QCinema reels off

I love Quezon City. Borongan is my home and birthplace. QC is my second home and workplace. 

I am particularly excited about one of the projects of the Quezon City government, QCinema. It’s a festival that pays tribute to cinema.

I am a cineaste. I have produced movies — Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio (Mario O Hara’s last directorial job), Astig and Intoy Syokoy, all for Cinemalaya. 

I congratulate the QC government, headed by mayor Herbert Bautista, courtesy of the Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC) led by Vice Mayor Ma. Josefina “Joy” Belmonte and festival director Ed Lejano, for organizing the QCinema International Film Festival which opened Oct. 13 and runs until Oct. 22 at Trinoma, Gateway Cinemas, Robinsons Galleria and UP Town Center.

The festival, themed One City to the World, is a boon for filmmakers, especially those who are just starting. It provided a P1M grant for makers of full-length films and P100,000 for short films. 

 A series of  film forums were held at the QCX, the new museum complex of the Quezon Memorial Circle. Topics to be discussed are Road to QCinema: The Filmmaker’s Journey (today, 1 to 4 p.m.), Wide Wild World of Web Criticism and Perspectives On National Cinema (Oct.19), Charting the Course of Regional Cinema (Oct. 20, 1 to 4 p.m.) and Film Funding: Who Can I Turn To? (Oct. 21, 1 to 4 p.m.).

This filmfest  has now a new section called the Asian Next Wave. It screens works of Asian filmmakers with less than two directorial features.

Thus, you get to watch By the Time It Gets Dark directed by Thailand’s Anocha Suwichakornpong; Old Stone, Johnny Ma’s Chinese-Canadian collaboration film; Filipino-Malaysian movie Singing in Graveyards; Solo, Solitude directed by Indonesia’s Yosep Anggi Noen; Singaporean film Apprentice and our very own Anton Juan’s Woven Wings of Our Children.

Park Chan-wook’s Cannes winner The Handmaiden opened the festival, while the Screen International section premiered acclaimed films shown in international festivals.

Seven new features and eight short films funded by the QCFDC will also be shown. Creators retain ownership of their films which form part of the Circle Competition. 

Short films from #QCShorts, the only local funding platform for short films will also be screened.

QCinema commemorates the 20th death anniversary of Polish auteur Krzysztof Kie?lowski by screening his trilogy on the European reunification titled Blue (1993), White (1994) and Red (1994).

The LGBT experience comes alive in RainbowQC featuring works from the US, Thailand, Sweden and Germany.

Back ThrowBack, a trip down memory lane, features digitally-restored screen gems Kasal directed by Laurice Guillen and Haplos filmed by Butch Perez. 

Cinema Rehiyon compiles regional titles from Mindanao Rising, Across Luzon and Visayas and Ilonggo Tales of Horror and Imagination. Also included is the Manila premiere of the new Cebuano indie Superpsychocebu.

Restored versions of acclaimed filmmaker Mike de Leon’s Kung Mangarap Ka’t Magising, Hindi Nahahati ang Langit and Kakabakaba Ka Ba? take film lovers back to the glory days of Philippine cinema.

Louie Ignacio’s Area and Kohki Hasei’s Blanka will be shown in the Pinoy Spotlight section.

—With reports from Almed Garcia and Julian Mauricio