Now on its seventh year, QCinema (Or Quezon City Cinema) Film Festival is back soon, set to screen an extensive roster of local and international films this Oct. 13 to 22 in six cinemas around Quezon City.
The film festival will cover several dozen films in seven film exhibition categories, which include digitally remastered Philippine film classics to Cannes-and-Berlin-film-fest winning entries. The festival will also showcase two categories for films in competition, which include Asian Next Wave: three full-length films which have each received a PHP1.5million (US$28,900) grant from the festival, and Qshorts, six digital shorts which received a PHP200,000 (US$3,800) grant for production.
Here’s where to catch the festival’s extensive film screenings: Gateway Mall, Ayala Trinoma, Robinsons Galleria, UPFI Cine Adarna, Cinema 76 Anonas, Cinema Centenario.
Opening the festival on Oct.13 is Untrue, directed by Sigrid Bernardo. The indie-film darling stars model-actress Christine Reyes, opposite actor Xian Lim. Both actors portray Filipino transplants in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where the two meet and spark a romance that brings them to get married. But things go awry when Reyes’ character ends up seeking the help of Georgian police against her partner’s domestic abuse. What comes after is a mysterious he-said, she-said retelling.
Watch the thrilling trailer here:
Digitally remastered films to look out for includes Manila sa Kuko ng Liwanag (“Manila in The Claws of Light”), the iconic 1975 film drama about a fisherman from the countryside who arrives in Manila and descends in alienation. The movie is directed by the late National Artist for Film Lino Brocka.
The Asian Next Wave full-length film grantee’s lineup include: Arnel Barbarona’s Kaaway sa Sulod (“Wave from within”), directed by Arnel Barbarona, Babae at Baril (“Woman and gun), directed by Rae Red, and The Cleaners, directed by Glenn Barit, which is his debut feature.
The QCShorts lineup features Judy Free, directed by Jean Cheryl Tagyamon, Tokwifi directed by Carla Pulido Ocampo, Here, Here, directed by Joanne Cesario, SPID directed by Alejo Barbaza and Mervine Aquino; Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss directed by Sonny Calvento, and Isang Daa’t Isang Mariposa “101 Butterflies” directed by Norvin De los Santos.
Closing the QCinema festival on Oct. 22 is the Singaporean drama film Wet Season, directed by Anthony Chen. The film follows a female teacher juggling school and family life, and her male student with absentee parents who is having familial troubles of his own. The two form an unlikely bond. Wet Season premiered in the Toronto Film Festival earlier this September, and won a Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Watch the heartfelt film’s trailer here:
For information about QCinema, visit the official Facebook page. Tickets and festival passes will be available on the QCinema website soon, or at the box office of participating cinemas.
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