QCinema Industry 2025 expands regional reach w/New Film Market, Gender Equity Push, and Documentary Focus

 

The QCinema International Film Festival has unveiled its most ambitious industry lineup to date, expanding its regional footprint across Southeast Asia with the launch of a new film market, a stronger gender equity platform, and a major focus on documentary storytelling.

Held at Noctos Music Bar in Quezon City, the QCinema Industry Media Conference 2025 set the tone for the festival’s upcoming edition—positioning the Philippine capital as a rising force in regional film development and collaboration.

“QCinema has always been a space where stories meet purpose,” said Festival Director Ed Lejano. “Our goal is not just to showcase films, but to create connections that empower filmmakers and make Quezon City a home for Southeast Asian cinema.”

Organized by the Quezon City Film Commission (QCFC) under the Office of the City Mayor and led by Executive Director and Head of QCinema Industry Liza Diño, the QCinema Industry platform continues to evolve into a regional hub for co-production, training, and creative policy—a move aligned with the city’s ongoing bid to become a UNESCO Creative City of Film.

“We’re reimagining what an industry platform in Southeast Asia can be,” said Diño. “QCinema Industry connects talent, institutions, and policy under one ecosystem—one that reflects our region’s strength, diversity, and shared creative voice.”

Expanding Southeast Asia’s Creative Network
At the heart of QCinema’s industry programming is the QCinema Project Market (QPM), which this year features projects from nearly every Southeast Asian country except Brunei—a record milestone for the initiative.

The Philippine lineup includes Amateur, Daddy Cool, Dear Wormwood, Jaguar, Jollywood, KOMIXXX, Luzonensis and Floresiensis, Ozzy and Onie, Sentinel, The Void is Immense in Idle Hours, There Is, There Isn’t (Meron, Wala), and What’s Left of Us.
The regional slate spans Ghost of the Currents (Thailand), Penumbra (Singapore), Ray of Light (Thailand), Romdoul, the Evening Fragrance (Cambodia), Strange Root (Singapore), The River Knows Our Names (Vietnam), The Willing (Rela)(Malaysia), and When the World Is Paused (Myanmar).

“QCinema Industry is more than an annual gathering—it’s a platform for discovery,” said Diño. “We’re building bridges between Filipino and Southeast Asian storytellers to shape a film culture that is globally recognized but rooted in our identity.”

A Landmark Partnership: Film Academy of the Philippines

This year also marks a landmark partnership between QCinema Industry and the revitalized Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), now under the Office of the President and led by Director General Paolo Villaluna.

The collaboration underscores a shared commitment to professionalizing the screen sector, strengthening guilds, and empowering creative labor across the Philippines and the region. FAP serves as a co-presenter of key QCinema Industry programs—including the Asian Next Wave Film Forum, QCinema Project Market, and Dokyu Days—further integrating policy, training, and global connectivity into the festival’s growing ecosystem.

“This partnership signifies a unified industry vision,” said Villaluna. “Together, we’re ensuring that Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmakers are equipped not only to tell their stories—but to sustain the industries behind them.”

A New Marketplace for Filipino Creativity

Among the biggest announcements is the launch of the QCinema Film Market (QFM)—a pilot initiative designed to establish a Southeast Asian marketplace for film production and services.

Modeled after the American Film Market and Busan’s Asian Film Market, QFM brings together 15 exhibitors from Quezon City’s leading production, post-production, and distribution companies, connecting them with global buyers and collaborators from the QPM network.

“This is where creative collaboration meets commerce,” said Diño. “QFM will help local companies expand globally and position Quezon City as Southeast Asia’s production and post-production hub.”

HER CITY: Women Take the Lead

This year’s Creative Industries Day puts women at the forefront through HER CITY: Women Shaping Sustainable Film Cities, co-presented by the French Embassy and Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC).

The program features “Gender Parity in Cinema: Lessons from France, Visions for Asia” and the first-ever Southeast Asian Actresses Roundtable, led by Iza Calzado (Philippines), Claresta Taufan (Indonesia), Qymira (Malaysia), and other top actresses from Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.

The day concludes with the signing of the HER CITY Manifesto, a gender-inclusive roadmap that will
inform Quezon City’s UNESCO Creative City of Film policies.

“HER CITY is our commitment to amplifying women’s voices across every part of the creative chain—from policy and production to performance,” said Diño.

Asian Next Wave: Ideas for the Future

Under Manet Dayrit, the Asian Next Wave Film Forum expands into a three-day summit of masterclasses, case studies, and policy dialogues, focusing on sustainability, innovation, and
regional solidarity.

The 2025 edition—presented in partnership with the Film Academy of the Philippines—carries the theme: “Beyond the Spotlight: Building Skills, Craft, and Ecosystems for a Future-Ready Southeast Asian Cinema.”

Recognizing that directors and actors may be the faces of cinema, the forum highlights the often-unseen professionals who make filmmaking possible—producers, designers, editors, assistant directors, line producers, and sound artists.

Panels and masterclasses will equip regional creatives with the tools, networks, and knowledge needed to build a resilient and inclusive industry—anchored in the mission to professionalize Southeast Asia’s creative workforce.

“Asian Next Wave is where Southeast Asia’s creative forces converge,” said Dayrit. “It’s about developing skills, empowering craftspeople, and future-proofing our regional cinema.”

Documentary Frontlines: Dokyu Days

Another major addition, QCinema Dokyu Days, presented in partnership with Daang Dokyu and the Film Academy of the Philippines, celebrates nonfiction storytelling as a vehicle for social impact.
Featuring Atom Araullo, Jeff Canoy, Thara Brown, Monster Jimenez, and Marlon Rivera, the two-day program will include screenings, advocacy discussions, and an Impact Lab led by Hollie Fifer (Doc Society).

“Documentary is the conscience of cinema,” said Kara Alikpala, who leads the initiative. “Through Dokyu Days, we’re creating space for stories that not only inform but inspire change.”

A Regional Hub in the Making

With its six interlinked programs—QPM, QFM, HER CITY, Asian Next Wave, Dokyu Days, and Critics Lab—QCinema Industry 2025 stands as a model of how art, policy, and industry can converge to power an inclusive creative economy.

“Every film starts with a single vision, but it takes a community to bring it to life,” said Lejano. “QCinema continues to be that space where creativity thrives, diversity is celebrated, and filmmakers are empowered to tell stories that matter.”

QCinema Industry 2025 runs from November 17–23, 2025, across Quezon City.