Hannah Silvestre’s Ascension from the Office Cubicle is set to screen at Cinemalaya 2025, offering audiences a surreal and deeply relatable look at the struggles of modern-day laborers. Part of this year’s short film category, the 20-minute off-beat existential drama runs from October 3 to 12, 2025, with screenings at Red Carpet Cinemas in Shangri-La Plaza, Ayala Malls Cinemas, and Gateway Cineplex.
The film follows Thelma, a call center agent who is worn down by the monotony and exploitation of her job. Her small spark of joy comes from watching the nightly lottery draw and its charismatic host, Arman. What begins as a lighthearted distraction slowly evolves into an all-consuming obsession as Thelma seeks solace in her fantasies. The imagined world inside her computer screen soon becomes more real and inviting than her own life, leading her on a strange journey through false hopes, small vices, and the seductive promise of escape.
Silvestre, who was born in 2002, is a graduate of the AB Film program at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and represented the Philippines at the Roger Hatchuel Student Academy in Cannes in 2024. Her work often explores existential questions and the search for meaning against the backdrop of a capitalist world. Ascension from the Office Cubicle, which served as her thesis film, was co-produced by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
The film stars Ginger Nolasco and Dads Valencia, with Silvestre taking on multiple roles as director, screenwriter, and editor. The creative team also includes Cameron Reganit as cinematographer and associate producer, Mitch Arren Alvarez as production designer, Felice Sido as editor and producer, and Bethany Fuertes as composer of the original music score.
Ascension from the Office Cubicle promises to be both a tribute to the resilience of workers and a meditation on the ways people seek connection and meaning in an often alienating world.
Other Cinemalaya 2025 short film entries are Figat by Handiong Kapuno, Hasang by Daniel de la Cruz, I’m Best Left Inside My Head by Elian Idioma, Kay Basta Angkarabo Yay Bagay Ibat ha Langit by Marie Estela Paiso, Kung Tugnaw ang Kaidalman sang Lawod by Seth Andrew Blanca, Please Keep This Copy by Miguel Lorenzo Peralta, Radikals by Arvin Belarmino, The Next 24 Hours by Carl Joseph Papa, and Water Sports by Whammy Alcazaren.
Meanwhile, full length entries include Bloom Where You Are Planted by Noni Abao, Cinemartyrs by Sari Dalena, Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan by Dustin Celestino, Child No. 82 by Tim Rone Villanueva, Paglilitis by Cheska Marfori and Raymund Barcelon, Open Endings by Nigel Santos and Keavy Vicente, Padamlágan by Jenn Romano, Raging by Ryan Machado, Republika ng Pipolipinas by Renei Dimla, and Warla by Kevin Alambra.
