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Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

Following the sudden death of his sister-in-law, Thien (Le Phong Vu) travels to the jungles of rural Vietnam in search of a long-lost brother. What follows is a journey of spiritual discovery through the mystical landscape of his nation. In long, fluid takes, Thien Am Pham’s debut feature creates a meditative, at times hallucinatory space that examines our relationship with death and the afterlife.

Kasunod ng biglaang pagkamatay ng kanyang hipag, si Thien (Le Phong Vu) ay naglakbay sa mga kagubatan ng Vietnam upang mahanap ang kanyang kapatid na matagal nang nawawala. Abng sumunod ay paglalakbay na espirituwal na dumadaan sa mystical landscape ng kanyang bansa. Gamit ang mga mahahabang, tuloy-tuloy na takes, gumagawa si Thien Am Pham ng isang mapagnilay-nilay, kung minsan ay hallucinatory na space na sumusuri sa ating relasyon sa kamatayan at sa kabilang buhay.

Love is a Gun

Sweet Potato (Lee Hong-chi) spent some years in prison for working for a syndicate. He’s trying to go straight, but his past keeps catching up with him, trying to draw him back into a violent life. Lee Hong-chi, known for his work in acting, makes his feature film writing and directing debut with a sensitive portrait of directionless youth in Taiwan, exploring the life of a young man who wants to find a better life for himself, but is unable to find the opportunities to do so.

Si Sweet Potato (Lee Hong-chi) ay gumugol ng ilang taon sa bilangguan dahil sa pagtatrabaho sa isang sindikato. Sinusubukan niyang dumiretso, ngunit ang kanyang nakaraan ay patuloy na sumusunod sa kanya, at pinipilit siyang bumalik sa karahasan. Si Lee Hong-chi, na kilala sa kanyangpag-arte, ay gumawa ng kanyang feature film writing at directing debut sa isang sensitibong larawan ng mga kabataang walang direksyon sa Taiwan. Sinusundan niya ang isang binata na gustong makahanap ng mas magandang buhay para sa kanyang sarili, ngunit hindi magawa dahil sa kakulangan ng mga oportunidad para makabawi.

Gitling

Jamie (Gabby Padilla) is hired to be a translator for filmmaker Makoto (Ken Yamamura) for a film festival in Bacolod. The two become friends, bonding over stories of heartbreak, and a language that Jamie made up. Jopy Arnaldo parses the way people communicate with each other, and the things that people don’t say. The film uses subtitles in novel ways, expressing what is unsaid between characters that cannot express what they are really feeling.

Si Jamie (Gabby Padilla) ay kinuha para maging translator ng filmmaker na si Makoto (Ken Yamamura) para sa isang film festival sa Bacolod. Naging magkaibigan ang dalawa, nagbubuklod sa mga kwento ng dalamhati, at isang wika na inimbento ni Jamie. Pinuri ni Jopy Arnaldo ang mga paraan ng pakikipag-usap ng mga tao sa isa’t isa, at ang mga bagay na kayang sabihin ng mga tao. Gumagamit ang pelikula ng mga subtitle sa makabagong paraan, nagpapahayag kung ano ang hindi sinasabi sa pagitan ng mga karakter na hindi maipahayag kung ano talaga ang kanilang nararamdaman.

Women From Rote Island

In the Southernmost island of Indonesia, Orpha (Merlinda Dessy Adoe) awaits the return of her daughter Martha (Irma Novita Rihi), so that she may finally bury her husband in accordance with local tradition. Martha has been working in Sabah at a palm oil plantation, and is carrying a traumatic burden with her; one that Orpha knows all too well. With a naturalistic approach that highlights the beauty of their rural surroundings, Nyangoen, in his promising debut, brings attention to the plight of women who are simply never seen; too far removed from the public eye to be a part of the greater movement toward gender equality.

Sa pinakatimog na isla ng Indonesia, hinihintay ni Orpha (Merlinda Dessy Adoe) ang pagbabalik ng kanyang anak na si Martha (Irma Novita Rihi), upang tuluyan na niyang mailibing ang kanyang asawa alinsunod sa lokal na tradisyon. Si Martha ay nagtatrabaho sa Sabah sa isang plantasyon ng palm oil, at nagdadala ng isang traumatikong pasanin sa kanya; isa na kilalang-kilala ni Orpha. Sa pamamagitan ng naturalistic na diskarte na nagha-highlight sa kagandahan ng kanilang rural na kapaligiran, si Nyangoen, sa kanyang debut, ay nagdudulot ng pansin sa kalagayan ng mga kababaihan na hindi kailanman nakikita; masyadong malayo sa mata ng publiko para maging bahagi ng mas malaking kilusan tungo sa pagkakapantay-pantay ng kasarian.

