Once axed from local film fest, West PH Sea docu wins big in New Zealand

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Voyage Studios dedicates the Baby Ruth Villarama-directed documentary's win to 'every Filipino defending the West Philippine Sea'

MANILA, Philippines – Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea brought home the Tides of Change award during the Doc Edge Festival in Auckland, New Zealand on Thursday, July 3.

“This is for every Filipino defending the West Philippine Sea. In the face of silence and fear, we carry the truth and now the world hears us. The journey has just begun. May more people see our fight,” Voyage Studios wrote.

Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea Commodore Jay Tarriela celebrated the news on X — congratulating the documentary’s director Baby Ruth Villarama and Voyage Studios, the film studio that had worked on the film.

Screenshot from Jay Tarriela’s X

Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea had earlier been pulled from Puregold Cinepanalo 2025 just two days before the local film festival was set to open on March 14. It would have been one of the eight feature films headlining Cinepanalo.

“We had poured so much into this project since last year, and it felt like we were so close to sharing something truly meaningful. For them it’s just a small film, but for us, it’s our life and the lives of those we magnified,” Villarama earlier told Rappler in March, speaking about the documentary’s removal.

Food Delivery: Fresh from the West Philippine Sea follows the struggles of Filipino fisherfolk, the Philippine Coast Guard, as well as some Navy personnel, in delivering food and aid to communities, all while defending the tensions that arise in the waters.

It also highlights the journey of brave fisherman Arnel Satam, who had been tailed by the China Coast Guard near Scarborough Shoal.

Doc Edge Festival had referred to the documentary as “a banned film that must be seen.”

The Doc Edge Festival is an Oscar-qualifying film festival that was established in 2005. For 20 years, it has dedicated itself to spotlighting excellence in documentary storytelling. – Rappler.com