QCinema 2018 Opens With Over 40 Films!

Everybody is excited for another film festival happening this October, QCinema is a proud locally-supported film festival made by the Quezon City Government. Now on 6th year, it showcases a smörgåsbord of film ranging from the competition films to foreign and restored movie which will excite everyone.

Opening with the award-winning Japanese film "Shoplifters" by Hirokazu Kore-eda, it tells the story of a family of criminals scraping a living in downtown Tokyo. Their story takes an interesting turn when they adopt a little girl despite their impoverished livelihood.But the fun does not stop there as we always look forward to the main competition films. 

Competition section 

The “Circle Competition” of QCinema is a section for independent features of new and seasoned homegrown storytellers where select films are given production grants of one and a half million pesos each.

Films that were given grants are Samantha Lee’s “Billie and Emma,” Timmy Harn’s “DOG DAYS,” Dan Villegas’ “Hintayan ng Langit,” Gutierrez Mangansakan’s “Masla A Papanok,” and Dwein Baltazar’s “Oda sa Wala” that focus on the intricacies of life, love, and history. 

Though there are less competition entries this year, QCinema guarantees that they will deliver quality films with filmmaker friendly terms and budget. Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte also addressed the issue of being too close to another film festival, Cinema One Originals which just concluded its run with their opening night. She said that QCinema has always been shown in October and should not be forced to adjust to them (sic).

There are also Screen International section which consists of Elephant Lying Still, Hu Bo, Ala Changso, Sonthar Gyal, Tomcat, Klaus Händl, La Priére, Cédric Kahn, and Come On Irene.

Among the new features to be showcased at the “Asian Next Wave” section are Yeo Siew Hua’s “A Land Imagined,” Bi Gan’s “Long Day Journey Into Night,” Anoocha Boonyawatana’s “Malila: The Farewell Flower,” Huang Hsin-yao’s “The Great Buddha+,” Ashleigh Mayfair’s “The Third Wife,” and Kamila Andini’s “The Seen and Unseen.” 

The “Asian Next Wave” has been showcasing award-winning works of Asian filmmakers throughout the years. The dedicated section continues to feature these works from across the continent such as “A Land Imagined” which won the Golden Leopard Award for best film at the Locarno International Film Festival, “The Seen and Unseen” which won the Tokyo Filmex Grand Prize, and “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” which won the ICS Cannes Award and will be shown in 3D in select establishments.

In sponsorship with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), QCinema will also give visibility to noteworthy cinematic craftsmanship with a wide array of LGBT international films for its “RainbowQC” section. Among the featured films are Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon’s “Tinta Bruta,” John Tengrove’s “The Wound,” Marcelo Martinessi’s “The Heiresses,” Christophe Honoré’s “Sorry Angel,” Yann Gonzales’ “Knife + Heart,” and Yen Tan’s “1985.”

Non-competition section

Documentary films “All Grown Up” from Wena Sanchez and “Pag-ukit sa Paniniwala” from Hiyas Baldemor Bagabaldo will comprise the “DocQC” section of QCinema on documentaries. The section also provided seed grants of 300,000 pesos to the filmmakers.

Several critically acclaimed films worldwide will be showcased in the “Screen International” section of the festival.

The lineup includes Lee Chang-dong’s “Burning,” which won the 2018 FIPRESCI Award at Cannes;  Agnés Varda and JR’s “Faces Places”; Gaspar Noé’s “Climax,” where Noé won the biggest prize at Cannes’ 2018 Directors’ Fortnight, the C.I.C.A.E. Award; Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War,” where Pawslikowski won 2018 Best Director at Cannes; and Phuttiphong Aroonpheng’s “Manta Ray,” which won the 2018 Best Film at Venice Horizons.

Iconic films of the 70’s and 80’s which have been digitally restored will be shown in the “Digitally Remastered” section of the festival. Among the highlights are Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz,” Herbert Ross’ “Footloose,” and John Badham’s “Saturday Night Fever.”

QCinema pays tribute to the richness of French cinema by highlighting memorable titles in the “French Classics” section. Among the films in the section are Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “Diabolique,” Roger Vadim’s “And God Created Woman,” and Pierre Rissient’s “Five and the Skin.”

Five films from China, Austria, France, and Denmark, and Japan will take a spotlight at the “Special Screenings” section of QCinema. The five films featured are “Elephant Lying Still” by Hu Bo, “Ala Changso” by Sonthar Gyal, “Tomcat” by Klaus Händl, “La Priére” by Cédric Kahn, and “Come On, Irene” by Keisuka Yoshida.

The festival has a free screening that will feature children’s films from Denmark. They will include Ask Hasselbach’s “Antboy,” Renée Simonsen’s “Karla’s World,” and Esben Toft Jacobsen’s “The Great Bear.”

As part of the Halloween celebration, “Piercing,” which stars Christopher Abbott and Mia Wasikowska, will be the closing film to end the ten-day festival in spooky fashion. It tells of a man who checks himself into a hotel room to accomplish his long-time dream - executing a perfect murder.

QCinema will run from October 21 to 30, 2018, at Gateway Mall (Cineplex 10); Robinsons Galleria (Robinsons Movieworld); SM City North Edsa; SM Megamall; SM Manila; SM Mall of Asia; and Ayala Malls Cinema in Trinoma and U.P. Town Center.

About QCinema

QCinema is the official film festival of Quezon City, touted as the “City of the Stars.” It was established in 2013 by the Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC) helmed by Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte.

Since its humble beginnings in 2013, QCinema has grown bigger, gaining traction in local and international film circuits for its roster of film entries. In 2017, it was recognized as one of the best film festivals in the country.

For more information, visit qcinema.ph.