QCinema International Film Festival returns with The look as a theme, inviting the audience to explore different perspectives through film. From the male and female gaze to new ways of seeing the world, this year’s festival will showcase 77 titles, including 22 short films and 55 feature films, spread across 11 sections.
With a mix of Asian competition films, world cinema, genre pieces and arthouse gems. The look offers a rich and immersive experience that opens up new insights into politics, gender, race and more.
The kick-off of the 12th edition of QCinema is Directors Factory Philippinesan exciting omnibus film project made in collaboration with Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. This groundbreaking initiative features the work of four filmmakers from the partner country and four from other countries.
This year Directors Factory Philippines contains four films: Walay Balaydirected by Eve Baswel (Philippines) and Gogularaajan Rajendran (Malaysia); Night birdsdirected by Maria Estela Paiso (Philippines) and Ashok Vish (India); Siligdirected by Arvin Belarmino (Philippines) and Lomorpich Rithy (Cambodia); And Cold cutdirected by Don Eblahan (Philippines) and Tan Siyou (Singapore).
QCinema 2024 concludes with Cloud by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa. premiered out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Cloud has received international attention and was selected as Japan’s Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Competition sections
QCinema 2024 will feature two main competition sections: Asian next wave And QCShorts International. This year, QCshorts has expanded to include films from across Southeast Asia, with six Filipino short film grantees competing against the region’s best.
The Asian Next Wave Competitionn showcases some of the most exciting films from emerging Asian filmmakers, each at the beginning of their storytelling careers.
The line-up includes films by three debuting female directors: Don’t cry butterfly Through Dương Diệu Linh (Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore), Grand Prize winner at Venice Critics’ Week; Pierce by Nelicia Low (Taiwan, Poland, Singapore), Best Director at the recent Karlovy Vary Crystal Globe Competition; and has its Asian premiere, Mistress Expellera feature documentary by Elizabeth Lo (China, USA), winner of the NETPAC Prize for Best Asian Film in Venice.
Four other debuts include Happy ending from Neo Sora (Singapore, UK, US), which also recently premiered in Venice; Story of the country by Loeloe Hendra (Indonesia, Philippines, Qatar, Taiwan), winner of last month’s Fipresci Prize in Busan; Vietnam and Nam by Truong Minh Quy (Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, USA), from Cannes’ Un Certain Regard; and finally it has its world premiere Money grab by Bor Ocampo (Philippines).
Compete in QCShorts International Alaga by Nicole Rosacay, Kinakausap ni Celso and Diyos by Gilb Baldoza, Omission by Joseph Dominic Cruz, DISASTER! (oh ang parada) by Kukay Bautista Zinampan, Supermassive celestial body by Sam Villa-Real, and Water sports by Whammy Alcazaren from the Philippines.
They are joined from Southeast Asia Are we still friends? by Al Ridwan (Indonesia); Here we are from Chanasorn Chaikitiporn (Thailand), which had its international premiere at the Berlinale: Forum Expanded; In the name of love I will punish you from Exsell Rabbani (Indonesia), which had its world premiere at the Fantasia Film Festival; Peaceland by Ekin Kee Charles (Malaysia); Saigon kiss from Hồng Anh Nguyễn (Vietnam/Australia/Germany), who received the Special Mention: Queer métrage Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival; and Locarno-winning WASHH by Mickey Lai (Malaysia/Ireland).
For this year’s edition, RainbowQC And New horizons both international competition sections now fall under the Special Critics Prize awards, with their respective juries.
RainbowQC continues to celebrate LGBTQIA+ films and present diverse stories of identity, love and community with bold and authentic voices from queer cinema around the world. New Horizons presents groundbreaking debut films from visionary new directors.
RainbowQC includes three Cannes Queer Palm nominees: Baby by Marcelo Caetano, from the Week of the Critics; The balconies by Noémie Merlant, from Midnight Screenings; And My sunshineby Hiroshi Okuyama, from Un Certain Regard. Two other titles round out this competition: Pooja, sir by Deepak Rauniyar from Venice Orizzonti, and Sebastian by Mikko Mäkelä from this year’s Sundance World Dramatic Competition.
The New horizons section includes Blue Sun Palace by Constance Tsang, winner of the French Touch Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week; Cu Li never cries from Phạm Ngọc Lân, which won best feature film in Berlin this year; Santosh by Sandhya Suri from Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, the British entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards; The big notes by Ingrid Pokropek, selected for the Generation Kplus section at the 74th Berlin Film Festival; And Toxic by Saulė Bliuvaitė, who won the Golden Leopard of Locarno this year.
