The 2020 edition of QCinema International Film Festival held its opening ceremony on Friday, November 27, at Gazebo Royale in Quezon City.
The by-invitation-only event saw the awarding of the winners for the short film competition and the awarding of the Ayuda sa Taga-Pelikula grant.
A special screening of 'Parasite' in monochromatic version capped off the evening.
Viewers can watch the festival's line-up of films online through Upstream.ph until December 6.
But before you start binge-watching, take a look first at the scenes that unfolded during the festival's opening.
The opening of QCinema International Film Festival was held at Gazebo Royale in Quezon City.
The public event strictly followed social distancing as ordered by the Quezon City local government.
QCinema presented the winners of the #QCShortShorts competition. Six winners were chosen out of more than 200 entries.
The winners are: 'Sigpat sa Paglaum' by Raymark Esteban Estael; 'Miss You, George!' by Mark Lucas Moneda; 'Mingaw' by Sweet Hearty Ligas Puyong; 'Happy Life, Pilipinas!' By Alonzo Barbaza; Bond by Andrew Lawrence Deloso; and 'Maski Papano' by Jean Cheryl Tagyamon and Glenn Barit
Each of the winning entries received P50,000 each.
Giving the award to the winners were Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Festival Director Ed Lejano, and Film Development Council of the Philippines Chairperson Mary Liza Diño-Seguerra.
The pandemic has severely affected the film industry, from film shoots to theatrical screenings to projects being shelved.
QCinema has launched initiatives aiming to help various sectors in the film industry such as actors, directors, line producers, cinematographers, screenwriters, production designers, and sound engineers, among others.
One of these initiatives is the Ayuda sa Taga-Pelikula grant, with the Inter-Guild Alliance of Movie Workers as the chosen beneficiary.
Presenting the grant were Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, President of the QC Film Foundation Ms. Manet Dayrit, and Festival Director Ed Lejano.
The festival honored the memory of industry pillar Maria Azucena Vera- Perez Maceda, endearingly addressed in local showbiz as Manay Ichu.
The beloved film producer passed away this year, September 7, at the age of 77.
The opening of this year's QCinema was highlighted by the screening of the hit Korean film, 'Parasite,' in black and white.
The by-invitation-only screening summed up how cinema viewing would look like in today's so-called new normal: seats and audiences keeping a safe distance from each other.
The monochromatic version of Bong Joon-ho's award-winning movie, 'Parasite,' was first released at the Rotterdam Film Festival last January.
The line-up of films for this year's QCinema International Film Festival is accessible via the streaming platform Upstream.ph.
The roster of films consists of award-winning and critically-acclaimed movies from the Philippines and abroad.
One of the films in this year's festival is 'Babae at Baril' top-billed by Kapuso star, Janine Gutierrez.
The movie recently bagged numerous awards at the 43rd Gawad Urian Awards including Best Actress for Janine and Best Director for Rae Red.