MANILA, Philippines?Weeks before its launch, there was speculation that the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival would have to move out of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), its home for the past five years.

In an exclusive interview, Tonyboy Cojuangco, chair of the Cinemalaya Foundation, addressed the rumor: ?Hopefully we can stay with the CCP. We made alternative plans just in case. But Noynoy won.?

Cojuangco is the second cousin of President Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III and is the top contributor to his campaign.

?We?re happy,? agreed Nes Jardin, Cinemalaya Foundation president. ?The current CCP president Isabel Caro-Wilson and vice president and artistic director Raul Sunico are supportive of Cinemalaya. They appreciate the festival?s value vis-à-vis the film industry.?

That was exactly why they set up a foundation for the festival, to shield it from political upheavals.

?This is a successful event for the CCP,? said Cojuangco. ?We are confident that, should CCP stop supporting us, we will find other venues.?

?The Cinemalaya Foundation, Econolink Investments, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the CCP and UP have worked together from the start,? said Jardin. ?But the bigger issue is: If the fest expands, do we need to find additional venues outside of the CCP??

On its sixth year, the digital fest has grown considerably, while maintaining its indie spirit, said Cojuangco. ?Our hope is for mainstream and indie to merge and we?ll be able to produce films that will attract worldwide attention?like India, Japan and Korea.?

Cinemalaya has expanded to include a competition for ?experienced filmmakers,? apart from the usual contests for shorts and features by newcomers.

Cinemalaya has also added a Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) competition for Philippine premieres and a Kids? Treats section in recent years.

This year, Cinemalaya is presenting a retrospective of classics produced by LVN Pictures and Ani: A Harvest of the Year?s Best. ?I?m excited to watch. There?s even a film starring Fernando Poe Jr. and Charito Solis (LVN?s ?Sandata at Pangako?),? said Cojuangco.

?These films were digitally enhanced by LVN?s Mike de Leon and have not been previously released on DVD,? said Jardin.

The other LVN titles in the retro are ?Aladin,? ?Victory Joe,? ?Sumpaan,? ?Higit sa Lahat,? ?Kundiman ng Lahi,? ?Nukso ng Nukso,? ?Haring Kobra? and ?Kung Ako?y Mahal Mo.?

?Ani,? Jardin explained, is a collection of the best indie titles of the past 12 months.

Also in the works is a section dubbed ?Midnight Passions,? which will feature films with adult themes. ?It?s not necessarily limited to gay or erotic films. It can be about violence,? said Jardin. ?We noticed that there are a lot of quality movies that aren?t shown in commercial theaters because of the subject matter. But our primary consideration is artistic merit.?

Precisely because of its varied, mature content, Cinemalaya needs to stay in a censorship-free home, said Jardin.