QCinema 2019: More than 60 movies to check out this October

More than 60 spectacular works from local and international filmmakers are coming to selected screens in Quezon City for the 7th edition of the QCinema International Film Festival.

With the theme "Rising Wave," QCinema celebrates the strides Asian filmmakers in world cinema, as well as the growing number of women filmmakers participating in competitions for documentaries and short films. 

"It espouses equality, diversity, and representation," QCinema Festival director Ed Lejano said during the press launch on Tuesday.

The festival will run from October 13 to October 22, with screenings at the Gateway mall, Trinoma, Robinsons Galleria, UPFI Cine Adarna, Cinema 76 Anonas, and Cinema Centenario.

A local suspense-thriller, Sigrid Bernardo's "UnTrue," will be kicking off the 10-day event. The Singaporean drama "Wet Season" by Anthony Chen, on the other hand, will be the finale.  

The festival will be presenting films under 10 categories: Asian Next Wave; QC Shorts Competition; DocQC; Screen International; New Horizons; RainbowQC; Special Screenings; Viva Classics; and Centennial Classics.  

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte announced that a budget of P22 million has been earmarked for the filmmakers'  production grants this year.

Asian Next Wave

Three Filipino titles made it to the festival's main competition, Asia Next Wave, where each received a P1,500,000 production grant.

• Kaaway sa Sulod by Arnel Barbarona
• Babae at Baril by Rae Red
• The Cleaners by Glenn Barit

Five other international selections to be showcased include:

• Narkorn-Sawan by Puangsoi Aksornsawang (Thailand)
• Ave Maryam by Robby Ertanto (Indonesia)
• Fly By Night by Zahir Omar (Malaysia)
• The Long Walk by Mattie Do (Laos)
• Suburban Birds by Sheng Qiu (China)

New Horizons

QCinema is introducing a new section this year called New Horizons, a platform for debut films or second features on different genres from around the world.

• The Bare Necessity by Erwan De Luc
• Buoyancy by Rodd Rathjen
• Homeward by Nariman Aliev
• The Red Phallus by Tashi Gyeltshen
• Chola by Sanal Kumar Sasidharan
• System Crasher by Nora Fingscheidt

QC Shorts

For the short category, six emerging Filipino filmmakers  received P200,000 production grants each.

• Judy Free by Jean Cheryl Tagyamon
• Tokwifi by Carla Pulido Oampo
• Here, Here by Joanne Cesario
• SPID by Alejo Barbaza and Mervine Aquino
• Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss by Sonny Calvento
• Isang daa't Isang Mariposa by Norvin de los Santos

RainbowQC

• 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

Screen International  

The QCinema will also be premiering award-winning titles from Cannes and Berlin in the Philippines this year.

• Beanpole by Kantemir Balagov
• By The Grace of God by François Ozon
• Nina Wu by Midi Z
• Bacurau by Kleber Mendonça 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

Special Screenings

• Lingua Franca by Isabel Sandoval
• Dogs Don't Wear Pants by J.-P. Valkeapää
• Top End Wedding by Wayne Blair
• No Data Plan by Riko Reverenza
• The Cave by Tom Waller
• Krabi 2562 by Ben Rovers and Anocha Suwichakornpong
• A Girl Missing by Koji Fukada
• Vitalina Varela by Pedro Costa

Doc QC

Three new Filipino documentary features received P500,000 post-production grants.

• For My Alien Friend by Jet Leyco
• A is for Agustin by Grace Pimentel Simbulan
• Spring by the Sea by Aleia Garcia

Rounding up the section are the following critically-acclaimed documentaries:

• The Future Cries Beneath Our Soil by Pham Thu Hang (Vietnam)
• Talking About Trees by Suhaib Gasmelbari (Sudan)
• Kabul, City in the Wind by Aboozar Amini (by Afghanistan)

Viva Classics

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

Centennial Classics

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

— LA, GMA News

For more information, visit qcinema.ph or its Facebook page.