THE QCINEMA International Film Festival returns to cinemas for 12 yearse year, with new sections and programs expanding the reach.
With the theme ‘The Gaze’, festival organizers invite audiences to explore diverse perspectives and new ways of seeing the world. film. The festival runs from November 8 to 17 and will feature 77 films fiLMS over 11 sections.
Founded in 2013, QCinema launched the first-ever Directors’ Factory Philippines this year in partnership with Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. The initiative allowed four filmmakers from the Philippines and four from other Asian countries to collaborate and create films that will premiere at the festival.
These four films form the opening evening program on November 8: Walay Balay by Eve Baswel (Philippines) and Gogularaajan Rajendran (Malaysia); Night birds by Maria Estela Paiso (Philippines) and Ashok Vish (India); Silig by Arvin Belarmino (Philippines) and Lomorpich Rithy (Cambodia); And Cold cut by Don Eblahan (Philippines) and Tan Siyou (Singapore).
“QCinema can be the first wedge that helps us break the glass ceiling of world cinema and create a path to global recognition and respect,” Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said at a press conference on October 22.
“This vision of QCinema is now a work in progress and is a major factor why Quezon City hopes to be designated as a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Creative City for Film. If that happens, our city will be the first in Asia to receive such a special honor,” Ms. Belmonte added.
The closing film on November 17 is Japan’s entry for the 2024 Academy Awards. Cloud by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, which previously premiered at the Venice International Film Festival.
ASIAN NEXT WAVE
QCinema’s premier competition section, Asian Next Wave, showcases seven directorial debuts from Asian filmmakers.
This year there are three female directors on the line-up: Don’t cry butterfly from Vietnamese filmmaker Duong Dieu Linh, winner of the Venice Critics’ Week grand prize; Pierce from Singaporean filmmaker Nelicia Low, who won Best Director at the recent Karlovy Vary Crystal Globe Competition; And Mistress Expellera documentary by Hong Kong filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, winner of the NETPAC Prize for Best Asian Film in Venice.
Other debuts in the competition include Happy ending from US-based Japanese director Neo Sora, which also recently premiered in Venice; Story of the country from Indonesian director Loeloe Hendra Komara, winner of the Fipresci Prize last month in Busan; And Vietnam and Nam by Vietnamese director Truong Minh Quy, from Cannes’ Un Certain Regard.
The Filipino filmmaker participating in this section is Bor Ocampo, with Money grabwhich will have its world premiere at the festival.
SHORT FILMS
Another competition component is the short program. Last year it was split into QCShorts for local films that received production subsidies, and QCSEA, for local and Southeast Asian films that had already premiered elsewhere.
This year QCShorts International combines the two. It includes films from across Southeast Asia, with six Filipino short film grantees competing against the region’s best.
The local films are 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 Southeast Asia are: Are we still friends? by Al Ridwan (Indonesia); Here we are by Chanasorn Chaikitiporn (Thailand); In the name of love I will punish you by Exsell Rabbani (Indonesia); Peaceland by Ekin Kee Charles (Malaysia); Saigon kiss by HOng Anh Nguyễn (Vietnam); And WASHH by Mickey Lai (Malaysia).
NEW COMPETITION SECTIONS
QCinema festival director Ed Lejano said the two expanded competition sections will be joined by RainbowQC and New Horizons, which were previously just exhibition sections, to “flex in our region of Southeast Asia.”
“We now have separate programmers for short films. We are really fully loaded and doing what other big film festivals like Busan do, but in our own way, here in Quezon City,” shared Mr. Lejano. Business world.
RainbowQC celebrates LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, plus) films and presents diverse stories of identity, love and community with bold and authentic voices from queer cinema around the world.
The films include three nominees for the Cannes Queer Palm: Baby by Marcelo Caetano, The balconies by Noémie Merlant, and My sunshineby Hiroshi Okuyama. Two other titles round out this competition: Pooja, sir by Deepak Rauniyar, and Sebastian by Mikko Mäkelä.
