Ryan Machado’s Raging is set to make its world premiere at Cinemalaya 2025, featuring powerhouse performances from Elijah Canlas and Ron Angeles in a gripping story about silence, justice, and the will to be heard.
Set in the mid-1990s in Sibuyan, Romblon, the film follows Eli, a teenager whose life is forever altered after being raped by one of his peers. When he reports the assault, authorities dismiss it as a harmless prank, leaving Eli silenced and isolated. His pain deepens when his father leaves to work in a secretive mining site, straining their family even further.
As Eli struggles to return to some sense of normalcy, his abuser continues to haunt him, provoking him at every turn. One night, Eli witnesses a mysterious plane crash that seemingly vanishes without a trace. This strange event stirs something within him, sparking his determination to seek truth and confront his trauma. Eli embarks on a personal investigation, intertwining his quest to solve the crash with his pursuit of justice, even if it means putting his community at risk.
Machado, a playwright-director and graduate of the University of the Philippines Manila, is no stranger to creating provocative and heartfelt work. His debut film Huling Palabas premiered at Cinemalaya 2023, where it earned him the Best Direction award. The film went on to compete internationally, screening at the Berlin International Film Festival, Stockholm International Film Festival Junior, Pink Apple Queer Film Festival, Festival Mix Mexico, Hong Kong Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival, MiX International Festival of LGBTQ+ Cinema and Queer Culture, Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival, and the Asian Film Festival Barcelona. It was hailed as Best Film of 2023 by the Society of Filipino Reviewers and was awarded Best Film and Best First Feature by the Young Critics Circle.
In April 2025, Machado launched the first-ever Talabukon Film Festival in Romblon, aimed at fostering a vibrant regional film culture and building a creative community for both filmmakers and audiences.
Raging stars Elijah Canlas, Ron Angeles, Reynald Raisel Santos, and Glenn Sevilla Mas, with cinematography by Theo Lozada. Machado also serves as the film’s screenwriter, executive producer, and producer.
The film will screen as part of Cinemalaya 2025, running from October 3 to 12, 2025. Audiences can catch it at Red Carpet Cinemas in Shangri-La Plaza, Ayala Malls Cinemas, and Gateway Cineplex.
Other full length entries include Child No. 82 by Tim Rone Villanueva, Bloom Where You Are Planted by Noni Abao, Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan by Dustin Celestino, Padamlágan by Jenn Romano, Paglilitis by Cheska Marfori and Raymund Barcelon, Open Endings by Nigel Santos and Keavy Vicente, Republika ng Pipolipinas by Renei Dimla, Cinemartyrs by Sari Dalena, and Warla by Kevin Alambra.
Meanwhile, the short film competition features entries such as Ascension from the Office Cubicle by Hannah Silvestre, 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.