Scrapper

12 year-old Georgie (Lola Campbell) has managed to survive on her own after her mother died, using her wits and the help of her neighbors to fool authorities and keep her pantry stocked. But then one day, her absent father Jason (Harris Dickinson) shows up and makes it clear that he wants to be part of her life. A brazenly optimistic tale of life at the edges of UK society, Scrapper finds warmth and color in what from the outside only seems like tragedy.

Ang 12 taong gulang na si Georgie (Lola Campbell) ay namumuhay nang mag-isa pagkatapos mamatay ang kanyang ina, gamit ang kanyang talino at ang tulong ng kanyang mga kapitbahay para lokohin ang mga awtoridad at panatilihing may laman ang kanyang paminggalan. Ngunit isang araw, ang kanyang absent na ama na si Jason (Harris Dickinson) ay nagpakita at nilinaw na gusto niyang maging bahagi ng kanyang buhay. Ang Scrapper ay Isang optimistic na kuwento ng buhay sa gilid ng lipunan sa UK, na nakakahanap ng sigla at kulay sa mga elementong mala-trahedya.

Through the Night

Through the Night shifts between the perspective of a victim of sexual assault, her alleged assaulter, and the phone operator who took the call about the crime. As the investigation progresses, all three deal with the repercussions of the event, and are made to contemplate the role they want to play moving forward. Building on her Oscar nominated short film A Sister, Girard expands on the traumatic event, examining the ways in which the damage stays with the people involved.

Ang Through the NIght ay gumagalaw sa pagitan ng pananaw ng isang biktima ng sekswal na pag-atake, ang kanyang di-umano’y nang-atake, at ang operator na tumanggap ng tawag tungkol sa krimen. Habang nagpapatuloy ang pagsisiyasat, hinaharap ng tatlo ang mga epekto ng kaganapan, at ginawang pag-isipan ang papel na kailangan nilang gampanan. Batay sa kanyang Oscar-nominated na maikling pelikulang A Sister, pinalawak ni Girard ang traumatikong kaganapan, at sinusuri ang mga paraan kung paano nananatili ang pinsala sa mga taong sangkot.

Foremost By Night

Vera (Lola Dueñas) is in search of the son she once gave up for adoption. Cora (Ana Torrent), unable to have children, adopted a child years ago. Eighteen-year-old Egoz is unsettled when letters arrive from a woman claiming to be his mother. These three meet up in Portugal, where truths are laid bare about a dark chapter in Spanish history. Iriarte crafts a movie around an issue that rarely gets talked about, and delves into the damage done to the victims of a very shameful crime committed upon infants.

Hinahanap ni Vera (Lola Dueñas) ang anak na dati niyang pinaampon. Si Cora (Ana Torrent), hindi magkaanak, ay dating umampon ng isang bata. Hindi mapakali ang 18 taong gulang na si Egoz nang dumating ang ilang liham mula sa isang babaeng nagsasabing siya ang kanyang ina. Nagkita ang tatlong ito sa Portugal, kung saan inilalantad ang mga katotohanan tungkol sa isang madilim na kabanata sa kasaysayan ng Espanya. Si Iriarte ay gumawa ng isang pelikula tungkol sa isang isyu na bihirang mapag-usapan, at sinisiyasat ang pinsalang ginawa sa mga biktima ng isang krimen na ginawa sa mga sanggol.

City of Wind

Seventeen year-old Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene) has been training to be a shaman. 16 year-old Maralaa (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyambam) arrives seeking the help of his master, and for the first time, Ze experiences what it is to be young and in love. City of Wind is a snapshot of Mongolia in the present day: still immersed in mystical tradition, even as society moves forward into modernity.

Nagsasanay ang 17 taong gulang na si Ze (Tergel Bold-Erdene) upang maging isang shaman. Dumating ang 16 na taong gulang na si Maralaa (Nomin-Erdene Ariunbyambam) upang humingi ng tulong sa kanyang amo, at sa unang pagkakataon, naranasan ni Ze kung ano ang maging binata at umiibig. Ang City of Wind ay isang litrato ng Mongolia sa kasalukuyang panahon: nahuhulog pa rin sa mystical na tradisyon, kahit na ang lipunan ay sumusulong sa modernidad.

QCinema 2023 Restored Classics Section Unveiled

While QCinema is dedicated to screening the newest and most exciting films of the year, the festival also believes that there is room in the lineup for an appreciation of what has come before. So every year, the festival picks some of his favorite classic films, particularly ones that have recently gone under digital restoration, and makes them available for festival goers.

This year features a double bill of Wong Kar-wai films: his mirror image masterpieces Chungking Express and Fallen Angels. While Chungking Express plays out the loneliness of Hong Kong in the daylight, Fallen Angels works in the shadow of night, studying how that same loneliness and isolation can result in more violent ends. Originally designed to be one film, the two complement each other in creating a fuller picture of what Hong Kong was in the 90s.

If loneliness and desperation aren’t the festival goer’s bag, there is also a very different product of Hong Kong: legendary martial artist Bruce Lee. A restored version of Robert Clouse’s Enter the Dragon places Lee in the middle of a fighting tournament organized by a crime lord. The 1973 film is widely considered one of the most influential action films of all time, combining elements of the kung fu film, spy movies and the blaxploitation genre, creating a unique stew of very entertaining elements.

And finally, completing the lineup is a work from one of the true masters of cinema, Stanley Kubrick. The 1971 film A Clockwork Orange remains one of his most controversial films. Based on the Anthony Burgess novel of the same name, Kubrick’s film questions the very definition of goodness in the societal sense as it follows Alex, a young hooligan who will undergo behavioral therapy at the behest of a nation that wants to control him and curb his impulses. A Clockwork Orange was nominated for four Academy Awards, including best picture.

All films will be screened in beautiful 4K.

Catch these restored classics at the QCinema International Film Festival, taking place this year from November 17 to 26 at the cinemas at Gateway Mall, Robinsons Magnolia, UP Town Center, Shangri-la Plaza and Power Plant Mall.

Abang Adik

Deaf-mute Abang (Kang-ren Wu) and his younger brother Adi (Jack Tan) live in poverty as undocumented denizens in Kuala Lumpur. All Abang wants is to live a decent life and find a way to legally obtain an ID. But the more temperamental Adi will take any shortcut to climb out of poverty, even if it means harming other people. Jin Ong, a veteran producer making his feature film directing debut, dives into the dark corners of Malaysian urban life, tracking the lives of people invisible to an indifferent society.

Ang deaf-mute na si Abang (Kang-ren Wu) at ang kanyang nakababatang kapatid na si Adi (Jack Tan) ay namumuhay sa kahirapan bilang mga undocumented denizen sa Kuala Lumpur. Ang gusto lang ni Abang ay mamuhay ng disenteng buhay at humanap ng paraan para legal na makakuha ng ID. Ngunit ang mas mapusok na Adi ay gagawa ang kahit ano upang makaahon sa kahirapan, kahit na manakit na siya ng ibang tao. Si Jin Ong, isang beteranong producer na gumagawa ng kanyang feature film directing debut, ay sumisid sa madilim na sulok ng Malaysian urban life, na sinusubaybayan ang buhay ng mga taong hindi nakikita ng isang lipunang walang pakialam.

QCinema Launches Elevated Documentary Section

For its 11th edition, QCinema introduces QCDox, the official documentary program of the QCinema International Film Festival.

Though the festival has exhibited documentaries before, QCDox is a stronger commitment to bringing more attention to the possibilities of the form. In line with this, QCinema has put together a lineup of three very different documentaries, each one taking its own approach to documenting some facet of our reality.

Divine Factory, directed by Joseph Mangat, looks and feels like what most people probably think of when they think of documentaries. The director takes his camera into a factory on the outskirts of Manila that produces religious figurines. He talks to the workers there, a lot of whom just happen to be part of the LGBTQ+ community. Through these interviews, we get to know these people, who work on these items of faith that paradoxically serve as symbols of their own oppression.

Miko Revereza, on the other hand, has always taken a more personal approach to the documentary, using film as a means of sorting through his own complicated feelings about who he is and who he wants to be. In Nowhere Near, the film diarist flies from the US back to his hometown in Pangasinan, where he interrogates the very notion of home as he investigates a family curse and tangles with the colonial history of the coastal province.

And then, there’s the National Anarchist: Lino Brocka, in which the maverick director Khavn gathers footage from the National Artist’s vast body of film work from various sources and reassembles them into a raucous collage that makes clear the connections between various films, and the sentiments expressed by Brocka while he was alive. Set to music by the Brockas and Max Jocson, Khavn produces a wild, unusual biography of an artist that practically lets the work speak for itself.

All three, using dramatically different methods, aim to uncover some sort of truth. Cinema is harnessed as a medium to explore the conditions of workers at a factory, to traverse the personal psychogeography of one’s hometown, and to capture the anarchic spirit of a great artist whose work is more diverse than most people know.

Moving forward, QCDox as a section will be guided by the principle that there are many ways to get to the truth of something.

QCinema is slated from November 17-26.

QCinema Names Entries for 2023 Asian Next Wave Competition

QCinema International Film Festival announces the titles competing in its premiere launching pad for Asia’s most promising filmmakers.

This year’s Asian Next Wave competition showcases eight exciting feature film directorial debuts competing for the Pylon Award.

First is Abang Adik by Jin Ong.

Abang Adik is about deaf-mute Abang and younger brother Adi who live in poverty as undocumented denizens in Kuala Lumpur. All Abang wants is to live a decent life and find a way to legally obtain an ID. But the more temperamental Adi will take any shortcut to climb out of poverty, even if it means harming other people.

Jin Ong, a veteran producer, dives into the dark corners of Malaysian urban life, tracking the lives of people invisible to an indifferent society.

The film swept the top prizes at Udine’s Far East Film Festival, winning the Golden Mulberry audience award, the Black Dragon Critics’ prize, and award for best first feature.

The Philippine entry in the Asian Next Wave Competition is Gitling by Jopy Arnaldo.

The film, which stars Gabby Padilla and Ken Yamamura, is about a translator who was hired by a filmmaker for a film festival in Bacolod. The two became friends, bonding over stories of heartbreak, and a language that Jamie made up.

Jopy Arnaldo parses the way people communicate with each other, and the things that people don’t say. The film uses subtitles in novel ways, expressing what is unsaid between characters that cannot express what they are really feeling.

Gitling is the Best Screenplay winner in the recent Cinemalaya Film Festival.

Another film competing is the 2023 Vietnamese-language drama film Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell, written and directed by Thien An Pham.

Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell follows Thien, who travels to the jungles of rural Vietnam in search of a long-lost brother following the sudden death of his sister-in-law. What follows is a journey of spiritual discovery through the mystical landscape of his nation.

Thien Am Pham creates in this film a meditative, at times hallucinatory space that examines our relationship with death and the afterlife. It had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 24 May 2023 and won the Caméra d’Or, which is awarded for the best first feature film.

The fourth film competing is Last Shadow At First Light by Nicole Midori Woodford.

The film is about Ami, who believes that her father has been lying to her about her mother’s death. She travels to Japan and finds herself on a road trip with her uncle, chasing ghosts and apparitions on the way to discovering painful truths about love and loss.

Writer and director Nicole Midori Woodford’s film seamlessly integrates supernatural elements in this quiet, dreamy, coming-of-age story that displays a profound understanding of a distinctly Asian relationship with the afterlife.

Another film in competition is Love Is A Gun by Lee Hong-chi.

Love Is A Gun is about Sweet Potato, who spent some years in prison for working for a syndicate. He’s trying to go straight, but his past keeps catching up with him, trying to draw him back into a violent life.

Lee Hong-chi, known for his work in acting, makes his feature film writing and directing debut with a sensitive portrait of directionless youth in Taiwan, exploring the life of a young man who wants to find a better life for himself, but is unable to find the opportunities to do so.

Love Is A Gun is the first Taiwanese film to win the best first feature at the Venice International Film Festival.

Mimang by Kim Tae-yang is also in competition.

Kim Tae-yang’s film follows a man and a woman as they walk the streets of Seoul, a city that seems to keep changing as time goes by. TIFF’s Giovanni Fulvi calls Mimang “A condensed Korean indie counterpart to Richard Linklater’s Before series”.

Kim Tae-yang and cinematographer Kim Jin-hyeong turns Seoul’s streets into a magical, amorphous landscape, changing in the way that memories can change, even between people with deep connections to a place, a time, and each other.

Also in the lineup is Thai romance/environmental film Solids By The Seashore by Patiparn Boontarig.

The film is set in a Southern Thai town of Songkhla, which is under threat from coastal erosion. It is in this place that Muslim poet Shati meets artist Fon, who has traveled from Bangkok for an exhibit bringing awareness to the impending environmental disaster. Shati is torn between her religious upbringing and a burgeoning affection for Fon, and faces an inner turmoil reflected in the chaos brought on by the monsoons.

Casually melding folklore with modern concerns, director Patiparn Boontarig employs a magical realist approach to sort through the eternal conflict between faith and identity.

The last film competing is Tiger Stripes by Amanda Nell Eu.

The film is about 12-year old Zaffan who is going through the challenges of puberty. But there’s something unusual about the changes her body is experiencing. When the community around her discovers what’s happening, Zaffan is shunned and attacked, leaving her no choice but to accept what she is becoming.

Amanda Nell Eu ‘s film makes literal the horrors of adolescence, making potent body horror out of the often horrifying developments of a pubescent transformation.

Tiger Stripes had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023 where it won the Critics’ Week Grand Prize.

QCinema is slated from November 17 to 26, 2023. The films will be screened at Gateway Cineplex 10, Robinsons Movieworld Magnolia, Ayala Malls Cinemas’ UP Town Center, Power Plant Cinema, and Shangri-La’s Red Carpet Cinemas.

