This year’s QCinema International Film Festival is bursting with energy and excitement.
The festival has continued its annual run in the last two years despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic.
And now that cinemas and public screenings are allowed, QCinema is looking at its 2022 edition with renewed enthusiasm.
This year also marks the tenth anniversary of the festival, hence the theme “in10city,” which aptly describes this festival's eclectic selection of films.
Taking place from November 17 to 26, 2022, QCinema will feature 58 films, including six short film production grantees, with seven sections of full-length films and three shorts.
“Parang may kind of theme going on, we’re focusing on the Filipino performances of our hardworking character actors.
Talking to PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) at a press event earlier this month, festival director Ed Lejano said QCinema 2022 will open with Dolly de Leon, and close with Soliman Cruz.
"We have Chai Fonacier, we have performances by different Filipino character actors in different sections.
“We’re celebrating debut films from all over the world, not just our QCShorts but Asian Next Wave [sections] so madaming debut features that we’re sharing with the world.”
What else is new at the tenth edition of the QCinema International Film Festival?
ADDITIONAL THEATERS
In an effort to reach more viewers, QCinema is expanding its reach beyond Quezon City, marking the first time that a cinema outside the host city will be participating in the screenings.
Joining this year's roster of theaters is Power Plant Mall in Makati City.
Meanwhile, cinema venues in Quezon City are Gateway, Trinoma, Cinema 76, and SM North EDSA.
Streaming platform Vivamax will screen the QCShorts 2022, QCShorts 2021, and RainbowQC Shorts from November 22 to 26, 2022.
Ticket prices for theatrical screenings are PHP300, while online tickets are PHP299.
And here are the films that made it to this year's festival:
CHERIE GIL’S SWAN SONG
Cherie Gil’s last film Elehiya is the festival's fitting send-off to one of Philippine cinema’s biggest icons.
Directed by Loy Arcenas, Elehiya, originally titled Mirador, was completed pre-COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the succeeding health crisis and national elections halted the film’s progress during post-production.
Likewise, the pandemic limited the film’s screening options due to the lack of available venues and platforms.
Two cast members, unfortunately, passed away this year. This makes Elehiya a poignant reminder of their brilliance as artists.
Theater veteran Miguel Faustmann died on May 15, 2022, at the age of 67.
Cherie succumbed to endometrial cancer on August 5, 2022. She was 59 at the time of her passing.
Stressing that the movie is a “celebration” of Cherie’s life and career. Loy said, “Para sa akin, when you watch a film, you savor what happens.
"Yung para sa akin, it’s the memories of what you did,"
Elehiya is part of the Asian Next Wave section, which features emerging filmmakers from Southeast Asia and East Asia.
The other Filipino film featured in the section is 12 Weeks, starring Max Eigenmann and directed by Anna Isabelle Matutina.
Also making the cut are the Singaporean Oscar entry Ajoomma by Shuming He, the Japanese Oscar entry Plan 75 by Chie Hayakawa, and the South Korean Cannes entry Return to Seoul.
Rounding up the roster are the Thai film Arnold is a Model Student by Sorayos Prapapan, and the Indonesian film Autobiography by first-time director Makbul Mubarak.
The former had its world premiere at Locarno, while the latter won the FIPRESCI Prize in Venice this year.
DOLLY DE LEON’S OSCAR-WORTHY PERFORMANCE
One of the most talked about films this year in the international circuit is Triangle of Sadness.
Written and directed by Swedish director Ruben Östlund, the satirical black comedy features Filipino actress Dolly de Leon who portrays a toilet manager for a luxury yacht.
The film and Dolly are strong contenders to bag nominations for the Oscars, according to critics and movie enthusiasts.
Triangle of Sadness will open this year’s QCinema International Film Festival, officially making its Philippine debut following months of screenings abroad.
SOLIMAN CRUZ TAKES THE SPOTLIGHT
Another Filipino actor shines on the international stage via To The North.
Directed by Romanian filmmaker Mihai Mincan, the film follows the story of Joel, portrayed by character actor Soliman Cruz, a Filipino sailor who comes across a stowaway named Dumitru, who hid between containers during a transatlantic sea voyage.
Joel helps Dumitru take cover on the ship but not without great risk: if discovered, Joel is in danger of losing his job for coddling an outsider.
To The North will close this year’s QCinema International Film Festival.
SHORT FILMS FROM ASIA
Specially curated short films from the region, including the Philippines, are featured in the Asian Shorts Programs.
This year's segment was curated by filmmaker Carlo Manatad, who chose films that range from fiction narrative, to social critique, and to experimental styles of filmmaking.
Sundance Grand Prize winner, The Headhunter’s Daughter by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, follows the story of an Igorot who leaves her family behind to try her luck as a country singer.
