarca also got key contributions from cinematographer Joy A. Aquino, editor Benjamin Tolentino, production designer Katrish Aristoki, musical scorer David Yuhico, and sound designer Mikko Quizon, with production led by Bianx Basilio and Dee Nermal.

Apart from winning Best Film in the Full-Length Category of this year’s Cinemalaya, “Mag-iina” also took home Best Director for Abrahan, Best Screenplay for Varela-Luarca, Best Supporting Actor for Andalio in a tie with KD Omalin from “Hand of God,” Best Production Design for Aristoki, and Best Original Musical Score for Yuhico.

The film, adapted from Varela-Luarca’s play “Corridors,” approaches genre storytelling by placing its terrifying elements in plain sight. Abrahan, rather than relying strictly on shadowed corridors or sudden scares, frames the home as an inescapable structure where love itself becomes the binding force.

“The horror is not hidden in the shadows. It is in the light, in the way the light refuses to reassure,” Abrahan shared in his director's statement. He added that the film seeks to examine a specific dynamic within family life, “Not malice in its pure form, but love that has curdled inside the container of family.”

Ngilngig began in 2010 as a grassroots Davao movement showcasing regional short films before establishing itself as a formal horror festival in 2013. Over the past decade, it has expanded into Southeast Asia’s premier fantastic film gathering. The term “ngilngig,” a Bisaya expression describing the ghastly, macabre, or awe-inspiring, serves as the foundation for showcasing folklore, urban legends, and cultural myths through genre cinema.

Joining “Mag-iina” in the 2026 feature showcase are the Leyte production “I Grew an Inch When My Father Died,” Kazakh entry “Sasyq” (Stinker), Vietnamese film “Antithesis of Gemini,” and Japan-Taiwan co-production “The Curse.”

The festival also includes the Ngilngig Film Camp from Oct. 19 to 22, educational workshops at The Green House Cinema, a Work-in-Progress Night, and an awards night on Oct. 28 at The Commons in Matina Town Square.

Organized by Pasalidahay, Inc. in partnership with the Japan Foundation, Film Development Council of the Philippines, Film Academy of the Philippines, Sony, Aputure, and Davao City Office for Culture and the Arts, Ngilngig continues to offer a platform for bold regional stories.