Mimang

TIFF’s Giovanni Fulvi calls Mimang “A condensed Korean indie counterpart to Richard Linklater’s Before series,” the movie following a man and a woman (Ha Seong-guk and Lee Myung-ha) as they walk the streets of Seoul, a city that seems to keep changing as time goes by. Kim Tae-yang and cinematographer Kim Jin-hyeong turns Seoul’s streets into magical, amorphous landscape, changing in the way that memories can change, even between people with deep connections to a place, a time, and each other.

Ayon kay Giovanni Fulvi ng TIFF ang Mimang ay “A condensed Korean indie counterpart to Richard Linklater’s Before series.” Sinusundan ng pelikula ang isang lalaki at isang babae (Ha Seong-guk at Lee Myung-ha) habang naglalakad sila sa mga lansangan ng Seoul, isang lungsod na tila patuloy na nagbabago habang lumilipas ang panahon. Sa pagtingin nila Kim Tae-yang at kanyang cinematographer na si Kim Jin-hyeong, ang mga kalye ng Seoul at nagiging mahiwaga; nagbabago ayon sa pagbabago ng mga alaala, kahit na sa pagitan ng mga taong may malalim na koneksyon sa isang lugar, isang oras, at sa isa’t isa.

Last Shadow at First Light

Ami (Mihaya Shirata) believes that her father has been lying to her about her mother’s death. She travels to Japan and finds herself on a road trip with her uncle (Masatoshi Nagase), chasing ghosts and apparitions on the way to discovering painful truths about love and loss. Writer and director Nicole Midori Woodford seamlessly integrates supernatural elements in this quiet, dreamy coming-of-age story that displays a profound understanding of a distinctly Asian relationship with the afterlife.

Naniniwala si Ami (Mihaya Shirata) na nagsisinungaling ang kanyang ama tungkol sa pagkamatay ng kanyang ina. Naglalakbay siya sa Japan at nadala sa isang road trip kasama ang kanyang tiyuhin (Masatoshi Nagase), naghahabol sa mga multo at mga aparisyon patungo sa pagtuklas ng masasakit na katotohanan tungkol sa pag-ibig at pagkawala. Walang putol na isinasalin ng manunulat at direktor na si Nicole Midori Woodford ang mga supernatural na elemento sa isang tahimik at mala-panaginip na coming-of-age story na nagpapakita ng malalim na pag-unawa sa isang natatanging relasyong Asyano sa kabilang buhay.

QCinema Unveils New Horizons Section Lineup

QCinema International Film Festival, slated from November 17-26, 2023, announces the lineup of one of its most-awaited sections.

The New Horizons section of the 11th edition of QCinema features five acclaimed directorial film debuts – City Of Wind by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, Foremost By Night by Victor Iriarte, Scrapper by Charlotte Regan, Through The Night by Delphine Girard, and Women From Rote Island by Jeremias Nyangoen.

City of Wind, the Mongolian entry to the 96th Academy Awards, is a coming-of-age film of a young shaman who experiences what it is to be young and in love. City of Wind is a snapshot of Mongolia in the present day: still immersed in mystical tradition, even as society moves forward into modernity.

Foremost By Night revolves around two women who meet for the first time. One is in search of her biological son she gave up for adoption. The other, unable to bear children of her own, adopted a child she raised as her own.

Iriarte crafts a movie around an issue that rarely gets talked about in her native Spain, and delves into the damage done to the victims of a very shameful crime committed upon infants.

Scrapper is about 12 year-old Georgie, who is wise beyond her years, reconnecting with her absent father after her mother died. Scrapper is a brazenly optimistic tale of life at the edges of UK society. It finds warmth and color in what from the outside only seems like tragedy.

The film won the Grand Jury Prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.

Through The Night is based on Girard’s Oscar-nominated short film A Sister. In this film, she expands on the fallout of a traumatic event, examining the ways in which the damage stays with the people involved.

The film shifts between the perspective of a victim of sexual assault, her alleged assaulter, and the phone operator who took the call about the crime.

Lastly, Women from the Rote Island is set in the Southernmost island of Indonesia where a grieving wife who is set to bury her husband is awaiting the return of her daughter so that she may finally bury her husband in accordance with local tradition.

With a naturalistic approach that highlights the beauty of their rural surroundings, Nyangoen, in his promising debut, brings attention to the plight of women who are simply never seen; too far removed from the public eye to be a part of the greater movement toward gender equality.

QCinema Project Market Announces Selected Projects

For its inaugural year with a focus on the Southeast Asian region, the QCinema Project Market (QPM), the official industry program of the QCinema Film Festival, has announced its final selection of feature film projects. Twenty (20) projects will be vying for over $400,000 in grants and prizes.

