The Quezon City Film Commission and QCinema have unveiled the lineup for the second edition of the QCinema Project Market (QPM) in the Philippines. From a pool of 63 submissions across the Philippines and Southeast Asia, 20 projects have been chosen to participate.
The QPM aims to facilitate connections between filmmakers and international partners, offering around $300,000 in grants and prizes. Noteworthy from last year’s QPM, Rafael Manuel’s “Filipiniana” and Woo Ming Jin’s “Fox King” are now in post-production, while Duong Dieu Linh’s “Don’t Cry Butterfly” will make its world premiere at Venice Critics’ Week.
Highlights from the 2024 Southeast Asian selection include:
- “The Beer Girl in Yangon” (Myanmar, Indonesia) – Directed by Sein Lyan Tun and produced by Yulia Evina Bhara. Synopsis: A 17-year-old girl working at a beer station in Yangon navigates love and hallucinations following her father’s political arrest.
- “Picturehouse” (Vietnam) – Directed by Minh-Nghiem Nguyen-Vo and produced by Johann Chapelan. Synopsis: In 1960s Vietnam, a family-run movie house becomes a refuge for a boy amid wartime turmoil.
- “Future Laobans” (Myanmar) – Directed by Maung Sun and produced by Emmanuel Angeles. Synopsis: Three teenagers from a jade mining town embark on a perilous smuggling journey to China.
- “To Leave, To Stay” (Cambodia) – Directed by Danech San and produced by Daniel Mattes. Synopsis: A girl disappears after meeting a soldier online; her friend begins a desperate search.
- “Other People’s Dreams” (Singapore) – Directed by Daniel Hui and produced by Tan Si En and Joel Neo. Synopsis: Two runaways survive by stealthily stealing from the public in Singapore.
- “The Passport” (Malaysia) – Directed by Ananth Subramaniam and produced by Choo Mun Bel. Synopsis: A punk rocker confronts his cultural expectations within his working-class Indian family.
- “I’ll Smile in September” (Singapore, India) – Directed by Aakash Chhabra and produced by Fran Borgia. Synopsis: A brass band player in Old Delhi tries to move on after losing both his love and his front teeth.
Filipino projects featured in the 2024 selection include:
- “Anak Alon” (Daughters of the Sea) – Directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar and produced by Rajiv Idnani. Synopsis: The lives of three people intersect, including a tour guide who unknowingly meets her estranged father.
- “Molder” – Directed by Kenneth Dagatan and produced by Bradley Liew and Junxiang Huang. Synopsis: A Filipino immigrant in Italy battles a curse that causes physical decay.
- “My Neighbor the Gangster” – Directed by Mario Cornejo and produced by Monster Jimenez and Jon Romulo. Synopsis: A young boy’s life is disrupted when a gangster and his family move in next door.
- “Bato Bato Sa Langit Ang Tamaan Magagalit” (“Heaven Help Us”) – Directed by Eve Baswel and produced by John Torres and Jules Katanyag. Synopsis: The lives of construction workers unfold just before the 1981 Manila Film Center collapse.
- “Baradero” (“A Ship of Fools”) – Directed by Keith Deligero and produced by Gale Osorio. Synopsis: Two men are linked by a ship that witnesses historical trauma on the brink of WWII.
- “Golden” – Directed by JP Habac and produced by Omar Sortijas and Catsi Catalan. Synopsis: Homeless gay seniors reunite to revive their drag queen performances for fundraising.
- “Lihim Na Luha” (“Secret Cries”) – Directed by Eileen Cabiling and produced by Darlene Malimas and Jericho Rosales. Synopsis: A filmmaker delves into the controversial history of a 1980s film project.
- “Inahing Baka” (“Mother Maybe”) – Directed by Sonny Calvento and produced by Arden Rod Condez and Sheron Dayoc. Synopsis: A son reconnects with his mother in Tokyo and discovers her nightly transformation.
- “Please Bear With Me” – Directed by Gabriela Serrano and produced by Gale Osorio and Keith Deligero. Synopsis: In a dreamless Philippines, a mother relives her past pop star glory through paid “dream-time.”
- “Angel De Dios” – Directed by Joel Ruiz and produced by Madonna Tarrayo. Synopsis: A bank robber ends up with a baby after a heist goes awry.
- “Hum” – Directed by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan and produced by Alemberg Ang and Hannah Schierbeek. Synopsis: An earthquake impacts two land defenders turned rodeo stars haunted by their past.
- “Ewa” (“Eve”) – Directed by Keith Sicat and produced by Sari Dalena. Synopsis: A scientist on an alien world struggles to reconnect with her estranged child.
- “The Returning” – Directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi and produced by Will Manalang and Eiko Mizuno Gray. Synopsis: A homeless Japanese man in Manila joins an environmental charity that turns out to be a cult.
The QPM will be held from November 14-16 during the 12th QCinema International Film Festival in the Philippines, featuring one-on-one meetings, project presentations, and networking events. Industry professionals can apply for accreditation from September 11-30, with jury members announced on October 9. QPM also offers funding opportunities, including the QPM-PH Co-Production Grant, awarding PHP2 million ($35,390) to three Filipino projects, along with other prizes for post-production services and equipment rentals.
