October 03, 2016

The best from Quezon City and beyond: QCinema International Film Festival 2016

It started as a film festival geared towards making Quezon City become the country’s Film Capital. Nowadays, the QCinema International Film Festival, happening from October 13 – 22, is a breeding ground for our country’s young filmmakers.

THE FUTURE OF PHILIPPINE CINEMA? You can see this and more at the 4^th QCinema International Film Festival. Image grabbed from QCinema Facebook page

Quezon City is already home to some of the country’s major broadcast and film corporations, including GMA and ABS-CBN. The Quezon City Film Development Council saw it fit to hold a film festival that will highlight the city as a future Film Capital of the Philippines.

Until that happens, though, Quezon City will always be home to the QCinema International Film Festival. For their fourth year, the festival has expanded their line-up to include not just films from young filmmakers, but also films coming from around the world.

This year’s QCinema International Film Festival will feature 7 films from young film makers in their main competition called the Circle:

Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B by Prime Cruz
Baboy Halas by Bagane Fiola
Partee. Ever. by Howard “HF” Yambao
Hinulid by Kristian Sendon Cordero
Patay na si Hesus by Victor Kaiba Villanueva
Purgatoryo by Roderick Cabrido
Women of the Weeping River by Sheron Dayoc

Apart from the 7 Circle films, there are also 8 films featured in QCShorts (short films) and 6 films in the new Asian New Wave (Asian directors with less than two features) as part of the competition for QCinema International Film Festival.

You can also catch a glimpse of award-winning films from varying genres, regions, and countries in the film festival’s different sections:

Back Throwback – a showcase of two digitally-restored film gems from the ABS-CBN film archives: Kasal? (1980) and Haplos (1982)
Cinema Rehiyon – a harvest of films coming from different regions of the Philippines
Focus on Mike De Leon – gathering some of acclaimed Filipino director Mike De Leon’s best films: Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising (1977), Kakabakaba Ka Ba? (1980), Hindi Nahahati ang Langit (1985)
Pinoy Spotlight – giving recognition to three Filipino filmmakers: Area by Louie Ignacio, Blanka by Kohki Hasei, and Unconcious Memory by Allan Balbarona
RainbowQC – a collection of films that shed light to the LGBTQ community: #BKKY by Nontawat Numbenchapol (Thailand), Jonathan by Piotr J. Lewandowski (Germany), Kiki by Sara Jorderö (USA/Sweded), and Spa Night by Andrew Ahn (USA)
Tribute to Kielowski – see the trilogy that made celebrated Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski one of the most recognized filmmakers in the world: Blue (1993), White (1994), and Red (1994).
Screen International – a collection of the best films from international festival circuits, including the opening film The Handmaiden, a Cannes Main Competition entry.

There will also be several free film forums to be held at the Quezon City Experience (QCX) Mini Theater at the Quezon Memorial Circle. The QCinema International Film Festival will be shown at the following venues from October 13 – 22: