The trophy for Best Screenplay went to a Filipino-produced political drama when the 12th Emirates Film Festival wrapped its awarding ceremony at the New Covent Garden Theater inside Mall of the Emirates, marking a fresh high point for independent Filipino cinema in the Gulf.
That top writing prize was awarded to Tilamsik sa Dakilang Apoy (Embers of the Great Fire), a film from Kikoman Films (KMF), a licensed Filipino independent production company operating out of the United Arab Emirates. Best Screenplay stood as one of only five principal honors handed out at the festival, alongside Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Film, and Best Director. Organizers reserved these five for the ceremony’s highest tier, distinct from the many category and special citations also distributed to films that tackled difficult social subjects head-on.
Kikoman’s haul did not stop at the screenplay award. The company collected a cluster of additional wins that pushed it toward the front of the festival’s field of production houses. Ron Jordan De Ocampo was named Best Promising Actor for his role in Tilamsik sa Dakilang Apoy, while Jessica Miranda earned Best Supporting Actress for her work in Batingaw (The Bell). The same political drama was also cited as Best Regional Film in Southeast Asia. A separate KMF title, Alimbukay (Nausea), placed first runner-up for Best Psychological Film.
“I believe that our awards and nominations are more than enough to cement Kikoman Films’ place in the film industry in the United Arab Emirates,” said Francis L. J. Gacer, the company’s founder and director. He added, “Every award is the byproduct of our creativity, hard work, and intelligent storytelling—not the result of favoritism.”
The nominations tell a similar story of breadth. Across the ballot, KMF competed in Best Director, Best Film, and Best Actor for Tilamsik sa Dakilang Apoy, which also drew nods for Best Cinematography, Best Cast Ensemble, and a Best Supporting Actor bid for Alvin Alcantara. Amie Amor Nano and Pamella Villadiego both landed Best Actress nominations — Nano for the political drama and Villadiego for Alimbukay, which additionally earned a Best Cinematography nomination. Batingaw rounded out the list with a Best Sound nomination.
Volunteers form the backbone of the operation. Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike — actors, writers, directors, cinematographers, and crew — donate their time to the studio, which frames its purpose around socially conscious, culturally rooted storytelling and the elevation of Filipino artists internationally. Now nearing its tenth year, KMF describes itself as the largest Filipino independent film production company in the UAE, and its reach has widened through an expanding footprint across social platforms.
Output has kept pace with ambition. The studio finished nine productions for 2026, all lensed during the 2025 winter season, and a number of them collected international citations well ahead of the Emirates ceremony. Tahan-Tahanan (Hush Now My Home) won Best Child Actress for Zada Bolesa at the Reels International Film Festival 2026. Tilamsik sa Dakilang Apoy took Best Actor for De Ocampo at the Indian Global Film Festival 2026 and Best Narrative Film at Reels International, plus a Best Actress nomination for Nano at Cannes Independent Shorts 2026. Alimbukay earned Villadiego three Best Actress recognitions — a win at the Southeast Asia Film Festival 2026, another at American Golden Pictures 2026, and finalist honors at the Sweden Film Awards 2026. Batingaw drew twin wins for Loy Usman Soriano as Best Actress at both the Bangkok Movie Awards 2026 and the New World Film Festival 2026, where the film also claimed Best Featurette and Best Horror Film respectively.
Five more titles sit in the studio’s release queue: the horror entries Your Turn and Spectrum, the dramas Nelia, Okay Ka Pa Ba? (Nelia, Are You Okay?) and 100 Uploads of Aling Turing, and the suspense film Malen, Malignant.
The people making these films do so around full-time jobs, and Gacer’s team has held to structured acting workshops and demanding production standards despite thin budgets. Looking ahead, the company has set its sights on backing from mainstream producers and investors — support it hopes will carry its stories to broader audiences while keeping intact the mission of amplifying voices that rarely get screen time.
