The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival serves as a crucial gateway for student filmmakers into the Philippine entertainment industry. By supporting the industry’s brightest young talents, the festival offers a vital platform for these aspirants to develop their craft. Notably, its annual student shorts category provides significant production grants and valuable opportunities to create professional-level work.
Eyes on You, CinePanalo alumni are living proof that dreams can take center stage, should the
right opportunities arrive. (Still from “Taympers” by Naiah Nicole Mendoza)
Puregold CinePanalo also goes the extra mile by providing the right breaks to these young contenders over and beyond the confines of the festival. It has produced the likes of Dizelle Masilungan and Lloyd Garciano who took over the ‘For You Pages’ on TikTok with Puregold Channel’s latest digital series, ‘Got My Eyes on You.’
Ivy Hayagan-Piedad, Puregold senior marketing manager and CinePanalo festival chair, spoke on the development of the two filmmakers. “The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival is dedicated to finding the very best young talents that will form the backbone of the industry in years to come,” she said. “Both Dizelle and Lloyd excelled in the first Puregold CinePanalo and now we’re eager to give them more room to share their stories with audiences via the Puregold Channel.”
Masilungan and Garciano were both participants in the first-ever Puregold CinePanalo student shorts category. Masilungan took home a Best Director award for his film “Kung Nag-aatubili.” Meanwhile, Garciano did the cinematography for “Smokey Journey,” which received recognition for its ensemble cast and original score.
These two currently find themselves at the forefront of the latest “retailtainment” offering from Puregold. With Masilungan as director and Garciano as the director of photography, ‘Got My Eyes on You’ has proven to be an excellent addition to the BL genre.
Starring Esteban Mara and Mikoy Morales, ‘Got My Eyes on You’ tells the story of two employees at a luxury resort striving for the general manager’s post, only to find themselves falling in love. The show tackles serious issues of office romance in the precarious search for work-life balance.
Puregold CinePanalo alumni also make up the post-production team of ‘Got My Eyes on You.’ The show’s editor, Jenievive B. Adame, had previously worked with Garciano when she directed “Smokey Journey.” Anton Acosta, the director of photography on Masilungan’s “Kung Nag-aatubili,” also continues their collaboration here as an editor for the digital series.
For both Masilungan and Garciano, the opportunity to bring this show to life is a direct result of their success at the Puregold CinePanalo.
“Thank you so much, CinePanalo, for your steadfast belief in emerging Filipino storytellers like us and for giving us a platform for sharing our voices,” said Masilungan. “This opportunity is not only an incredible experience but also a huge stepping stone toward achieving my dream of telling stories that matter.”
Garciano echoed the sentiments, saying, “Puregold has given us opportunities that are beyond our expectations. This is me speaking on behalf of all the young cinematographers and filmmakers you’ve helped. The opportunities provided here, from showcasing our early work to connecting with known names in our industry, have been invaluable in turning our passion into a profession.”
The Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival recently announced its final lineup of the Top 7 films in their full-length category. Meanwhile, applications for the 2026 Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival student shorts category are still open. Interested participants must submit their applications to https://tinyurl.com/PCPFFShortsApp by 11:59 PM of November 25, 2025.
All films in the festival will screen next year at the Gateway Cineplex 18, as well as select Ayala Cinemas.
For further inquiries, applicants may email thesecretariat@cinepanalo.com or message its official Facebook page at facebook.com/puregoldcinepanalo.
‘Got My Eyes on You’ can be viewed on TikTok @puregoldph. For further updates, follow Puregold Channel on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X.