CinemaBravo

An intimate portrait of healing and inherited wounds, When It Rained Malunggay Leaves will premiere this September at Sine Kabataan 2025, as part of the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino lineup. Written and directed by Cedrick Valenzuela, the film stars Gabby Padilla and Tanya Gomez in a quiet yet emotionally stirring family drama.

The story follows Ariel (Gabby Padilla), who comes home for Undas to reconnect with her mother, Anita (Tanya Gomez), after years of estrangement caused by a painful falling out. As they confront the silence and distance that have long divided them, the film unfolds into a tender meditation on memory, motherhood, and the longing to heal the ones who once hurt us.

“It’s a film about healing from passed-on wounds, by whatever means,” Cedrick shares. “When I moved out of my parents’ house, I began to realize how much healing my inner child needed. That realization came with the understanding that my mom needed healing too. She was once a child, a teenager, a young adult in her twenties — but she never had the chance to tend to the wounds passed on to her, because she had to put her life on pause to raise me.”

Though Cedrick has been writing and directing short films with friends since 2017, When It Rained Malunggay Leaves marks his official directorial debut — a film written in his twenties, created for the big screen, and shaped by the quiet ache of growing up.

The film is produced by Cy Igne of Komon Collective, a MAPÚA-based filmmaking group, in collaboration with Tarzeer Pictures, Black Cap Pictures, and TEN17P — creative forces behind acclaimed works such as Dagitab, Phantosmia, and the short film The River That Never Ends.

When It Rained Malunggay Leaves will premiere this September at Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong, as part of Sine Kabataan 2025 and the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino showcase — offering audiences a heartfelt glimpse into the quiet and complicated process of healing and coming home.