Animated movie on Vincent Van Gogh to open QCinema film fest
FOR ITS fifth year, the Quezon City International Film Festival (QCinema) is opening with the big guns as viewers will be treated to an advanced screening of Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s on Oct. 19.
a biographical animated drama about painter Vincent Van Gogh, is the first “fully painted feature film” as each of the more than 65,000 frames were painted in the style of Van Gogh by 115 artists.
The movie is scheduled for wide release starting Nov. 1 in theaters nationwide.
QCinema, which prides itself as being the only film festival in the country where rights of the films in competition are owned by its creators, is mulling an increase in the seed grant from P1 million to P1.5 million for its next iteration, said Ma. Josefina BelmonteAlimurung, the city’s vice-mayor and co-chairperson of the Quezon City Film Development Council (QCFDC), during the launch of the festival lineup on Oct. 6 at Gateway Mall, Quezon City.
“I believe QCinema will [soon] be the guiding light of Philippine cinema,” said Ms. Belmonte-Alimurung in her opening address.
QCinema will run from Oct. 19-28 in various cinemas in Quezon City.
COMPETITION FILMS
Eight films will heading this year’s Circle competition — the film festival’s full feature section — and includes
by Khavn, which tells the story of an eight-year-old who flees from the town of Balangiga with his grandfather and a carabao to escape the Balangiga Massacre in 1901.
by Christopher Gozum, is another period film, this time set in 1931 and telling the story of rebel leader Pedro Calosa and the infamous Tayug Colorum Uprising in Pangasinan. A departure from the first two films,
by Emerson Reyes is a comedy about seven people living in a dormitory owned by a strict widow talking about their collective experiences.
by Jon Stefan “Jobin” Ballesteros is about an estranged couple who join a retreat program where they are given free rein to fix their marriage in any way possible.
by Pam Miras tells the story of a documentarist whose own son disappears while she is filming the disappearances of first born sons on a remote island.
Mikhail Red — director of the country’s official entry to this year’s Academy Awards, — presents a film that takes a closer look on the violent war on drugs by telling the story of an orphaned teen who becomes part of a notorious death squad.
by Dominic Lim is a romantic comedy about a heartbroken writer who is trying to get back with an ex through a script, but instead finds himself living out the scenes he has written.
Finally, by Robin Mayo is a comedy-drama about a the granddaughter of the last chanter of the Panay Bukidnon tribe who is obsessed with pop culture and wants to be a TV star. With her grandfather suffering the onset of dementia, the girl is then by Gerardo Calagui, Jennifer Reeder, and Dome Karukoski.
The Asian Next Wave competition section meanwhile features up-andcoming Asian filmmaker (those with less than three features under their belt) including by Bing Xu,
by Dong-Eun Lee, by Le Binh Giang, by Mouly Surya, by Kiki Sugino, and Kirsten Tan.
NON-COMPETITION SECTIONS
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Aside from the various competitions, there are a number of sections featuring non-competition films including remastered films in its Digitally Remastered series including by Gil Portes, by Danny Zialcita, by Mario by Pedro by Michaelangelo by Mike
O’ Hara, Almodovar, Antonioni, and Nichols.
Films from across the globe will also be screened in the Screen International section, including by Robin Campillo, Zvyagintsev, by Yorgos Lanthimos, and Ruben Ostlund.
Controversial titles will also be shown in the Before Midnight section, including by Trent Haaga,
by Jean-Stephane by Andrey by Sauvaire,
by Eva Husson, and Coralie Fargeat.
Thrillers such as Davy Chou, by Aurel Ayson, and by S. Leo Chaing and Johnny Symons will be shown in the Special Screenings section.
QCinema’s collection of films created by different regional directors will be screened in Cinema Rehiyon section.
Finally, aside from the various screenings, QCinema will also be hosting the Film Industry Conference, in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, from Oct. 21-22 at the Novotel Manila Araneta Center. —
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