Blog
Pasiklab Ignites Online: Cinemata Brings 37th Gawad Alternatibo Finalists to the World
The 37th Gawad Alternatibo Para sa Pelikula at Video screened its finalists from October 6-9 at the Shangri-La Plaza, and now extends that reach globally. More than 50 finalists from this year's competition are available for free on Cinemata.org—accessible worldwide until January 4, 2026. This marks the third consecutive year that Cinemata serves as the official streaming platform for Asia's longest-running alternative film competition, bringing Filipino cinema to audiences beyond the Manila venue. Read more.
CinemataCMS 2.0.4: Richer Context & Enhanced Reliability for Filmmakers
This update brings significant improvements across the platform: homepage featured content now connects to related articles and programmatic literature, video view counts are now fully accurate and capture all legitimate views, homepage announcements display properly across all devices, and the upload system has been streamlined for better reliability. We've also added maintenance mode functionality to ensure smoother future updates with clear communication. Read more.
CinemataCMS 2.0.3 - Smoother Subtitles & Streamlined Workflow for Filmmakers
This update makes Cinemata work better for you. Subtitles now upload and edit smoothly, playlist management is more intuitive, email notifications are working again, and videos stream more reliably. Behind the scenes, we've also made improvements that will help us bring you new features faster. Read more.
Call for Expression of Interest: Cinemata 2.0 Developers
Join us in improving Cinemata 2.0! We're seeking Southeast Asia-based developers for project-based work on our open-source video platform. Help us create a more secure, efficient, and impactful space for social issue films across the Asia-Pacific region. Read more.
CinemataCMS 2.0.1 - Enhanced Security & Accelerated Delivery for Filmmakers
CinemataCMS 2.0.1 delivers enhanced security for sensitive advocacy content, dramatically improved streaming performance across Asia-Pacific, and completes Milestone 1: our open source transition and comprehensive security improvements guided by the Open Technology Fund. With community engagement features and filmmaker donation systems on the horizon, this update sets the stage for connecting advocacy filmmakers like never before. Read more.
Help shape the future of Cinemata: Interest check survey
Following the successful launch of Cinemata 2.0, we're forming a Steering Committee to guide the platform's long-term sustainability and growth. This community-driven approach ensures Cinemata remains inclusive, resilient, and responsive to our shared values as filmmakers and advocates. Read more.
Social Issue Films X Open Source: The CinemataCMS Experience
When social issue filmmakers, human rights defenders, and Southeast Asian developers collaborate, something powerful emerges. This is how we built CinemataCMS 2.0 - a video platform that serves movements, not shareholders. Your stories deserve technology that fights for them. Development Lead King Catoy shares how our team built community-driven technology for social justice filmmakers. Read here.
Trusted User Application Form
As a student filmmaker, video collective or advocacy group working on social issue films, becoming a Cinemata Trusted User opens up powerful tools to amplify your impact. Read more and apply here.
What's New in Cinemata 2.0
Cinemata 2.0 is here! Following a comprehensive security audit and the transition to a dedicated team of Southeast Asian developers, our platform now offers faster streaming, enhanced security including passwordless login, smarter playlists, improved transcription with Whisper Large-v3, and new community features like Curator Voices and Blogs.
Built as an ad-free, privacy-respecting alternative to Big Tech platforms, Cinemata 2.0 represents a major step forward in supporting filmmakers and advocates across the Asia-Pacific region. Discover what's new and what's coming next in our comprehensive platform update. Read more.
Cinemata 2.0: Breaking Free From Big Tech Control
EngageMedia unveils CinemataCMS 2.0 on July 31, 2025—a groundbreaking open-source video platform designed specifically for advocacy, education, and social impact in the Asia-Pacific region. After four years of development, Cinemata.org's underlying technology is now fully open-sourced, offering organizations a secure, customizable alternative to corporate-controlled video platforms.
Developed by a growing team of Southeast Asian developers from Indonesia and the Philippines, CinemataCMS 2.0 demonstrates that community-driven technology can successfully challenge Big Tech's dominance while serving movements rather than markets. Read more.
Reflecting on Cinemata Currents 2025: Stories in Motion, Conversations Across Borders
Cinemata Currents 2025, a hybrid film festival, showcased over 20 films exploring themes of displacement, feminism, minority counterpublics, and indigeneity. The festival, curated by Patrick F. Campos and Aghniadi, emphasized minor cinema as a means of reimagining dominant narratives. Through online screenings, watch parties, and workshops, the festival fostered regional solidarity and collective imagination, engaging over 400 viewers across Southeast Asia. Read more.
TAM DokyuFest returns to Cinemata for its third online run
TheFar Eastern University Department of Communication‘s TAM DokyuFest 2025, a free online documentary film festival, will be held from May 19 to 28, 2025. The festival features 16 short films by FEU Communication students exploring the theme “Different Faces of Truth.” Read more.
Cinemata Currents 2025: A Hybrid Film Festival of Shared Viewing and Civic Imagination
Cinemata Currents 2025, a hybrid film festival, will be held from June 5th to 8th, 2025, with previews from June 2nd to 4th. The festival features scheduled film sets streamed regionally, followed by live talkbacks with filmmakers. It also includes on-demand films, local watch parties, and virtual workshops exploring minor cinema and civic resistance. Read more.