In its debut year with a dedicated focus on the Southeast Asian region, the QCinema Project Market (QPM), which serves as the official industry program of the QCinema Film Festival, has unveiled its final selection of feature film projects. A total of twenty (20) projects will compete for grants and prizes exceeding $400,000.
Ed Lejano, the Festival Director of QCinema, expressed, “We are elevating the QCinema Experience as we launch our inaugural project market this year, replete with substantial production grants. While our local grants faced a temporary setback due to the pandemic, they are now back, with P 3 Million allocated for three Filipino features and $35,000 for three Southeast Asian features. Furthermore, in collaboration with our numerous international partners, an array of additional funding opportunities will be available. Through our new QCinema Project Market, these valuable financial packages hold the potential to propel regional film industries to unprecedented heights.”
On the evening of October 10th, during the concluding night of the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Content and Film Market, QCinema hosted the QPM Cinema Night. This event was an official launch of the program and a celebration attended by festival and market delegates. The announcement of the selected projects was jointly made by Liza Diño, Executive Director of the Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC) and Managing Director of QPM, Ed Lejano, and Manet Dayrit, President of the QCinema Film Foundation.
Diño expressed, “We take immense pride in the considerable number of project submissions we received from both established and emerging talents in the region. In our inaugural year, our sincere aim is to foster connections between the Philippines and Southeast Asia, enabling these remarkable and authentic stories to come to life. We are honored to bring investors, companies, film funders, and decision-makers from across the region and the world to ensure the success of all the projects at QPM.”
The Selection Committee, comprising Matthieu Darras of Tatino Films, Jongsuk Thomas Nam of Bucheon International Film Festival NAFF Project Market, acclaimed Filipino director Paolo Villaluna, and Manet Dayrit, was responsible for selecting the Filipino and Southeast Asian projects. Dayrit remarked, “Narrowing down the selection to just 20 projects from the 65 submissions was a challenging yet inspiring process for the Committee. We were deeply impressed by the immense talent and creative potential of the filmmakers in this region, and we hope that QPM can facilitate the transformation of these projects into fully realized films that audiences can soon savor on the big screen.”
The QPM is scheduled to be a prominent feature of the 11th QCinema International Film Festival, taking place from November 18 to 20, 2023. Its primary objective is to pave the way for Southeast Asian partnerships and collaborations, with the aim of producing more regional films and content. As the official industry arm of the Festival, QPM also takes pride in bringing international decision-makers into contact with the luminaries of Southeast Asian cinema.
Notable participants in QPM include major players like Amazon, post-production facilities such as Singapore-based Mocha Chai Laboratories and Space Lion Studios, and film funds such as Purin Pictures in Thailand, all of whom have joined as decision-makers. Mocha Chai Laboratories and Space Lion Studios will offer post-production prizes, while CMB Film Services, the premier film equipment company in the Philippines, will serve as a decision-maker and offer a prize for camera and equipment rental to a selected project. Tatino Film’s Pop Up Residency in Europe will also present a residency award.
Additionally, QPM and QCinema have forged a partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines to provide this year’s Co-Production Grants.
LIST OF SELECTED PROJECTS:
1. The Burning Giants (Thailand)
Director: Phuttiphong Aroonpheng
Producer: Mai Meksawan
2. The Sea is calm tonight (Vietnam)
Director: Lê Bảo
Producer: Weijei Lai
3. The Fox King (Malaysia)
Director: Woo Ming Jin
Producer: Edmund Yeo
4. Trinity (Singapore)
Director: Boo Junfeng
Producer: Raymond Phathanavirangoon
5. The Beer Girl in Yangon (Myanmar)
Director: Sein Lyan Tun
Producer: John Badalu Matulatan
6. Don’t Cry Butterfly (Vietnam)
Director: Duong Dieu Linh
Producer: Tan Si En
7. Tale of The Land (Indonesia)
Director: Loeloe Hendra
Producer: Yulia Evina Bhara
8. The Drought (Singapore)
Director: Nelson Yeo
Producer: Tan Si En and Sophia Sim
9. Hold My Gaze (Philippines)
Director: Carlo Catu
Producer: Bradley Liew & April Batican
10. Underworld (Philippines)
Director: Isabel Sandoval
Producer: Alemberg Ang
11. Violet Flower (Philippines)
Director: Jerome Zamora
Producer: Wilfedo Manalang
12. Lost Memories in Transit (Philippines)
Director: Austin Tan
Producer: Stelle Laguda
13. The Boy and The Fight of Spiders (Philippines)
Director: Jarell Serencio
Producer: Alex Poblete
14. Filipiñana(Philippines)
Director: Rafael Manuel
Producer: Jeremy Chua & Bradley Liew
15. Cangrejos (Philippines)
Director: Zurich Chan
Producer: Gale Osorio,
16. Girl On The Turtle’s Back (Philippines)
Director: Paul Sta. Ana
Producer: Alemberg Ang, Monica Montejo, and Iana Celest Bernardez
17. The Remotes (Philippines)
Director: John Torres
Producer: John Torres
18. Ella Arcangel: Ballad of Tooth and Claw (Philippines)
Director: Mervin Malonzo
Producer: Emmanuel Angeles
19. RIA (Philippines)
Director: Arvin Belarmino
Producer: Kristine De Leon
20. “A” Chasing “B” (Philippines)
Director: Dan Villegas
Producer: Antoinette Jadaone
