A documentary film on viral social media sensation Stella Salle took home two major awards from the UP Pride Film Festival 2025: Cine LagabLove last October 20 at the UP Film Institute Cine Adarna.
“NOMO KWEEN: The Last Woman Standing” bagged the Best Director prize for Far Eastern University student filmmaker LA Oraza and Best Editing for Gcay Reyes from the film festival, which celebrates stories of identity, resistance, and pride through the powerful lens of queer experiences.
The film offers a complex and unfiltered look into the life of trans influencer Stella Salle, known for her “late-night doomscrolling sessions – half-drunk, full of attitude, and always unapologetically herself,” revealing a story of grief, survival, and loud, unfiltered living amid all the viral chaos.
“To be seen is one thing, but to be heard and recognized is another. This goes to all the people in the community who always have stories to be told that most people tend to overlook as if they are living in the shadows of this heteronormative society,” Oraza said after winning the award.
Oraza explained that the documentary, which was written by fellow FEU Communication students Yel Pimentel and Renz Dotillos, steps away from the typical redemption narrative, as it is not a project meant to “sanitize or rebrand Stella Salle’s public image.”
“As the director of this film and a transwoman myself, it has always been my anchor in making this documentary. And for Stella, she’s always been the embodiment of what and who should be a woman in this society — those people who are trying to fit in and making themselves palatable in supposed places that make them feel safe and comfortable,” the young queer filmmaker added.
The festival, which was organized by UP Pride, UP Cinema, and UPFI, had its theme inspired by the imagery of fire, symbolizing the passion and resilience of the queer community in their fight for equality.
The event also featured eight other films exploring queer love, identity, and resistance: “Isang Jeep Pa” (Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Performance for Junard Estrada), “I Love You, But I’m Ugly” (Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Performance for Alejandro Batiancila, Jr.), “Halikana” (Cine Lagablove Special Award and Best Sound Design), “Complete Control” (co-winner of Best Sound Design), “Behind the Golden Curtain,” “Lost and Found,” “Sa Mayo Ikaw ay Babalik,” and “Tahan.”
Produced by Chroma Films, Dekada ’90 Films, Cai Creatives, and Hundred Digits, “NOMO KWEEN” was originally submitted as a final requirement for the Documentary Production class under professorial lecturer Seymour Sanchez.
The film has previously won second runner-up and Best Editing at the 3rd TamDokyu Fest, a festival of documentary storytelling by Communication students from FEU’s Documentary Production classes.
In addition, the documentary was selected as a finalist in the 37th Gawad Alternatibo, the country’s longest-running independent film competition, organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
“Winning Best Director Award is more than just a recognition, it is a testament that this kind of story is worth sharing to everyone. I carry it with my whole production crew, those people who support it, and, of course, the rainbow community,” Oraza concluded.
