West Philippine Sea Documentary Gets Pulled From Film Festival

(SPOT.ph) A documentary about Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea was supposed to be part of this year’s CinePanalo Film Festival—until it was removed from the lineup just two days before its premiere. What happened?

Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea by acclaimed filmmaker Baby Ruth Villarama (who is also behind Sunday Beauty Queen) was set to screen at the Puregold-backed indie film fest CinePanalo, which ran from March 14 to 25 in Quezon City. It was the festival’s grant program that gave funding to the creation of the film.

However, on March 12, CinePanalo Festival Director Chris Cahilig and Villarama released a joint statement citing “external factors” as the reason for the film's removal—no further explanation was provided. But Villarama would make it clear later on the decision to pull out didn't come from her team.

“We had no choice but to agree; otherwise, the entire festival, according to the organizer, was at risk of being canceled,” Villarama said in a Facebook comment which she also shared with SPOT.ph. “If ‘withdrawing’ means protecting other films, then so be it. But let’s be clear. This wasn’t our call. Make sure the media hears that, again and again, because we see exactly how the narrative is being spun to protect certain interests.”

SPOT.ph has reached out to Cahilig for comment on what specific factors led to the decision but we have yet to receive a response.

Also read: West Philippine Sea or South China Sea? The Difference Matters

Not intended to be political

Following the film’s sudden removal from the festival, Villarama and her team are now looking at international platforms to release the documentary. 

Villarama has previously made it clear that Food Delivery was never intended to be political. She told Rolling Stone Philippines the documentary is meant to foster empathy, not stir conflict, by showcasing the everyday struggles of Filipino fishermen and maritime personnel working in contested waters.

The Directors’ Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) condemned the move to pull out the film from the festival, calling it a clear example of “the silencing of truth in our country.

“Rather than celebrating the courage of our filmmakers in exposing these critical realities, the festival has instead chosen to suppress the truth—seemingly to avoid disfavor from powerful foreign interests,” DGPI said in a statement.

The group also pointed to a pattern: in less than a year, two other documentaries, Alipato at Muog and Lost Sabungeros, have either been given X ratings or blocked from public viewing: “This is not just an attack on one film but an alarming indication of how freedom of expression is being eroded in our society."

Even the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), whose personnel are featured in the documentary, has weighed in. AFP Spokesperson Col. Francel Padilla told Manila Bulletin: “Of course, we are saddened by the pullout. We want it to be released publicly because it shows the reality of what’s happening in the West Philippine Sea.”

Regardless, Cahilig said during CinePanalo Film Festival's awards night on March 22 that he is hopeful Food Delivery can secure a world premiere. 

"Ganoon talaga, may negative side to it pero may positibo din nangyari. Remember, if lumabas na sa local, wala ka ng world premiere... It gives them the opportunity to get accepted in the best platform for the world premiere."

Watch the trailer for Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea

Also read: The UN Tribunal Ruling on the West Philippine Sea: A Short History