Exhibition sections
The highly anticipated section of QCinema 2024, Screen International, showcases 10 films from world-renowned directors, each celebrated for their distinctive styles and critically acclaimed works.
This year’s line-up includes two very recent titles from the San Sebastian Film Festival – Afternoons of solitude by Albert Serra, a documentary film that won three awards, including Best Film, and When autumn comes by François Ozon, which won Best Screenplay.
Four of the big winners come from Cannes: Everything we imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia, the first Indian film in decades to compete in the premier competition at Cannes, where it won the Grand Prix; the winner of the Best Director Award, Big Tour by Miguel Gomes, the Portuguese entry for the 97th Academy Awards; Winner of the Grand Prize of the Critics’ Week section, Simon van de Berg by Federico Luis; and the Palme d’Or winner, Anora by Sean Baker, touted as a strong Oscar contender.
Fresh off the world premieres in Venice, Pinoy author Lav Diaz emerges from his out-of-competition berth Phantasmia; The End, a musical fantasy by Joshua Oppenheimer; The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre de la Patellièr and Matthieu Delaporte, the most expensive French film of 2024; and the winner of the Golden Lion of Venice, The room next door by Pedro Almodovar.
QCinema also introduces exciting new sections to its range: QCLocalhighlighting local Filipino talents; Rediscoverythat brings classic films back to the big screen; Contemporary Italian cinemashowcasing the best of modern Italian cinema; And QCinema selectsa curated selection of striking films from around the world.
The QCLocal section includes Room in a crowd by John Torres, with a special live sound performance and stitched together footage of the lockdown, and Rizal’s Makamisa: Fantasy of revenge by Khavn, which recently won best feature at the Lausanne Underground Film and Music Festival, inspired by José Rizal’s unfinished third novel.
It will also be the Shorts exhibition, which presents five world premieres of notable short films such as Brownout capital by Pabelle Manikan, Forgot Clara by Nicole Matti, Can Puso ba ang Manika? by Shiri de León, Objects do not randomly fall from the sky by Maria Estela Paiso, en Yung Huling swimming reunion before life happens by Glenn Barit, and the Southeast Asian premiere of Invisible labor by Joanne Cesario.
The Rediscovery section includes lineup Delicatessen by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro; Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos, which won the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards; And Ran by Akira Kurosawa, his final epic and widely regarded as one of the best films ever made.
Contemporary Italian cinema takes center stage with a compelling series of films that showcase the best of modern Italian storytelling. Antonio and Marco Manetti will take us Diabolicwhile Matteo Garrone presents Io Capitano. by Marco Bellocchio Kidnapped: The kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara delves into historical drama, and that of Carlo Sironi My summer with Irene offers a fascinating summer story. Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera and that of Michele Riondino Palazzina Laf complete this exceptional selection, which showcases the brilliance of Italian and European film production.
QCinema selects includes Ghost cat Anzu by Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita, QCinema’s first anime film, which premiered at Cannes and won the Audience Award at the Fantasia Film Festival; No other country by Rachel Szor, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal and Basel Adra, winner of the Panorama Audience Award at the Berlin International Film Festival; Shahid from Narges Kalhor, a feature debut that won two awards in Berlin; Sujo by Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero, who won the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance; The sparrow in the chimney by Ramon Zürcher, premiered in Locarno; And Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled from Soi Cheang, one of Hong Kong’s highest-grossing films and the official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Other favorite sections are making a comeback at QCinema 2024. Back in the day Midnight section spans genres and delves into the fantastic, erotic action thrillers and all for late night chills and thrills. Finally, Special Screenings offer exclusive, must-see films for a truly unique movie experience.
The Before midnight section includes Motel Destino by Karim Aïnouz, who won both the Palme d’Or and the Queer Palm at the 77th Cannes Film Festival; Viewer by Ryan J. Sloan, a self-financed debut that had its world premiere at Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes; Endless summer by Miguel Llansó, which premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival; A Samurai in time by Junichi Yasuda, winner of the Audience Award for Best Asian Feature Film at Fantasia; And The wailing by Pedro Martin-Calero, which premiered in the official competition at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
The Special screenings section includes A message by Dominic Baekart, If my beloved were a flower by Kaung Zan, The Marching Band by Emmanuel Courcol, A Thousand Forests by Hanz Florentino and Lost Sabungeros by Bryan Brazil. Each film presents its own story and adds depth and variety to the festival’s rich program.
The festival will take place from November 8 to 17 at Gateway Cineplex 18, Ayala Malls Cinema in Trinoma, Red Carpet in Shangri-la Plaza and Powerplant Mall.
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