Ed Lejano, Qcinema Festival Director said, “We’re ramping up our QCinema Experience as we launch our inaugural project market this year with loads of production grants in store. Our local grants were temporarily affected by the pandemic and it’s definitely back – with P 3 Million for 3 Filipino features and $35,000 for 3 Southeast Asian features. And with our numerous international partners, a lot more funding goodies will be up for grabs. With our new QCinema Project Market, these valuable financial packages can only boost the regional film industries to new heights.”

Last October 10 during the last night of Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Content and Film Market, Qcinema hosted the QPM Cinema Night to officially launch the program and celebrate with festival and market delegates. The announcement of the selected projects was made by Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC) Executive Director and QPM Managing Director Liza Diño, together with Mister Lejano and QCinema Film Foundation President Manet Dayrit.

“We are so proud to have received so many project submissions from both established and upcoming names from the region. For our first year, we really hope to bring the Philippines and Southeast Asia together to connect and find partners in each other so we can bring these amazing and authentic stories to life. We’re also honored to bring investors, companies, film funders, and decision makers from all over the region and the world to make this QPM a success for all the projects,” said Diño.

The Filipino and Southeast Asian projects were selected by a Selection Committee composed of Matthieu Darras of Tatino Films, Jongsuk Thomas Nam of Bucheon International Film Festival NAFF Project Market, multi-awarded Filipino director Paolo Villaluna, and Miss Dayrit.

“Selecting only 20 projects from the 65 that we received was a challenging yet inspiring process for the Committee. We were impressed by the immense talent and creative potential of the filmmakers in this region, and we hope that the QPM can help elevate these projects to fully realized films that we can soon enjoy on the big screen,” said Dayrit.

The QPM will be hosted during the QCinema International Film Festival’s 11th year on November 18-20, 2023 and aims to set the stage for Southeast Asian partnerships and collaborations to produce more regional films and content. As the Festival’s official industry arm, QPM also boasts of bringing international decision-makers together to connect with the who’s who of Southeast Asian cinema.

Streamers like Amazon, post production houses like Singapore-based Mocha Chai Laboratories, and Space Lion Studios, as well as film funds like Purin Pictures in Thailand, have all come on board as decision makers at QPM. Mocha Chai Laboratories and Space Lion Studios will be giving out post production prizes, as well as CMB Film Services, the premiere film equipment company in the Philippines, who will serve as a decision maker and will give out a prize for camera and equipment rental for its selected project. Tatino Film’s Pop Up Residency in Europe will also be giving out a residency award.

QPM and QCinema are also in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines for the provision of this year’s Co-Production Grants.

LIST OF SELECTED PROJECTS

The Burning Giants (Thailand)
Director: Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
Producer: Mai Meksawan
The Sea is calm tonight (Vietnam)
Director: Lê Bảo
Producer: Weijei Lai
The Fox King (Malaysia)
Director: Woo Ming Jin
Producer: Edmund Yeo
Trinity (Singapore)
Director: Boo Junfeng
Producer: Raymond Phathanavirangoon
The Beer Girl in Yangon (Myanmar)
Director: Sein Lyan Tun
Producer: John Badalu Matulatan
Don’t Cry Butterfly (Vietnam)
Director: Duong Dieu Linh
Producer: Tan Si En
Tale of The Land (Indonesia)
Director: Loeloe Hendra
Producer: Yulia Evina Bhara
The Drought (Singapore)
Director: Nelson Yeo
Producer: Tan Si En and Sophia Sim
Hold My Gaze (Philippines)
Director: Carlo Catu
Producer: Bradley Liew & April Batican
Underworld (Philippines)
Director: Isabel Sandoval
Producer: Alemberg Ang
Violet Flower (Philippines)
Director: Jerome Zamora
Producer: Wilfedo Manalang
Lost Memories in Transit (Philippines)
Director: Austin Tan
Producer: Stelle Laguda
The Boy and The Fight of Spiders (Philippines)
Director: Jarell Serencio
Producer: Alex Poblete
Pilipiñana(Philippines)
Director: Rafael Manuel
Producer: Jeremy Chua & Bradley Liew
Cangrejos (Philippines)
Director: Zurich Chan
Producer: Gale Osorio
Girl On The Turtle’s Back (Philippines)
Director: Paul Sta. Ana
Producer: Alemberg Ang, Monica Montejo, and Iana Celest Bernardez
The Remotes (Philippines)
Director: John Torres
Producer: John Torres
Ella Arcangel: Ballad of Tooth and Claw (Philippines)
Director: Mervin Malonzo
Producer: Emmanuel Angeles
RIA (Philippines)
Director: Arvin Belarmino
Producer: Kristine De Leon
“A” Chasing “B” (Philippines)
Director: Dan Villegas
Producer: Antoinette Jadaone

QCinema Announces QCSEA Competition Lineup

QCinema International Film Festival unveils the official selection of the inaugural edition of its QCSEA Shorts Competition.

