Welcome to the Film City! The QCinema International Film Festival opens its doors for its 13th edition, celebrating the vital role of Quezon City in Philippine cinema. With massive film selections and events, this year’s QCinema is holding multiple events in different locations, making waves all over the city
The festival lineup includes acclaimed international films, opening with Alive Winocour’s Couture starring Angeline Jolie, with titles from different countries such as Summer’s Camera by Divine Sung (South Korea), Blue Heron by Sophy Romvarie (Canada, Hungary, USA), Divine Comedy by Ali Asgari (Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey), and Once Upon a Time in Gaza by Tarzan and Arab Nasser (Palestine, France).
QCinema is also hosting several competitions, including Asian Next Wave, RainbowQC, New Horizons, and QCShorts International; as well as different exhibition sections, including Screen International, Before Midnight, Rediscovery, and QC Selects.
Check out the films per category below.
Asian Next Wave
Diamond in the Sand by Janus Victoria (Japan, Malaysia, Philippines)
Family Matters by Ke-yin Pan (Taiwan)
Ky Nam Inn by Leon Le (Vietnam)
Lost Land by Akio Fujimoto (Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany)
Luz by Flora Lau (France, Hong Kong, China)
Open Endings by Nigel Santos (Philippines)
Renoir Chie Hayakawa (Japan, France, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia)
A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany)
The World of Love by Yoon Ga-eun (South Korea)
RainbowQC
3670 by Park Joon-ho (South Korea)
Bel Ami by Jun Geng (France)
The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi (France, Germany)
The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes (Chile, France, Spain, Belgium, Germany)
On the Road by David Pablos (Mexico)
Skin of Youth by Ash Mayfair (Vietnam, Singapore, USA, Japan)
Strange River by Jaume Claret Muxart (Germany, Spain)
Summer’s Camera by Sung Divine (South Korea)
New Horizons
Amoeba by Siyou Tan (Singapore, Netherlands, Spain, France, South Korea)
Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari (Canada, Hungary, USA)
Brand New Landscape by Yuiga Danzuka (Japan)
The Chronology of Water by Kristen Stewart (USA, Latvia, France)
DJ Ahmet by Georgi M. Unkovski (North Macedonia, Czechia, Serbia, Croatia)
Lucky Lu by Lloyd Lee Choi (USA, Canada)
Manas by Marianna Brennand Fortes (Brazil, Portugal, France, Belgium)
On Your Lap by Reza Rahadian (Indonesia, Saudi Arabia)
The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi (USA)
QCShorts International: Program 1 – This Vast Artifice
As if to Nothing by Pek Jia Hao & Ang Jia Jun (Singapore)
Honey, My Love, So Sweet by JT Trinidad (Philippines)
Please P(r)ay Attention by Vasupol Suwanjuta (Thailand)
Surface Tension by The Serrano Sisters (Philippines)
Yelo by Gab Rosique (Philippines)
QCShorts International: Program 2 – The Center Cannot Hold
A Metamorphosis by Lin Htet Aung (Myanmar)
Hoy, Hoy, Ingat! by Norvin de los Santos (Philippines)
Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nag Daba-Daba by Dale (Philippines)
Vox Humana by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan (Philippines, USA, Singapore)
When the Blues Goes Marching In by Beny Kristia (Indonesia)
QCShorts International: Program 3 – This Is Where I Leave You
Agapito by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero (Philippines, France)
Before the Sea Forgets by Lê Ngoc Duy (Singapore)
Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea (Cambodia, France, USA)
Sammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts by Rein Maychaelson (Indonesia)
Visiting Heaven Gate by Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang (Vietnam, Czech Republic)
QCShorts International: Program 4 – We Were Once Small Things
Baby Fat by Margarita Mina (Philippines, USA)
In the Valley by Lim Han Loong (Malaysia)
Little Rebels Cinema Club by Khozy Rizal (Indonesia)
My Plastic Mother by Amar Haikal (Indonesia)
Ours Was A Timeless Night Burning by Lauviah Caliboso (Philippines)
RUNO! by Racquel “Lysa” Catolico and Jazmine Gin Pateña (Philippines)
The festival will also highlight the QCShorts Expo Program, featuring some of the best films made outside Southeast Asia from emerging filmmakers, which is divided into two programs: Unthinkable Atrocities and Unhealthy Fixations; Before Midnight, an exhibition of supernatural-themed films that explore fantasy; and QC Selects, which includes handpicked films and documentaries like Rediscovery, Focus on Sandra Hüller, and Dokyu Days.
QCinema’s 13th edition promises more diversity and representation in vibrant storytelling and films with depth, as it champions more films around the world. Catch the film festival from November 14 to November 23 in participating cinemas like Gateway, Eastwood, Trinoma, Fisher Mall, Cloverleaf, at Robinsons Galleria. Know more about the film festival here.
Which film are you excited to see at QCinema? Let us know in the comments below!