Docu-film ‘Alipato at Muog’ wins Best Picture at Gawad Urian 2025

Metro Manila, Philippines - “Alipato at Muog,” a documentary film about the search for farmer-activist Jonas Burgos who went missing in 2007, was hailed the Best Picture at the 48th Gawad Urian.

“Alipato at Muog” also won the Best Editing and Best Documentary citations, the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino announced during the awards night on Saturday, Oct. 11.

JL Burgos, the film’s director and the brother of the activist, said the award recognizes the stories of rights violations and struggles of activists for land rights and justice.

“Hindi na panahon ngayon na tumahimik at mag-dilly-dally. Panahon ngayon para kumilos,” Burgos said in his acceptance speech.

“Ang lahat ng ninakaw sa atin — ninakaw sa aming mga kaanak ng mga desaparecidos, ang ninakaw ng pera ng bayan — ang lahat ng nagnanakaw hanggang sa kasulukuyan ay mananagot,” he said.

[Translation: Now is not the time to be silent and to dilly-dally. We should act. All that was stolen from us — stolen from the families of those victims of enforced disappearances, stolen from state coffers — and all those stealing until now will be held accountable.]

In 2024, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board initially gave the documentary an X-rating, explaining that it “tends to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government or duly-constituted authorities.”

The board then reclassified it to R-16 after protests and Burgos’ appeal, allowing it to be released in Philippine cinemas.

Here are the other winners in this year’s Gawad Urian Awards.

Best Direction - “Tumandok”

Best Screenplay - “Tumandok”

Best Actress - Arisa Nakano, “Kono Basho”

Best Actor - Dennis Trillo, “Green Bones”

Best Supporting Actress - Kakki Teodoro, “Isang Himala”

Best Supporting Actor - Felipe Ganancial, “Tumandok”

Best Production Design - “Green Bones”

Best Cinematography - “Kono Basho”

Best Music - “Tumandok”

Best Sound - “The Hearing”

Best Short Film - Kyd Torato’s “Bisan Abo, Wala Bilin (Even Ashes, Nothing Remains)”