New Horizons presents groundbreaking debut films from new directors: Blue Sun Palace by Constance Tsang, winner of the French Touch Prize at Cannes Critics’ Week; Cu Li never cries by PhAm NgOc Lân, which won best feature film in Berlin; Santosh by Sandhya Suri from Un Certain Regard from Cannes; The big notes by Ingrid Pokropek, selected at the Berlin Film Festival; And Toxic by Saulė Bliuvaitė, who won a Golden Leopard of Locarno.
“We are really spreading our wings to embrace all filmmakers, whether they are documentaries or short films,” Mr. Lejano added.
EXHIBITION SECTIONS
Cinephiles also look forward to QCinema’s non-competitive sections, which give them the chance to discover titles that rarely see theatrical releases in the country.
One of these sections is Screen International, where the films of 10 world-famous directors are shown. Two of these are recent titles from the San Sebastian Film Festival: Spanish documentary Afternoons of solitude by Albert Serra, which won Best Film, and French film When autumn comes by François Ozon, which won the prize for best screenplay.
The section also features Cannes winners: India’s Everything we imagine as light by Payal Kapadia (Grand Prix); Portugal’s Great tour by Miguel Gomes (best director); Argentina Simon van de Berg by Federico Luis (Critics Week Grand Prize); and the US’ Anora by Sean Baker (Palm d’Or).
The line-up is completed by Lav Diaz’ Phantasmia which premiered in Venice, The end by Joshua Oppenheimer, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre de la Patellièr and Matthieu Delaporte, and winner of the Golden Lion of Venice The room next door by Pedro Almodovar.
The brand new QCLokal section of the festival will showcase Filipino talents.
To be shown in the section Room in a crowd by John Torres, with a special live sound performance and stitched together footage of the lockdown; And Makamisa: Fantasy of revenge by Khavn, which won best feature film in Lausanne, and was inspired by José Rizal’s unfinished third novel.
The Shorts Expo also takes place at the festival, 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, Yung Huling swimming reunion before life happens by Glenn Barit, and the Southeast Asian premiere of Invisible labor by Joanne Cesario.
SPECIAL EXAMPLES AND MORE
The films shown in the Special Screenings section are by Dominic Baekart A messageKaung Zans If my love was a flowerHanz Florentinos A thousand forestsand Bryan Brazil’s controversial documentary Lost Sabungeros.
Regarding the latter film, Mr. Lejano told the press that “there is a context for everything that the festival puts out.”
“Whether it’s a provocative LGBTQIA+ film or an investigative journalism type documentary, QCinema will always be a safe place for it,” he said. “We can do whatever we want because there is no censorship. We classify our own films. I think this is the way it should be for all festivals in the Philippines.”
Another section that you should definitely check out and which welcomes films with fantastic, action-packed or erotic themes is Before Midnight. The section shows: Motel Destino by Karim Aïnouz, Viewer by Ryan J. Sloan, Endless summer by Miguel Llansó, A Samurai in time by Junichi Yasuda, and The wailing by Pedro Martin Calero.
The Rediscovery section, previously called the Restored Classics section, is expected to draw a large crowd. to be seen this year Delicatessen by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro; Cannes-winning and Oscar-nominated Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos, and the last epic by Akira Kurosawa, Ran.
This year there will also be a section dedicated to contemporary Italian cinema Diabolic by Antonio and Marco Manetti, Io Capitano by Matteo Garrone, Kidnapped: The kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara by Marco Bellocchio, My summer with Irene by Carlo Sironi, La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher, and Palazzina Laf by Michele Riondino.
Finally, QCinema Selects presents a special selection of striking films from around the world. The line-up consists of: Ghost cat Anzu by Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita; No other country by Rachel Szor, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal and Basel Adra; Shahid by Narges Kalhor; Sujo by Fernanda Valadez and Astrid Rondero; The sparrow in the chimney by Ramon Zürcher; And Twilight of the Warriors: Walled from Soi Cheang.
The screenings will take place at the Gateway Mall, Trinoma, Shangri-la Plaza and Power Plant Mall cinemas. Regular tickets cost P300. Visit the website for more information about QCinema qcinema.ph or follow the social media accounts – www.facebook.com/QCinemaPH, twitter.com/QCinemaPH, And www.instagram.com/qcinemaph. – Brontë H. Lacsamana