With the gradual reopening of cinemas, Cinephiles have more reasons to nourish an inflow of excitement. QCinema International Film Festival returns with a hybrid edition from November 26 to December 5 with in-person screenings at Gateway Cineplex 10 and online streaming via KTX.ph.
āThis will be the first film festival to be held after cinemas opened their doors again and we are very happy to be part of the jump start of our much-loved industryā says Ed Lejano, Festival Director.
Gateway Cineplex 10 Theatrical Screenings
The 10-day festival opens with Apichatpong Weerasethakulās āMemoria,ā Cannes Festival 2021 Jury Prize winner and Colombian entry to the 94th Academy Awards. The film, which stars Tilda Swinton, is the acclaimed directorās first English language film. Its Southeast Asian premiere is with QCinema 2021.
Memoria will be screened at Gateway Cineplex 10 with other much-acclaimed films.
The films under Screen International, which is one of QCinemaās most awaited sections, are āThe Worst Person in the World,ā āThe Box,ā āHappening,ā āVengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cash,ā āWheel of Fortune and Fantasy,ā and āDrive My Car.ā
āThe Worst Person in the Worldā by Joachim Trier will also have its Southeast Asian premiere at QCinema 2021. The film premiered in competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, with Renate Reinsve winning the award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. It was selected as the Norwegian entry to the 94th Academy Awards. This film is co-presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
Another film having its Southeast Asian debut is āThe Box” by Lorenzo Vigas, the first Latin American to win the Venice Film Festivalās top award with his searing debut āFrom Afar.ā This film won the Leoncino d’Oro Agiscuola Award at Venice Film Festival 2021.
Venice Film Festival 2021 Golden Lion winner āHappeningā by Audrey Diwan is having its Asian premiere at QCinema 2021.This is Audrey Diwanās second film, which is based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Annie Ernaux. This film is co-presented by the Embassy of France.
Also for Southeast Asian premiere is āVengeance is Mine, All Others Pay Cashā by Indonesian auteur Edwin. This film won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival 2021. Edwin is known for his two prior films, āBlind Pig Who Wants to Flyā and āPostcards From the Zoo.ā
QCinema earlier announced that it is also hosting the Southeast Asian premiere of RyÅ«suke Hamaguchiās 2021 films, in partnership with The Japan Foundation. āWheel of Fortune and Fantasyā premiered at Berlinale 2021 and won the Silver Bear, while āDrive My Carā played in competition in Cannes Film Festival 2021 and brought home the Best Screenplay trophy.
Aside from these Screen International selections, QCinema will also screen at Gateway Cineplex 10 āGreat Freedomā under RainbowQC section; āLambā under New Horizons section; and āOnoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungleā and āHistorya ni Haā under āSpecial Screenings.ā
āGreat Freedomā by Sebastian Meise is the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize winner at the Cannes Film Festival 2021 and Austrian entry to the 94th Academy Awards. This is the prison dramaās Asian premiere.
Premiering in Asia is Scandinavian folk-horror film āLambā by Valdimar JĆ³hannsson, Cannes Un Certain Regard Prize of Originality award winner and Icelandic entry for the 94th Academy Awards.
The biopic of a World War II holdout in the Philippines will have its Southeast Asian premiere at QCinema 2021. āOnoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungleā by Arthur Harari is about a Japanese soldier who spent 30 years hiding in the Philippine jungle unaware that World War II was over. The film opened the Un Certain Regard of the Cannes Film Festival 2021. Angeli Bayani is part of this film.
Completing this section list is Lav Diazā āHistorya ni Ha,ā for its Asian premiere. The John Lloyd Cruz starrer film had its world premiere at the prestigious 65th BFI London Film Festival in the United Kingdom.
Aside from these films, QCinema will also screen for free select Patrick Alcedo films. These are the āA Will to Dreamā and short films āThey Call Me Daxā and āAm I Being Selfish.ā
KTX Online Streaming
Those who are still not comfortable going to the cinemas or are staying outside Metro Manila can still be part of the QCinema experience. The festival is presenting an equally exciting lineup for its online edition.
