A Kristen Stewart-directed romance, a flock of Cannes picks across Philippine and international cinema, and not one, but two Paul Mescal films are just some of the many cinematic joys that cinephiles can look forward to at this year’s QCinema International Film Festival.
For the past 12 years, cinephiles across the country have gathered at QCinema to catch screenings of both local and international new releases. This year, the fest returns for its 13th edition, bringing nine sections dedicated to full-length features and five for short films.
Across all sections, QCinema sees multiple titles either created in the Philippines or in collaboration with countries across the globe. The first two episodes of Erik Matti’s HBO Max series Call My Manager will be premiering in the QC Selects section, alongside Arjanmar Rebeta and Jeffrey Jeturian’s Lakambini: Gregoria De Jesus. In the Asian Next Wave Section, Cinemalaya darling Open Endings, directed by Nigel Santos will join Janus Victoria’s Diamonds in the Sands, which will finally premiere in the Philippines after making waves in film festivals abroad.
The QCShorts International lineup in particular sees a number of Philippine-made shorts, including the six QCShorts 2025 grantees, such as director Norvin de los Santos’ Hoy, Hoy, Ingat!, Dale’s Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nag Daba-Daba, and Gab Rosique’s Yelo. JT Trinidad’s Honey, My Love, So Sweet, which made its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival this year, will also be in competition.
Across all competition sections, it’s clear that multiple titles have found success on the international festival circuit, particularly at the Cannes Film Festival. Philippine-driven titles such as the short film Agapito and Filipino co-produced family drama Renoir will be screened in the QCShorts International and Asian Next Wave sections, respectively. The Thai dark fantasy comedy A Useful Ghost, the queer thriller The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo, and the biographical romance drama The Chronology of Water, directed by Kristen Stewart, are just among the many Cannes picks that will also be gracing QCinema’s screens.
Beyond the main competition, the festival also promises attendees with several exhibition sections, which showcase the breadth of world cinema today. This year, guests can look forward to the Screen International section, which brings some of the most acclaimed new releases to Philippine theaters; Before Midnight, which offers restored classics and undiscovered titles; Rediscovery, which brings timeless masterpieces to the big screen; QC Selects, which honors homegrown films; and QCShorts International, which spotlights the latest exciting short film releases.
Making its debut at this year’s festival are Dokyu Days, QCinema’s new non-fiction showcase, as well as the Focus On section, which will highlight Academy Award nominee Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall, The Zone of Interest, Toni Erdmann) for its first year.
This year’s lineup for Screen International sees a number of exciting titles from Hollywood, including Hamnet and The History of Sound, both of which star Paul Mescal. While Hamnet, directed by Chloe Zhao (Nomadland), sees Mescal playing William Shakespeare alongside his wife (Jessie Buckley), The History of Sound features the actor starring alongside Josh O’Connor as two young men in love during World War I. O’Connor’s other cinematic release this year, the museum heist drama The Mastermind, will also be showcased in the Screen International section.
The festival will hold screenings at Gateway, Robinsons Galleria, Eastwood, Trinoma, Fishermall, and Cloverleaf.
The full lineup of this year’s QCinema can be found below.
Asian Next Wave:
- A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany)
- Diamonds in the Sand by Janus Victoria (Japan, Malaysia, Philippines)
- Family Matters by Pan Ke-yin (Taiwan) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Ky Nam Inn by Leon Le (Vietnam) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Lost Land by Akio Fujimoto (Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Luz by Flora Lau (China, Hong Kong)
- Open Endings by Nigel Santos (Philippines) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Renoir by Chie Hayakawa (Japan)
- The World of Love by Yoon Ga-Eun (South Korea) — Southeast Asian premiere
RainbowQC:
- 3670 by Park Joon-Ho (South Korea) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Bel Ami by Geng Jun (France, Taiwan) — Southeast Asian premiere
- The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes (Chile) — Southeast Asian premiere
- On the Road by David Pablos (Mexico) — Asian premiere
- Skin of Youth by Ash Mayfair (Vietnam, Singapore, Japan) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Strange River by Jaume Claret Muxart (Spain, Germany) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Summer’s Camera by Divine Sung (South Korea)
- The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi (France, Germany) — Southeast Asian premiere
New Horizons:
- Amoeba by Siyou Tan (Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea)
- Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari (Canada, Hungary, USA)
- Brand New Landscape by Danzuka Yuiga (Japan) — Southeast Asian premiere
- The Chronology of Water by Kristen Stewart (USA, France, Latvia) — Southeast Asian premiere
- DJ Ahmet by Georgi Unkovski (North Macedonia, Czechia, Serbia, Croatia) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Lucky Lu by Lloyd Lee Choi (Canada, USA) — Southeast Asian premiere
- Manas by Marianna Brennand (Brazil, Portugal) — Asian premiere
- On Your Lap by Reza Rahadian (Indonesia)
- The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi (Iraq, USA, Qatar)
QCShorts:
- Hoy, Hoy, Ingat! (Hey, Hey, Take Care!) by Norvin de los Santos (Philippines) — World Premiere
- Ours Was A Timeless Night Burning by Lauviah Caliboso (Philippines) — World Premiere
- RUNO! by Racquel “Lysa” Catolico and Jazmine Gin Pateña (Philippines) — World Premiere
- Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nag Daba-Daba (Kara: The Burning Woman) by Dale (Philippines)
- Surface Tension by The Serrano Sisters (Philippines) — World Premiere
- Yelo by Gab Rosique (Philippines) — World Premiere
- A Metamorphosis by Lin Htet Aung (Myanmar)
- Agapito by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero (Philippines, France) — World premiere
- As If To Nothing by Pek Jia Ho and Ang Jia Jung (Singapore)
- Baby Fat by Margarita Mina (Philippines, USA) — World Premiere
- Before the Sea Forgets by Lê Ngọc Duy (Singapore)
- Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea (Cambodia, France, USA)
- Honey, My Love, So Sweet by JT Trinidad (Philippines)
- In the Valley by Lim Han Loong (Malaysia)
- Little Rebels Cinema Club by Khozy Rizal (Indonesia)
- My Plastic Mother by Amar Haikal (Indonesia)
- Please P(r)ay Attention by Vasupol Suwanjuta (Thailand)
- Sammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts by Rein Maychaelson (Indonesia)
- Visiting Heaven Gate by Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang (Vietnam, Czech Republic)
- Vox Humana by Don Josephus Eblahan (Philippines, USA, Singapore
- When the Blues Goes Marching In by Beny Kristia (Indonesia)
Screen International:
- Couture by Alice Winocour (USA)
- Divine Comedy by Ali Asgari (Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey)
- Hamnet by Chloé Zhao (USA, UK)
- History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus (UK, USA, Sweden)
- Little Amélie by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han (Belgium)
- Once Upon a Time in Gaza by Tarzan and Arab Nasser (Palestine, France)
- Sirat by Oliver Laxe (Spain, France)
- The Mastermind by Kelly Reichardt (USA)
- The Things You Kill by Alireza Kahatami (Turkey, Canada, France, Poland)
Before Midnight:
- The Garden of Earthly Delights by Morgan Knibbe (Netherlands, Philippines, Belgium)
- Rabbit Trap by Bryn Chainey (USA, UK)
- Ugly Stepsister by Emilie Blichfeldt (Norway, Poland, Sweden, Denmark)
Rediscovery
- Almost Famous by Cameron Crowe (USA)
- Linda Linda Linda by Nobuhiro Yamashita (Japan)
- Showgirls by Paul Verhoeven (USA)
QCSelects
- Call My Manager by Erik Matti (Philippines)
- Human Resource by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (Thailand)
- Lakambini: Gregoria de Jesus by Arjanmar Rebeta and Jeffrey Jeturian (Philippines)
- Shadow Transit by Pedring Lopez (Philippines)
- Rental Family by Hikari (USA/Japan)
- The Richest Woman in the World by Thierry Klifa (France)
