STORIES about a missing corpse, a sex worker and her cat, and an OFW neanderthal are among the six short films that will be shown at this year’s QCinema International Film Festival (QCinema). This as the festival is set to bring back its full-length film competition after a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The QC Shorts lineup was presented at the film festival’s kick-off event on Aug. 31 at the Gallery MiraNila in Quezon City.
“Ang daming talentadong mga kabataan (There are so many talented youths). Our philosophy is that we give opportunities to our talented filmmakers, give them support and create an environment where they can thrive,” Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said in her opening speech at the event.
Founded in 2013, QCinema is organized by the Quezon City Film Development Foundation. Through the years, the film festival has produced and co-produced 88 films: 38 full length movies, 38 shorts, and 12 documentaries. It has also screened more than 160 award-winning international titles from various local and international film festivals.
The 10th QCinema Film Festival will run from Nov. 17 to 26 in selected cinemas in Quezon City.
The QCinema Short films for 2022 are:
• Jaime Morados’ Ang Pagliligtas sa Dalagang Bukid (Saving the Country Maiden), set in 1921 the film follows 16-year-old Joaquin who attempts to save the film reel of the first movie he watched in the midst of a studio fire;
• Whammy Alcazaren’s Bold Eagle which follows an anonymous online-sex worker who seeks validation from his cat;
• Glenn Barit’s Luzonensis mula 7 hanggang 9 is about a “neanderthal” man who is about to leave for work abroad, but then discovers that his passport is missing hours before departing;
• Rocky de Guzman Morilla’s Mga Tigre ng Infanta, is about Katrina’s wild hunt deep into the psyche of her grandmother, whose corpse has gone missing;
• Austin Tan’s Ngatta Naddaki y Nuang? (Why did the Carabao cross the Carayan?) follows Oyo’s return to his hometown in Cagayan in search of a carabao; and,
• JT Trinidad’s sa ilog na hindi nagtatapos, whichis set in areas surrounding the decaying Pasig River and narrates four individuals’ stories which unfold through Baby, a middle-aged trans woman.
The six films, which each received grants of P350,000, are currently in production.
FULL LENGTH FILM COMPETITIONThe film festival’s official main competition for full-length films is set to return in this year’s edition.
“We are reviving our main competition, Asian Next Wave, with new films from Southeast Asia directors including Filipinos,” QCinema festival director Ed Lejano said in his speech at the festival’s kick-off.
He added that the international film lineup to be screened this year will include films from international film festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
Details on the rest of the films to be shown under the festival’s sections — such as Screen International, RainbowQC, New Horizons, and Special Screenings — are yet to be announced.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman Tirso Cruz III announced that the agency will give grants to next year’s competing films.
“[The] FDCP will be granting competing filmmakers next year P100,000 for short film finalists, and P1 million for the full-length finalists,” Mr. Cruz said at the event.
For more information and updates, visit https://www.facebook.com/QCinemaPH/. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman
