QCinema International Film Festival is taking its biggest step yet. QCinema Industry 2025 introduces a new film market, a stronger gender equity platform, and a focus on documentary storytelling.
The festival reinforces Quezon City’s growing reputation as a creative hub in Southeast Asia. Recently designated a UNESCO Creative City of Film, one of the first Southeast Asian cities to earn the recognition, Quezon City is shaping the region’s film ecosystem.
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“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 and led by Executive Director Liza Diño, QCinema Industry has become a hub for co-production, training, and creative policy. “We’re reimagining what an industry platform in Southeast Asia can be,” Diño said.
The QCinema Project Market QPM connects filmmakers with producers and investors, featuring projects from nearly every Southeast Asian country, including Filipino titles Amateur, Daddy Cool, Jollywood, and What’s Left of Us. “QCinema Industry is more than an annual gathering it’s a platform for discovery,” Diño added.
A new partnership with the Film Academy of the Philippines FAP, led by Paolo Villaluna, aims to professionalize film guilds and strengthen creative labor. “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,” Villaluna said.
HER CITY highlights women in film with panels on gender parity, the first Southeast Asian Actresses Roundtable, and the HER CITY Manifesto guiding Quezon City’s gender-inclusive policies. “HER CITY is our commitment to amplifying women’s voices across every part of the creative chain from policy and production to performance,” Diño said.
Other initiatives include Asian Next Wave, a three-day forum on skills and collaboration, and Dokyu Days, a two-day program celebrating documentaries as a tool for social impact.
“Every film starts with a single vision, but it takes a community to bring it to life,” Lejano said. “QCinema continues to be that space where creativity thrives, diversity is celebrated, and filmmakers are empowered to tell stories that matter.”
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