QCinema 2025 and what it means to be a Creative City of Film

THE QCINEMA International Film Festival ended this week, its theme “Film City” celebrating Quezon City’s (QC) recent designation as a UNESCO Creative City of Film. In line with this, all of the screenings were held in malls there — Gateway 2, TriNoma, Cloverleaf, Fisher Mall, and Robinson’s Galleria.

Back in October, UNESCO declared Quezon City as one of two Creative Cities of Film this year, the other one being Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. They are the third and fourth Asian Creative Cities of Film, after Busan in South Korea and Yamagata in Japan.

Another Philippine city that was recognized was Dumaguete City, as UNESCO Creative City of Literature.

“QCinema has been the rising star and has been considered as one of the top festivals in Asia,” QCinema artistic director Ed Lejano told the press at the sidelines of the festival. “It’s relatively young, at 13 years old, but it has already made an impact in the region of Southeast Asia.”

With the efforts of the QC Film Commission led by Liza Diño and with the support of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, the two-year application finally bore fruit this year.

Ms. Belmonte said on opening night that the title only means they must continue to cultivate QC’s “thriving creative economy.” Some initiatives that have been made in the past year include putting up a dedicated film permits office, discussions with media workers about fair labor practices, and training programs for film development, production, and marketing.

QCinema’s industry talks throughout the past week tackled topics like advocating for safe working conditions to uplift the local film workforce and studying Asian co-productions with other countries.

Mr. Lejano said at the awards night on Nov. 19 that QCinema’s film lineup is “a reflection of a continued thrust as a platform of discovery.”

He explained that, among the 18 titles in the three feature competition sections, debut films or second features dominated the lineups. One way they made these films by new and emerging filmmakers more accessible this year was lowering the ticket prices to P250, from P300 last year. — Brontë H. Lacsamana

The winners this year are:

Alexis Tioseco and Nica Bohinc Award for Emerging Critics – Lebron Ponce

Critics Prize for QCShorts International – Hoy, Hoy, Ingat! by Norvin De los Santos

2nd Critics Prize awardee – Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nag Daba-Daba by Dale

ASIAN NEXT WAVE AWARDS
Best Picture – A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke

Grand Jury Prize – Lost Land by Akio Fujimoto

Best Director – Chie Hayakawa for Renoir

Best Lead Performances – Yui Suzuki in Renoir

Best Screenplay – Janus Victoria for Diamonds in the Sand

Artistic Achievement – Rasiguet Sookkarn for A Useful Ghost

NEW HORIZONS AWARD
Best Film – Amoeba by Tan Siyou

Jury Prize – Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari

NETPAC Best First Film – On Your Lap by Reza Rahadian

RAINBOW QC AWARD
Best LGBTQ Film – The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes

Special Mention – Summer’s Camera by Divine Sung

Jury Prize – Strange River by Jaume Claret Muxart

QCSHORTS INTERNATIONAL
Best Short Film – Honey, My Love, So Sweet by JT Trinidad

Jury Prize – A Metamorphosis by Lin Htet Aung

Special Mention – Little Rebels Cinema Club (Ensemble) by Khozy Rizal

Gender Sensitivity Award – Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nagdaba-daba by Dale

Best QCinema-funded Short – Surface Tension by The Serrano Sisters