Under the Screen International section are āMy Salinger Year,ā āThe Great Movement,ā and āMiracle.ā
Berlinale 2020 opening film āMy Salinger Year by Philippe Falardeau,ā is a coming-of-age story headlined by Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley.
Set for its Asian debut is āThe Great Movementā by Kiro Russo. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Horizon Awards 2021 and is the Bolivian entry to the 94th Academy Awards.
Warsaw International Film Festival 2021 Best Film āMiracleā by Bogdan George Apetri is another film having its Asian premiere at QCinema 2021. This crime drama film had its world premiere in Venice.
āApples,ā āMagnetic Beats,ā āEl Planeta,ā and āPlaygroundā will be part of the New Horizons section, which ushers debut films all over the world.
āApples” by Christos Nikou won Best Screenplay at the Chicago International Film Festival 2020. This film, which will have its Southeast Asian premiere at QCinema 2021, is the Greek entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.
Vincent MaĆ«l Cardonaās feature, āMagnetic Beats,ā is also set for its Southeast Asian premiere. The film won a SACD Award at the Director’s Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival 2021.
In āEl Planeta,ā Director Amalia Ulman stars in this film opposite her real-life mother. This film, which will also have its Southeast Asian premiere, won the Best Director award at the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema 2021.
āPlaygroundā by Laura Wendel is the Belgian entry to the 94th Academy Awards. This film won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2021.
New section Asian Voices features new opus from Asian directors. This section includes āYuniā and āIslandsā
āYuniā by Kamila Andini, another coming-of-age drama, will have its Philippine premiere.
This is Indonesia’s official submission to the 94th Academy Awards. It won the Platform Prize, Toronto International Film Festival 2020.
āIslandsā by Martin Edralin, which tells the story of a Filipino immigrant, won the Special Jury award at the SXSW Film Festival 2021. This is the filmās Asian premiere.
Also having their online streaming are āThe Girl and the Spiderā under RainbowQC; and āBaboy Halasā and āSuburban Birdsā under Netpac Reloaded.
QCinema 2021 is hosting the Southeast Asian premiere of Berlin prize winner āThe Girl
and the Spiderā by sibling co-directors Ramon and Silvan ZĆ¼rcher. The film world premiered at the Berlinale in the Encounters section, and won best director.
āBaboy Halasā was recently included in the Gawad Dekada Para sa Mga Natatanging Pelikula by the Urian Awards. This film by Bagane Fiola also won the NETPAC Award at the QCinema 2016.
āSuburban Birdsā by Sheng Qiu will also have a QCinema comeback. The film won the Golden Carp Film Award ā Chinese at the Faro Island Film Festival 2020
Shorts Program
For the first time since its founding in 2013, QCinema will have two Shorts Programs. These are #QCShorts and Asian Shorts.
#QCShorts include āSkylabā by Chuck Escasa, āAmpangabagat Nin Talakba Ha Likolā by Maria Estela Paiso; āi get so sad sometimesā by Trishtan Perez; āMIGHTY ROBO Vā by Miko Livelo and Mihk Vergara; āHenryā by Kaj Palanca; and āCity of Flowersā by Xeph Suarez.
These films received production grants from QCinema.
Asian Shorts includes āDear to Meā by Monica Vanesa Tedja, āSunrise in My Mindā by Danech San, āNew Abnormalā by Sorayos Prapapa, and āLive In Cloud-Cuckoo Landā by VÅ© Minh NghÄ©a & Phįŗ”m HoĆ ng Minh Thy. It also includes the Philippine premiere of āHow to Die Young in Manilaā by Petersen Vargas and āFilipiƱanaā by Rafael Manuel.
Both Shorts Program will have theatrical screenings and online streaming.
More details about the festival at qcinema.ph.
Updates are also available at its social media channels ā https://facebook.com/qcinemaph, https://www.instagram.com/qcinemaph/, https://twitter.com/qcinemaph, and https://youtube.qcinema.ph.