DGPI Pitch X-Pand unveils Top 10 selected Philippine projects

The Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc., a nonprofit organization representing film and television directors in the country, has officially announced the Top 10 selected film projects from the Philippines for its DGPI Pitch X-Pand program.

Powered by the Quezon City Film Development Commission, QCinema International Film Festival, and the Film Academy of the Philippines, DGPI Pitch X-Pand serves as a platform to elevate, refine, and connect promising Filipino feature film projects with potential co-producers, investors, and international collaborators.

The 10 selected projects and their respective filmmakers are “Again, Again, Again, Again” by Natts Jadaone; “Apple” by JR Reyes; “Bato Bato sa Langit, Ang Tamaan Magagalit” by Eve Baswel; “Bukod Kang Pinagpala” by Eric Cabahug; “Dance of the Pigeons” by Arjanmar Rebeta; “Divine Cannot Decide” by Benjar V. Ramos; “Dreamland” by Joseph Vitali; “Luzonensis at Floresiensis” by Karl Glenn Barit; “Maria’s Loft” by Donnie Sacueza; and “My Missing Half” by Rodiell Veloso.

Jadaone is known for writing the screenplay of “Lucid” directed by Victor Villanueva and co-writing “Rookie” with director Samantha Lee.

Reyes is a film director, actor, assistant director, script continuity, and post supervisor.

Baswel’s “Bato Bato Sa Langit Ang Tamaan Magagalit,” also known as “Heaven Help Us,” previously won the Sørfond Award (the Norwegian South Film Fund prize) and the Kongchak Studio Award at the 2025 Asian Project Market. The project also received the QPM Philippines co-production grant and CMB Discovery Award at the 2024 QCinema Project Market.

Cabahug penned the Palanca award-winning screenplay for “Deadma Walking” and co-wrote the adaptation of Bob Ong’s “Lumayo Ka Nga sa Akin” and the animated film “Dayo.”

Rebeta’s “Dance of the Pigeons,” also known as “Sayaw nin mga Salampati,” is a Bikolano feature film project selected as an official grantee under the Large Budget Production category of the CreatePH Funding Program Cycle 2 of the Film Development Council of the Philippines and secured the Epicmedia Award at FDCP’s International Film Industry Conference 2022.

Ramos is a creative producer, writer, and associate professor at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Department of Broadcast Communication. He previously produced the Bacolod Film Festival 2024 Best Picture winner “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong.”

Vitali directed “kung paano kakalas” which competed in this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival short film category and won the Kalampag ng Kulay Award (Jury Prize), Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, and tied for Best Direction at UP Cinema’s Piling Obrang Vidyo XXII.

DGPI Board together with DGPI PITCH X•PAND 2026 selection committee members Directors Mae Cruz Alviar, Dwein Baltazar, Tara Illenberger, Carl Papa, and Kip Oebanda

“Luzonensis at Floresiensis” also received funding from FDCP’s CreatePH production grants program and participated at the Asian Film Alliance Network (AFAN) Boot Camp for Young Filmmakers 2026 and Produire au Sud Nantes in 2024. Barit is renowned for directing the feature “Cleaners” and the short films “Aliens ata,” “Luzonensis osteoporosis,” and “Nangungupahan,” and serving as sound designer and musical composer to several projects.

Sacueza is the director of the Sinag Maynila Jury Prize winner “Mga Bayaning Ayta” and a member of the National Committee on Cinema, representing the Independent Film sector.

“My Missing Half” is a Philippines-Japan co-production which won the Badclay VFX Innovation Award at the 19th NAFF Project Market during the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival or BIFAN and was presented at Japan Pitch by Atmovie Global Track in Cannes and Frontières International Co-Production Market at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal. Veloso’s project was developed through programs like Full Circle Lab Philippines, FLY Film Lab, FDCP’s Southern Voices Film Lab, and the Busan Asian Film School (AFiS) in South Korea.

Highlighting the range of this year’s lineup, DGPI President Keith Sicat expressed his enthusiasm for the selected directors and the extended scope of the platform, “I’m thrilled at the spectrum of stories and cinematic voices on display with this year’s batch of selected projects.”

“Their concepts will have even more opportunities than ever before with the way this year’s pitch is X•PANDED to include international producers and fellow directors from the SE Asian region. This is where future collaborations, alliances, and friendships can be formed for the betterment of our dynamic community of filmmakers,” Sicat added.

The DGPI Pitch is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year by expanding submissions to Southeast Asian filmmakers and foreign partners.

Featuring a diverse mix of genres, perspectives, and storytelling styles from both emerging and seasoned Filipino directors and storytellers, the selection highlights the dynamic future of Philippine cinema.

The initiative continues DGPI’s commitment to fostering local talent, developing original narratives, and expanding opportunities for Filipino cinema on local and international fronts.