As a part of the campaign to legitimize the tag “City of Stars,” the Quezon City local government, through the Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC), recently launched QCinema: 2012 Quezon City Film Festival.

This newly established film fest will grant P800,000 pesos to three chosen screenplays as production fund.

Since the goal of QCinema is develop and promote the art and craft of filmmaking among Quezon City citizens, there must be at least one bona fide resident of QC among the project’s major proponents (director, writer, and/or producer).


Submission of entries is open until July 31, 2012.

The 3 chosen films will be screened on the first week of December.

A press conference for QCinema was held recently at Annabel’s Restaurant in Tomas Morato, Quezon City. It was attended by QCFDC’s commissioners, including Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice Mayor Ma. Josefina G. Belmonte.

Other commissioners present were executive director Eduardo Lejano Jr., Hon. Atty. Jesus Manuel Suntay, Hon. Eufemio Lagumbay, Dr. Mary Ruby Palma, Ms. Rosario DL. Yara, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board board member Milo Sogueco, and director Soxie Topacio. Additional commisioners include MOWELFUND’s Marichu Maceda, National Cinema Association of the Philippines’ Eduardo Sazon, Screenwriters Guild of the Philippines’ Dr. Isabel Sebullen, QC Press Club’s Rio Araja and Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association’s Orly Ilacad.

When asked what sets QCinema apart from other film festivals, QCFDC’s Executive Director, Prof. Eduardo Lejano, answered, “Ang QCFDC gives grants.

“Because MMFF [Metro Manila Film Festival] is for producers with their own budgets to produce the films. What’s unique with the festival, we give P800,000 to filmmakers and they own the rights to the films,” he added.

The competition guidelines are as follows:

• Open to emerging Filipino filmmakers with no more than three feature-length films to his/her credit;

• Members of commission and its staff are exempted from joining the screenplay competition;

• A complete screenplay is required with a minimum of 40 sequences for an approximate running time of of 90 minutes;

• Six copies of the screenplay need to be submitted with only 1 copy with the name of the project proponent (the rest of the 5 copies should exclude any names);

• The screenplay must be accompanied by the following:

1. 1-page short synopsis and/or director’s statement
2. Main proponent’s short profile
3. Duly-signed QCFDC application form

• At least one of the project proponents (either as director, writer or producer) must be a Quezon City resident;

• The completed film must include at least one scene that was shot in a distinctive location in Quezon City