THE ongoing fifth edition of QCinema International Film Festival is showcasing 58 films in over 10 days.
The festivities kicked off last night at Vertis North with the screening of Loving Vincent, tagged as “the world’s first fully painted feature film”.
The animated biopic of Vincent van Gogh had painting animators transform live action materials into the painting style of the 19th-century postimpressionist artist, recreating movements by animating each brushstroke. The film’s web site explains that once a frame was completed, the painting animator took a 6k resolution digital still, before working on the next frame, resulting in over 65,000 frames throughout film. At the end of each shot, the animators were left with a painting of the last frame of the shot. There are 898 shots in the film. QCinema Festival Director Ed Lejano said they wanted to continue their tradition of starting the festival with a bang through the visual spectacle produced by Oscar-winning studios Breakthru Films and Trademark Films. Last year QCinema opened with Park Chan-Wook’s erotic thriller The Handmaiden.
This year’s 10-day edition runs until October 28, and features 10 categories that are divided into two sections: Competition and Non-competition.
Leading the former is the “Circle Competition”, where out of 200 entries, only eight filmmakers made it through the final cut. The finalists were each given P1 million of production grant for the entries that they retain the proprietary rights of.
Festival organizers described in a news release that the eight-film lineup explores the “complexity of humankind” with stories of war, romance, cultural traditions and mystery.
The titles taking the spotlight this year are Khavn’s period drama Balangiga: Howling Wilderness; Christopher Gozum’s silent film Dapol Tan Payawar Na Tayug 1931 (The Ashes and Ghosts of Tayug 1931), Emerson Reyes’s exploration of eight star-crossed people in Dormitoryo (Mga Walang Katapusang Kwarto), Jobin Ballesteros’s repair love story in Kulay Lila ang Gabi na Binudburan Pa ng mga Bituin; Pam Miras’s mystery movie Medusae, Mikhail Red’s Manila drug war-centered NeoManila, James Robin Mayo’s comedy-drama The Chanters and Dominic Lim’s story of a heartbroken scriptwriter in The Write Moment.
Short films are also part of the Competition segment under the “QC Shorts” category that’s split into two groups.
On the one hand, “QC Shorts A” feature Anya ’ti Nagan Mo? (What Is Your Name?) by Ice Idanan, Babylon by Keith Deligero, Gikan Sa Ngitngit Nga Kinailadman (From The Dark Depths) by Kiri Dalena, and Kun’ Di Man by Phyllis Grae Grande. On the other hand, “QC Shorts B” carry the films Link by Mike Esteves; Love Bites by Carl Joseph Papa; Pixel Paranoia by Epoy Deyto and Si Astri Maka si Tambulah by Xeph Suarez.
QCinema is also giving support to the LGBT community once again. Six films showcasing extensive global LGBT narratives take center stage in “Rainbow QC”, including Beach Rats by Eliza Hittman, Close-Knit by Naoko Ogigami, Fathers by Palatpol Mingpornpichit, Mga Gabing Kasinghaba ng Hair Ko by Gerardo Calagui, Signature Move by Jennifer Reeder and Tom of Finland by Dome Karukoski.
There will also be a Rainbow QCinema Block Party sponsored by the Film and Development Council of the Philippines on October 21 at the Manhattan Strip in Araneta Center. Another event of the festival is the Film Industry Conference at QCinema on October 21 and 22 at Novotel Manila Araneta Center. Lejano said representatives from the global film industry will grace the event, including a couple of Asian directors whose works will be presented in the “Asian Next Wave” category.
Exhibited under that group dedicated for up-and-coming Asian filmmakers with less than three features are Dragonfly Eyes by Bing Xu, In Between Seasons by Dong-Eun Lee, Kfc by Le Binh Giang, Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts by Mouly Surya, Pop Aye by Kirsten Tan and Snow Woman by Kiki Sugino. Meanwhile, the Noncompetition section brings a mix of global sensations in “Screen International”, restored classics in “Digitally Remastered Series” and thought-provoking titles in the unrated category called “Before Midnight”. Award-winning global short films in “International Shorts”, regional films in “Cinema Rehiyon” and special screenings of thrillers will also be showcased.
The festival’s closing selection is Mike de Leon’s Filipino classic, Batch ’81. The film follows the story of the vicious cycle of brutality in a fraternity through the eyes of neophytes.
Selections of the 10-day festival can be viewed for P150 each—as tickets are partly subsidized by the Quezon City government—at Gateway Mall (Cineplex 10), Robinsons Galleria (Robinsons Movieworld), Ayala Malls Cinemas in TriNoma and UP Town Center. Films will also be screened at Cinematheque Centre Manila from October 24 to 28.
Festival passes are available on QCinema 2017’s official web site (www.qcinema.ph/2017/passes) and Facebook page (www.facebook.com/QuezonCityFilmFest). Options include a 10-screening pass, plus freebies, for P1,640; and a five-screening pass, plus freebies, for P830.
According to Quezon City Film Development Commission Cochairman Joy Belmonte, QCinema has progressed tremendously since its inception in 2013. She added, however, that there’s still much room for growth, as they look to become more than a funder of new filmmakers, and be able to serve as the “guiding light” of Philippine cinema.
“We shall continue to serve as the venue for which innovation and creativity can thrive and be nurtured. [QCinema] must be the haven for best practices in local and international filmmaking.”