Why was docu film on WPS pulled out from film fest?
As news spread that a documentary on the West Philippine Sea (WPS) had been ordered “pulled out” by the organizers of a film festival that started Friday, social media went abuzz over the lack of a clear explanation for the entry’s removal.
The void only fanned speculation among netizens, with many crying censorship as they noted the documentary’s sensitive geopolitical subject, despite the festival being a privately funded initiative.
The film—“Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea”—chronicles the experiences of Filipino fishermen, Philippine Coast Guard personnel and Navy officers as they conduct supply missions to Philippine island outposts in the WPS, the country’s exclusive economic zone which is being claimed by China.
“Food Delivery” is one of the eight full-length features supposedly set for screening in the second edition of the CinePanalo Film Festival, a competition organized by local supermarket chain Puregold.
The festival runs March 14 to March 25 at Gateway Cineplex 18 in Quezon City. The awards ceremony is on March 19.
The director of the expelled film, Baby Ruth Villarama, said she herself had no idea who or what was behind the decision.
“I myself am asking questions,” Villarama told the Inquirer in a phone interview Thursday night.
‘What’s happening?’
“I feel weird because I’m just calm. I’m not angry, but I guess my body is reacting to what happened,” said the filmmaker, who was in a hospital for a serious case of hives. “How can you feel angry at a festival that has been super supportive since Day 1? Then, come Tuesday night, you’re suddenly told to pull out. I said, ‘What’s happening?’”
“Food Delivery” had earlier received a PG rating from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.
On March 11, Villarama received a message in the filmmakers’ group chat from CinePanalo festival director Chris Cahilig that Puregold’s board members was holding a meeting that very moment.
“He didn’t say it was about our film, so I even replied, ‘Good luck! Keep us posted,’” she recalled.
That evening, Cahilig invited Villarama to dinner, but she was still busy finalizing her film’s subtitles. Producer Chuck Gutierrez went in her place.
“That’s when I started feeling uneasy. I thought, ‘something’s not right,’ she recalled.
At 11 p.m., Gutierrez returned with Cahilig and filmmaker Kip Oebanda, a consultant for “Food Delivery.”
“Kip said, ‘Your film’s existence is on the line. If it’s okay, let’s talk first.’ Chris was shaking. He said, ‘I’m so sorry to say this, but you have to pull out from the festival.’ He clarified that there was nothing wrong with the film itself, but that it was a board decision.”
Cahilig also said, “‘I’m sorry because the festival is on the line.” Hearing that, “I asked about the other films, and that’s when I decided to pull out. As a filmmaker, I care about the other films and the hard work their teams put in. I didn’t want the entire festival to be discontinued just because of this,” Villarama said.
Could it be because of the film’s delicate subject matter?
Villarama said there were no anti-Chinese statements in the documentary that could have led the organizers to decide on the pullout. “If you’re Chinese, you would simply understand how difficult it is to fish, to be away from your family,” she said.
Comparing this to her award-winning documentary “Sunday Beauty Queen,” which followed a group of Filipino women working as domestic helpers in Hong Kong, Villarama explained: “We never antagonized Hong Kong, yet after seeing the film, Hong Kong improved its policies. Soft power lang siya. I believe the audience will be endeared by the fishermen—how they take pride in their work.”
With the film in limbo, Villarama has been left wondering about the film’s future, as Puregold holds a 60-percent stake in its release rights. Cahilig has arranged a meeting on Sunday, March 16, according to Villarama. “He told me, ‘I’ll figure it out. I’ll make sure this will be as swift and painless as possible.’”
Dispelling speculations
In an interview on Friday morning, Cahilig said he was not privy to the details of Puregold’s executive decision to pull “Food Delivery” from the lineup. However, he confirmed that Puregold would continue to honor its contract with Villarama’s team and support the film’s commercial release and participation in international festivals.
Villarama said the episode reminded her of the time the documentary “Los Sabungeros” was also pulled out from the 2024 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
In a previous interview with this paper, she emphasized the importance of independent storytelling platforms like Cinemalaya and warned of the growing influence of those who create unnecessary threats, compromising freedom of expression and the festival’s integrity.
“For as long as I live, I’ll keep fighting for documentaries and real-life stories,” she said in the latest interview. “I’m also grateful for the support of fellow documentary filmmakers like JL Burgos, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, Ditsi Carolino, and even our colleagues from the international community.”
Despite the setback, Gutierrez said their team remains steadfast, “even though we won’t be part of the festival due to forces beyond our control.”
External factors
“This film carries the voices of our fishermen, soldiers, and the Coast Guard—stories that must be seen, heard, and remembered. Silencing these voices will only make them louder. This story will be told. And we won’t stop until it reaches every Filipino and the world,” he said.
On March 12, Villarama and Cahilig released a joint statement acknowledging that while the decision to pull “Food Delivery” was made jointly by the festival organizers and the film’s creators, “it is clear that external factors played a role in this outcome.”
For the festival’s 2025 edition, eight full-length filmmakers each received a cash grant of P3 million, while 24 student filmmakers were awarded P150,000 each—making this the biggest cash grant in any local film festival to date. Last year, six full-length filmmakers received P2.5 million each, while 25 student short filmmakers were granted P100,000 each.
Villarama’s “Food Delivery” would have been the first-ever documentary to join the festival.