10 short films were selected out of 380 entries received from all over Southeast Asia to compete.

The lineup includes entries from Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

Basri And Salma In A Never-Ending Comedy tells the story of a childless couple who has been married for 5 years. They own an Odong-Odong, an entertainment vehicle for children, at the carnival. They spend their days entertaining and taking care of other people’s children. Between meddling relatives, self-doubt and an explosive confrontation, they uncover why they have not been blessed with a child. This Indonesian short film is directed by Khozy Rizal.

Vietnam’s Buoyant by Toan Thanh Doan & Hoang-Phuc Nguyen-Le follows the story of a fisherman who rescues a mermaid from the fish market. They are joined by two jolly friends on a fanciful tale along the waters.

I Look Into The Mirror And Repeat Myself from Singapore is about a filmmaker who questions the meaning of her given name, her place among her four sisters, and their stories, while her family is on the cusp of change and dissolution. The film is directed by Giselle Lin.

From Malaysia is MOP by Joon Goh. The film is about a boss and her employee who, over a lunch break, play a dangerous sexual game.

Myanmar’s entry is an experimental short film by Moe Myat May Zarchi. The Altar is about the guilt of a childhood incident of killing an ant while washing hands in the sink animated using photographic sequences painted with golds and grays.

Five entries were also selected from the Philippines.

Cross My Heart And Hope To Die by Sam Manacsa is about Mila who struggles as she remains unpaid at work and a love interest becomes a source of comfort through his constant phone calls. But a promise of hope may also lead to tragedy and sad love songs.

Dominion by Bea Mariano is about a drowning narrator who recounts their experience of going through an archive of colonial photographs using a barrage of sounds and images from the past and the present in a jagged and textural play.

Hito by Stephen Lopez follows a 14-year-old girl who discovers that the fish she had been given for dinner is a rehabilitated bioweapon named Kiefer.

Kung nga-a Conscious ang mga Alien sang ila Skincare (The Thing About Aliens And Their Skin Care) by Seth Andrew Blanca and Niño Maldecir is a drama and comedy about aliens. As peculiar as it may sound, we have been living elbow to elbow with aliens — they are one of us.

Last is When You Left Me On That Boulevard by Kayla Abuda Galang. It is about a teenager named Ly and her cousins who get high before a boisterous family Thanksgiving at their aunt’s house in Southeast San Diego in 2006.

The short films’ Philippine premieres are slated from November 17 to 26, 2023, during the 11th edition of QCinema International Film Festival.

QCinema is now on Letterboxd

For its 11th year, the QCinema International Film Festival is continuing its steady growth as a real player in the international festival scene. This entails a lot of things: new sections, new programs, and new ways of reaching people.

So, QCinema is now on Letterboxd. From now until the start of the festival, cinephiles can watch this space to get updates about the festival’s lineup, and more information about every film we’re screening. Users can add films in the lineup to their watchlists, and during the festival, follow the buzz as we highlight reviews from users who watch movies at QCinema.

Follow the account: http://letterboxd.com/qcinema

Our thanks go to the folks over at Letterboxd for helping make this happen.

Call for Applications for the First QCinema Critics Lab 2023

Deadline of submission: September 15, 2023

OVERVIEW

The QCinema International Film Festival is inviting six aspiring and emerging film critics to the first QCinema Critics Lab. Under the guidance of established writers, journalists, film scholars, curators, and film professionals, the Critics Lab will be a space to expand and deepen the current practice of film criticism in the country towards alternative forms of film criticism (including but not limited to podcasts, video essays, long-form reporting, etc.) in the hopes of developing the great Filipino audience.

ELIGIBILITY

The QCinema Critics Lab seeks participants who are:

Between 18 to 30 years old
Filipino citizens
Current residents of the Philippines
Able to participate in English and Filipino (fluency not required)
Interested in film and film criticism (no prior experience necessary)
Able to participate during the lab dates (Nov 4 and 11 online, Nov 17 to 20 in-person)

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Application form (including a letter of intent)
A signed letter of recommendation from a prior employer or professor
A review of any format about one of the following Filipino short films:
- Quadrilaterals (Martika Ramirez Escobar)
- Juan Gapang (Roxlee)
- Si Astri maka si Tambulah (Xeph Suarez)
Links to previously published critical output on film — written, video essay, podcast, or short-form video (i.e. YouTube or TikTok

PARTICIPATION AND OFFER

The QCinema Critics Lab will be held onsite in Quezon City from November 17-20. QCinema will shoulder accommodations (for three nights), travel allowance, and per diem. Festival accreditation will also be provided to all participants of the QCL, allowing them access to all film screenings and festival events throughout the duration of the festival.

