The Q Cinema Project Market (QPM) concluded this weekend with a cash and in-kind awards ceremony worth $442,000 for projects from the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia.
The event is part of an expanding slate of industry programming at the QCinema International Film Festival (November 8-17), one of the major film gatherings in the Philippines, hosted by Quezon City, the largest city within the vast metropolitan area of Metro Manila. .
While the festival has been running for 12 years, QPM (November 14-16) holds its second edition this year, joined by the launch of the Next Asian Wave Film Forum, a series of panel discussions, masterclasses and regional case studies. Co-production.
QPM selected 20 projects, including ten from the Philippines and ten from the rest of Southeast Asia. The winning projects included co-productions between Myanmar and Indonesia Beer girl in Yangon and upcoming works by Filipino filmmakers Martika Ramirez Escobar, Eve Paswell, and Sonny Calvento.
Lisa Deno, executive director of the Quezon City Film Commission, which organizes QPM, says the market is part of plans to boost the Philippines' position in Southeast Asia's fast-growing wave of international co-productions and producer networks. “We have been doing this work in the Philippines for several years, finding ways to collaborate with other filmmakers in Southeast Asia, and supporting that with funding,” says Dino, referring to co-productions including Vietnam and sleep and Plan 75where Filipino producers played a major role.
“But we wanted to expand our industry platform so that we can bring some continuity to our work in Southeast Asia and understand what other regions the Philippines can actually work with,” she continues. “Latin America is an obvious place to explore because of our shared Spanish heritage.”
Lack of continuity has been a growing problem in Southeast Asia over the past year, as there has been a change in the governments of many countries, inevitably affecting film policy and financing. Dineo was herself the president of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), until the change of national government after elections in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Next Wave Asian Film Forum, held for the first time this year, aims to open up all that international knowledge and experience to other producers, filmmakers, scholars and cinephiles in the Philippine film industry.
“the Vietnam and sleep “The case study was an eye-opener for local filmmakers who were making small films in the Philippines and had not yet tried to do international co-productions,” says Manit Dayrit, president of the Quezon City Film Foundation, which oversees the festival and the new festival. Forum.
But while Vietnam and sleepan eight-country co-production that premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, falls firmly into the “art house” category, and Dayrit explains that both the Forum and QPM also explore the convergence of art filmmaking and genre filmmaking.
“This year’s theme was ‘Riding the Wave: The Shift in Art and Genre Streams’ because we feel that the boundaries between art and genre are becoming entangled in Asia and we wanted to look at how to overcome this shift,” says Dayrit.
Many of the projects selected for QPM also reflected this trend – some like Kenneth Dagatan's outwearAtsuko Hirayanagi The returneesCalvento Mother maybe And Mario Cornejo My gangster neighbor It contains elements of horror, thriller, supernatural and comedy.
Meanwhile, the QCinema Film Festival is also expanding – in addition to its main competition section, Asian Next Wave, it has awarded prizes in the New Horizons section for first, second and LGBTQ+ films under the title Rainbow QC. New Horizons winners included Toxicfrom Lithuanian director SauléBliuvaité, and Ku Li never criesfrom Pham Ngoc Lan in Vietnam. In the RainbowQC competition, the prizes went to Marcelo Caetano child And Mikko Makela Sebastian.
Two Vietnamese films – Vietnam and sleep and The butterfly does not cry – He also won awards in Next Wave Asia. “It's been a strong year for Vietnamese cinema,” says Ed Lejano, artistic director of QCinema. “These films have been successful over the past three years, especially for art films, some of which are being released commercially. Philippine art cinema is also seeing more films being made through project markets and regional co-productions.
Interestingly, however, is the award-winning Filipino film in the upcoming Asian wave – Por Ocampo Moneyslapperwhich had its world premiere at QCinema and won Best Actor for John Lloyd Cruz, was not a co-production. “It was a completely independent Filipino production, but co-produced by its star,” explains Legano.
Looking at the bigger picture, Dino and Dayrit explain that the festival and industry programs are all part of a broader vision for Quezon City, which is seeking recognition as a UNESCO Creative City of Film, with the support of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. .
More than 70% of Metro Manila's film and television industry workers are based in Quezon City, which is also home to several television networks, including ABS-CBN and GMA, studio facilities and major production companies, along with the Congress of the Philippines and several national corporations. Government departments.
There are now plans to make Quezon City a more international location. “The government has very proactive plans to make Quezon City a filming destination, to bring international co-productions here, and to provide incentives and other types of support,” Dino explains.
Although it is still early days, talks are ongoing to see how the city's entertainment tax, which is levied on box office, concerts and other entertainment activities, can be used to improve the skills of local film workers and attract more international productions to Quezon City.