The film brims with imagery from the American frontier and colonial influences as it shows the protagonist navigating through the Cordilleran highlands with only her horse and guitar.
Filipino filmmaker Timmy Harn, who competed in QCinema’s 2018 main competition with Dog Days, returns to the short-form medium in this program with Papaya.
The movie is an experimental work about a granddaughter who avenges the death of her father by summoning a dreadful visitor to free herself from her scheming grandfather.
Other short films included for this year are Dancing Colors by Indonesian filmmaker M. Reza Fahriyansyah, Deepak Rauniyar’s Four Nights, and the Chinese films Lili Alone and The Water Murmurs by filmmakers Zou Jing and Story Chen, respectively.
QC SHORTS ENTRY
Movie fans can show love to young and up-and-coming Filipino filmmakers and their works through the festival.
These films are Ang Pagliligtas sa Dalagang Bukid by Jaime Morados; Bold Eagle by Whammy Alcazaren; Luzonensis mula 7 hanggang 9 by Glenn Barit; Mga Tigre ng Infanta by Rocky De Guzman Morilla; Ngatta Naddaki y Nuang? (Why did the Carabao cross the Carayan?) by Austin Tan, and Sa Ilog na Hindi Nagtatapos by JT Trinidad.
These films received production grants of PHP350,000 each.
LGBTQ-THEMED FLICKS
Diversity and inclusivity have been trademarks of QCinema for the last ten years.
This year is no different, as critically acclaimed films tackling LGBTQ themes take center stage in the festival’s RainbowQC section.
Included in this year’s edition is the award-winning film Joyland, Pakistan’s first film to premiere in Cannes and the country’s entry to the Oscar Best International Feature category.
Also part of the line-up are Angry Son by Japanese director Kasho Iizuka, and You Can Live Forever by Canadian directors Mark Slutsky and Sarah Watts.
Not to be missed is the erotic Stranger By The Lake, regarded as one of the best films of 2013.
Other films in the roster are the 2019 French historical romantic drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire, QCinema 2018 Gender Sensitivity awardee Billie and Emma, and the 2021 Queer Palm winner The Divide.
Also screening as part of the RainbowQC shorts are I Get So Sad Sometimes by Trishtan Perez; Isang Daa't Isang Mariposa by Norvin delos Santos; the silent film Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig by Vahn Leinard Pascual; Dikit by Gabriela Serrano, and How to Die Young in Manila by Petersen Vargas.
The RainbowQC Shorts are available for viewing on QCinema’s theatrical venues as well as on the Vivamax streaming platform.
“ITIM” MAKES A COMEBACK
The Digitally Restored Classics section of the festival brings beloved vintage films to life on the big screen.
Leading the charge is Mike de Leon’s 1976 psychological drama Itim (The Rites of May) starring Tommy Abuel, Mario Montenegro, Mona Lisa, and Charo Santos-Concio.
Joining the Filipino film classic is the 2000 romantic drama film In the Mood for Love directed by Wong Kar-wai.
Through the festival, viewers will get to revisit both films in vivid color and detail, and be reminded of their enduring appeal that left a lasting mark in the hearts of cinephiles.
ADVANCE AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS
The Advance Screenings section features Nanny, which was the 2022 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner; and Argentina, 1985 by Santiago Mitre, which won the Fipresci at the Venice Film Festival and is the Argentine entry at the 95th Academy Awards.
Presented in partnership with Warner Brothers Philippines are She Said by Maria Schrader and Bones and All by Luca Guadagnino.
There’s also the Special Screenings section where viewers can catch films making their Philippine premiere.
Films under this section are The Sales Girl by Janchivdorj Sengedorj, the top prize winner of the New York Asian Film Festival; Love Life by Koji Fukada, Golden Lion winner at the 79th Venice International Film Festival; The Damned Don't Cry by Fyzal Boulifa; and When The Waves Are Gone or Kapag Wala Nang Mga Alon, a black-and-white film starring John Lloyd Cruz and directed by Lav Diaz.
MIDNIGHT SERIES
Film buffs who love horror films should check out the Midnight Series section.
Catch Nocebo by Lorcan Finnegan and starring Chai Fonacier. The film tells the story of a Filipino caregiver who knows traditional folk healing.
Huesera by Michelle Garza Cervera is a Spanish-language supernatural thriller.
It premiered in Tribeca earlier this year and won the Best New Narrative director for Cervera.
Meanwhile, British-Iranian director Ana Lily Amirpour returns to local screens with her latest cult hit, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, starring Kate Hudson and Jun Jong-seo.
Visit www.qcinema.ph for more details about the programs and screening schedules.