To help critics become equipped and independent after the festival, QCIFF will organize up to six meetings with film, publishing, and media professionals to enlighten them about the landscape of filmmaking and film criticism in and out of the country. These expert sessions will be part of the daily meet-up of the program and will be exclusive to those involved in the QCinema Critics Lab.

At the end of the lab, QCinema will be awarding two critics the Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc Award for Film Criticism for the promising work created during the lab.

Key dates:

Online: Nov 4 and 11
In-person: Nov 17, 18, 19, 20

DEADLINE

All entries must be submitted by Sept 15, 2023 (11:59 PM, Philippine Standard Time).

Announcements will be made between the last week of Sept to the first week of Oct 2023.

CONTACT

For any questions or concerns, please email[email protected].

APPLY NOW

Call for Projects – QCinema Project Market 2024

The QCINEMA PROJECT MARKET (QPM) is the official industry initiative of the QCinema International Film Festival that provides a valuable platform for filmmakers and producers to connect, secure funding, expand their networks, gain exposure, develop their skills, and contribute to the growth of the international film industry.

It aims to enrich the festival experience, support the creation of innovative and globally relevant films, and contribute to the growth and development of the regional film industry.

OVERVIEW

QPM features a curated selection of projects in advanced development, particularly Filipino and Southeast Asian feature film projects seeking international partners.

It serves as a creative hub for the region where filmmakers and producers can pitch their projects to international investors, production companies, distributors, sales agents, and other industry professionals.

It hosts one-on-one meetings, project presentations, and networking events to facilitate connections and collaborations. QPM also awards film projects with monetary production support and co-production grants.

QPM 2024 will take place this November 8-10, 2024 during the 12th QCinema International Film Festival in Quezon City, Philippines.

APPLICATION DATE FOR PROJECTS

June 1 – June 30, 2024

EVENT DATE

November 8 – 10, 2024

PROJECT ELIGIBILITY

The project must be a Filipino or Southeast Asian feature-length fiction film project (in the advanced stage of development).
Projects seeing completion before QCinema Project Market 2024 are ineligible for consideration.
The project must already have at least a first draft of the full script.
The project must not be fully financed yet.
The project must have an attached director and producer.
The project’s director must have directed at least one short or feature film.
The project’s producer must have produced at least one feature film.
The project must have fully complied with all QPM documentary requirements.

ONLINE SUBMISSION

Fill out the QPM 2024 application form in English.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Logline
(Maximum of 3 sentences.)
Synopsis
(Up to 400 words.)
Director’s Statement
(Up to 300 words.)
Producer’s Statement
(Up to 400 words.)
Production Schedule
This may be presented through production stages (development, pre-production, production, post-production, distribution).
Feel free to modify the schedule in detail according to your project situation.
Director’s Profile
Producer and Production Company’s Profiles
Treatment
(In 5 to 8 pages. It should be a summary of the script.)
Financial Plan
Production Cost / Budget Breakdown
Sample reel
(Provide only if available.)

BENEFITS OF THE SELECTED PROJECTS

Representatives (a director & a producer) of the project will be officially invited to the QCinema Project Market. Round-trip flights and hotel accommodations will be arranged for them.
Selected projects will be provided one-on-one meetings with film industry professionals and decision-makers.
Selected projects will automatically be nominated for QPM awards.

OBLIGATIONS OF THE SELECTED PROJECTS

Both the producer and director must attend the QCinema Project Market 2024. Project representatives are obliged to attend business meetings arranged by QPM.
Once a project wins any of the QPM awards, the project will be required to include the logos of the Quezon City Film Commission (QCFC), QCinema International Film Festival, and QCinema Project Market in the opening credits.
Projects awarded with co-production grants must have their Philippine premiere at the QCinema International Film Festival.
Selected Southeast Asian projects must also onboard a Filipino co-producer upon receipt of the grant.
All selected projects should continue to share their project status with QPM after the participation.

ADVISORIES

QPM will exclusively communicate all notifications to you through email. To ensure uninterrupted communication, kindly provide a valid and active email address. Please promptly notify us of any changes to your contact email.
Upon successful submission of your online application, you will receive a confirmation email from QPM.
While applicants are permitted to submit multiple projects, QPM will only select one project per director, producer, or production company.
Applications deemed incomplete, failing to meet eligibility requirements, or not adhering to stated guidelines may be disqualified without prior notification.
QPM maintains a policy of not disclosing or publishing comments or opinions on individual applications.
Projects shortlisted for further consideration may be required to submit supplementary materials requested by QPM, especially if the initial application is deemed non-compliant.
To ensure consideration, applications must be submitted before the designated deadline. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Kindly access the QPM 2024 Submission Guidelines here.

CONTACT

Secretariat, QCinema Project Market
[email protected]

Apply Now for QPM 2024