Asian Next Wave

The QCinema merged two of its main categories into one, allowing foreign and local films to compete against each other. The three Filipino films competing this year were granted Php 1.5 million each to fund their production. 

• Babae at Baril by Rae Red, Philippines — A lowly saleswoman (Janine Gutierrez) ends up with a gun, leading to her empowerment and unpredictable consequences.
• Kaaway sa Sulod by Arnel Barbarona, Philippines — This  story of rebellion and reconciliation and of family versus principles follows Lieutenant Raiza Umali as she discovers the truth about herself and her country, leading her to a choice with fatal consequences.
• The Cleaners by Glenn Barit, Philippines — A coming of age film tells the story of a group of high school classroom cleaners using the imagery of brooms and dustpans against the cleaning up of the consequences of a man’s actions.
• Ave Maryam by Robby Ertanto, Indonesia — A priest and a nun enter a forbidden romance in the country of Indonesia.
• Nakorn-Sawan by Puangsoi Aksornsawang, Thailand — A hybrid film that merges a fictional story and documentary footage of real life, this film shows its viewers the pains of homecoming when a loved one dies and how the family are left to piece themselves back together.
• Fly By Night by Zahir Omar, Malaysia — A crime thriller, this film follows a low-key criminal who ends up involved in a major heist when his brother leaves a trail of destruction.
• The Long Walk by Mattie Do, Laos — Hoping to save his suffering mother, an old man travels back in time to correct the mistakes of the past.
• Suburban Birds by Sheng Qiu, China — A team of engineers are investigating an empty suburban area when one of them finds a diary, igniting their curiosity about the secrets of the group behind the diary.

QCShorts

Entries for the QCShorts received a production grant of Php 200,000 and run for a maximum of 20 minutes.

• Excuse Me, Miss, Miss by Sonny Calvento — A salesgirl discovers the ultimate secret to regularization.
• Here, Here by Joanne Cesario — A mining accident occurs, and a family tries to recover from it.
• Isang Daa’t Isang Mariposa by Norvin de los Santos — A centenarian uses all of her 100,000 government cash reward for one last chance at love.
• Judy Free by Jean Cheryl Tagyamon — This is the story of Judy, the daughter of an OFW who comes home as an animated doodle figure.
• SPID by Mervine Aquino and Alejo Barbaza — The world suffers from a virus that causes a slight delay of sight and sound.
• Tokwifi by Carla Pulido Ocampo — A rural man has to deal with a showbiz star who feel from the sky and was trapped in an old television.

DocQC

The Documentary Features this year include three documentaries already produced and were given Php 500,000 post-production grants.

• For My Alien Friend by Jet Leyco — A lone stranger decides to broadcast fragments of life from different time and space.
• A Is for Agustin by Grace Pimentel Simbulan — After being cheated out of his wages, a tribesman decides to enroll in school.
• Spring by the Sea by Aleia Garcia — An OFW rediscovers her home through the help of family.

Non-competitive documentary sections include these well-received Asian documentaries:

• The Future Cries Beneath Our Soil by Pham Thu Hang, Vietnam — Four men tries to live as they are stuck in the brink of war between in North and South Vietnam.
• Talking About Trees by Suhaib Gasmelbari, Sudan — Three filmmakers are living in exile, but they dream of making cinema a reality in the country of Sudan.
• Kabul, City in the Wind by Aboozar Amini, Afghanistan — This film portrays the city of Kabul that was ruined by the powers that be.

Screen International

The Screen International section features works from all over the world that we can enjoy right at the heart of Quezon City.

• Beanpole by Kantemir Balagov
• By the Grace of God by Francois Ozon
• Nina Wu by Midi Z
• Bacurau by Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles
• Frankie by Ira Sachs
• Synonyms by Nadav Lapid
• The Whistlers by Corneliu Porumboiu
• God Exists Her Name Is Petrunya by Teona Mitevska
• On A Magical Night by Christophe Honore
• High Life by Claire Denis

New Horizons

The New Horizons section includes films which have been recently released, either debuted first at the festival or those which are second features.

• Homeward by Nariman Aliev — A pair of father and son brings home the body of the elder son who died in the Russian-Ukraine war.
• System Crasher by Nora Fingscheidt — A nine-year-old girl, despite her petite appearance, is so wild and so dangerous people has dubbed her system crasher.
• Bouyancy by Rodd Rathjen — A fourteen-year-old boy leaves home to find a better life, but he ends up becoming a slave in a fishing trawler.
• Chola by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan — Two teenagers leaves home to head to the city, amazed at all the glitz and glamour, but awful things start to happen.
• The Bare Necessity by Erwan Du Luc —  A stranger bursts into the enchanting yet boring life of a man, jolting the life of his family.
• The Red Phallus by Tashi Gyeltshen — A teenager becomes at odds with his father who is a craftsman of wooden phalluses.

RainbowQC

RainbowQC features films centering on characters who are members the LGBTQ spectrum.

• Jose by Li Cheng
• Song Lang by Leon Le
• Port Authority by Danielle Lessovitz
• Where We Belong by Kongdej Jaturanrasamee
• And Then We Danced by Levan Akin
• Brief Story from the Green Planet by Santiago Loza

Centennial Classics

QCinema pays homage to the 100 years of Philippine cinema as they feature these Centennial Classics.

• Biyaya ng Lupa by Manuel Silos
• Malvarosa by Gregorio Fernandez
• Insiang by Lino Brocka
• Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag by Lino Brocka
• Noli Me Tangere by Gerardo de Leon
• Tisoy by Ishmael Bernal

SUB

Viva Classics celebrates the movies produced by Viva Films that contributed much for the Philippine cinema. Viva Films Founder Vicente “Vic” del Rosario has also been awarded with a special Lifetime Achievement Award.

• Bituing Walang Ningning by Emmanuel Borlaza
• Scorpio Nights 2 by Erik Matti
• Working Girls by Ishmael Bernal

Special Screenings of the following films will also be part of the QCinema festival: Lingua Franca by Isabel Sandoval; Dogs Don’t Wear Pants by J. P. Valkeapaa; Top End Wedding by Wayne Blair; No Data Plan Miko Revereza; The Cave by Tom Waller; Krabi, 2562 by Ben Rivers and Anocha Suwichakompong; A Girl Missing by Koji Fukada; and Vitalina Varela by Pedro Costa.

What’s on your watch list this week? Tell us below!