QCinema names winners

MANILA, Philippines - QCinema International Film Festival revealed its award winners in a grand ceremony at the newly-built Quezon City Interactive Museum. 

Apocalypse Child, a full-length narrative film starring Sid Lucero, won the Circle Competition Best Picture and the P300,000 prize money. It was lauded “for its nuanced characterizations in an apparently simple story of friendship, loyalty and desire that unravels the fractured nature of identity and delves in how truth can sometimes be the contorted lies people tell about themselves.” The film’s director Mario Cornejo took home the Best Director award while Annicka Dolonius, one of the main members of the cast, secured the Best Supporting Actress trophy.

QCinema gave Apocalypse Child editor Lawrence Ang the Best Artistic Achievement award for having “undeniable skill in making the film float, glide and dance on waves in a frequently-overlooked aspect of filmmaking, often dismissed as technical expertise rather than as art.” 

Meanwhile, Water Lemon stars Tessie Tomas and Lou Veloso were named Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Lilit Reyes, who wrote two movies in the festival, accepted the award for Best Screenplay for the film directed by Lemuel Lorca. The story, set in the sleepy coastal town of Mauban, Quezon follows the story of an aging mother, her brilliant son with Asperger Syndrome and an old man who owns a computer shop.

Mihk Vergara’s Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo was tagged as the Audience Choice winner. It was also conferred the Gender Sensitivity award. Each award comes with P50,000 cash reward.

Sleepless, a film by Prime Cruz that tracks the lives of two insomniacs who work in a call center, won the NETPAC Jury Prize for Best Picture including a P250,000 grant. Dominic Roco’s outstanding leading man performance earned him his first Best Actor award.

Dominic Roco is Best Actor for his performance in Sleepless

The NETPAC Jury Prize for Best Documentary went to Sheryn Dayoc’s Crescent Rising for “being an urgent document in clarifying the current issues of the jihad and the basic law involving the Bangsamoro homeland and through risky filmmaking, for conveying a brave summary of a historical moment.” The group also received P200,000 cash prize along with the trophy.

QCinema 2015 continues to expand its horizon by supporting the innovative works of homegrown filmmakers. On its third year, the festival was able to fund eight short films and five documentaries. Well-curated movie sections and exceptional film discourses were also added to its offerings.

Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte recounted the history of the festival, “As you know, we only started three years ago with three films. Last year, we had only one film with a couple of shorts. But this year, we were able to fund eight full-length feature films from a total of 168 entries. And that is quite an achievement for a fledgling film commission like ours. But I think it all begins with a dream. It has always been the dream and vision of the leadership of the city that Quezon City becomes the art and culture capital of the Philippines. And when you have a dream, you can make anything happen.”

Meanwhile, the city will soon launch its interactive museum that houses a 100-percent interactive gallery and 150-seater theater. “We want to show our young people that art and culture can be hip,” Belmonte said.