WHEN IT RAINED MALUNGGAY LEAVES — A Sine Kabataan 2025 entry about generationaltrauma, starring Gabby Padilla and Tanya Gomez.

An intimate portrait of healing and inherited wounds, When It Rained Malunggay Leaves is set

to 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, emotionally stirring family drama.

The story follows Ariel (Gabby Padilla), who returns home for Undas to reconnect with her

mother, Anita (Tanya Gomez), after years of estrangement caused by a painful falling out. As

the two confront the silence and distance that have long stood between them, the film unfolds

into a gentle but powerful 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,” shares Cedrick.

“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 since 2017 for fun and with friends,

When It Rained Malunggay Leaves marks his official directorial debut — a film written in his

twenties, made 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 — the 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 tender glimpse into the quiet and complicated process of healing and

coming home.