As a continuation of our previous coverage of QCinema 2025, where we explored the festival’s first two competition sections, Asian Next Wave and RainbowQC, we now turn to the two remaining competition categories that complete the festival’s showcase of bold, boundary-pushing cinema. These are New Horizons, highlighting debut features from around the world that push creative limits, and QCShorts International, spotlighting emerging short filmmakers from Southeast Asia and beyond. Following these competitions, we also highlight the festival’s Exhibition Sections, which showcase a diverse selection of global cinema and special focus programs.
New Horizons Competition
This category celebrates innovative first features from around the world, offering audiences a glimpse of cinema’s next wave of storytellers. Competing films include:
- Amoeba by Siyou Tan (Singapore, Netherlands, France, Spain, South Korea) — Winner of Cinephilia Critics’ Award and Youth Jury Award at Pingyao International Film Festival.
- Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari (Canada, Hungary, USA) — Film within a film, Winner of Swatch First Feature Award at Locarno and Best Canadian Discovery at TIFF.
- Brand New Landscape by Danzuka Yuiga (Japan) — Southeast Asian premiere, World premiere in Director’s Fortnight at Cannes 2025.
- Chronology of Water by Kristen Stewart (USA, France, Latvia) — Southeast Asian premiere, World Premiere at Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2025.
- DJ Ahmet by Georgi Unkovski (North Macedonia, Czechia, Serbia, Croatia) — Southeast Asian premiere, Winner of World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance 2025.
- Lucky Lu by Lloyd Lee Choi (Canada, USA) — Southeast Asian premiere, Director’s Fortnight World premiere at Cannes 2025.
- Manas by Marianna Brennand (Brazil, Portugal) — Asian premiere, Winner of Director’s Award at Venice 2025.
- On Your Lap by Reza Rahadian (Indonesia) — KB Vision Audience Award and FIPRESCI Award, Busan 2025.
- The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi (Iraq, USA, Qatar) — World premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2025, Audience Award winner; Iraq’s Oscar entry.
QCShorts International
This category highlights twenty-one short films, including six world premieres from QCinema grantees:
- Hoy, Hoy, Ingat! (Hey, Hey, Take Care!) — Norvin de los Santos (Philippines), World Premiere, QCinema grantee.
- Ours Was A Timeless Night Burning — Lauviah Caliboso (Philippines), World Premiere, QCinema grantee.
- RUNO! — Racquel “Lysa” Catolico & Jazmine Gin Pateña (Philippines), World Premiere, QCinema grantee.
- Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nag Daba-Daba (Kara: The Burning Woman) — Dale (Philippines), World Premiere, QCinema grantee.
- Surface Tension — The Serrano Sisters (Philippines), World Premiere, QCinema grantee.
- Yelo — Gab Rosique (Philippines), World Premiere, QCinema grantee.
- A Metamorphosis — Lin Htet Aung (Myanmar), Winner of Tiger Short Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2025, Official Selection: Currents at New York Film Festival.
- Agapito — Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Danelle Romero (Philippines, France), World premiere at Cannes Film Festival, Honorable Mention at Toronto International Film Festival.
- As If To Nothing — Pek Jia Ho & Ang Jia Jung (Singapore), compelling exploration of memory and identity.
- Baby Fat — Margarita Mina (Philippines, USA), World Premiere, 2025 National Board of Review Student Grant Winner.
- Before the Sea Forgets — Lê Ngọc Duy (Singapore), World premiere at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2025; Official Selection at Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Queer Lisboa, and Chéries-Chéris.
- Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites — Chheangkea (Cambodia, France, USA), Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction at Sundance, Best Queer Short at Provincetown International Film Festival.
- Honey, My Love, So Sweet — JT Trinidad (Philippines), World premiere at Locarno Film Festival.
- In the Valley — Lim Han Loong (Malaysia), World premiere at Busan International Film Festival.
- Little Rebels Cinema Club — Khozy Rizal (Indonesia), Crystal Bear for Best Short Film at Berlinale, Best Live Action Short at Raindance.
- My Plastic Mother — Amar Haikal (Indonesia), World premiere at Leeds International Film Festival.
- Please P(r)ay Attention — Vasupol Suwanjuta (Thailand), World premiere at Busan International Film Festival.
- Sammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts — Rein Maychaelson (Indonesia), World premiere at Berlinale, Krakow Silver Dragon Award, NYAFF Honorable Mention.
- Visiting Heaven Gate — Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang (Vietnam, Czech Republic), Special Mention at ShorTS International Film Festival.
- Vox Humana — Don Josephus Eblahan (Philippines, USA, Singapore), World premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, Winner of Silver Wolf at Festival de Nouveau Cinema, Gold Hugo for Best Live Action Short Film at Chicago IFF.
- When the Blues Goes Marching In — Beny Kristia (Indonesia), Minikino Film Week Best National Competition Award.
Exhibition Sections
QCinema 2025’s Exhibition Sections showcase the breadth and diversity of world cinema, offering audiences a curated mix of acclaimed titles, documentaries, and short films. This year’s sections include Screen International, Before Midnight, Rediscovery, QC Selects, Dokyu Days, Focus On: Sandra Hüller, and QCShorts International (Exhibition).
Screen International
A platform for highly anticipated global releases and award-winning films:
- Couture (USA) – Opening film, a film within a film by Alice Winocour starring Angelina Jolie.
- Divine Comedy (Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey) – Film within a film exploring intricate storytelling.
- Father Mother Sister Brother (USA, Italy, France, Ireland, Germany) – Venice Film Festival 2025 Golden Lion winner.
- Hamnet (USA, UK) – People’s Choice Award winner at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival.
- History of Sound (UK, USA, Sweden) – Innovative exploration of audio and narrative.
- Little Amélie (Belgium) – Annecy International Animated Film Festival Audience Award winner.
- Once Upon a Time in Gaza (Palestine, France) – Un Certain Regard Best Director winner at Cannes 2025.
- Sirat (Spain, France) – Jury Prize at 78th Cannes Film Festival and Spain’s Oscar entry.
- The Mastermind (USA) – A sharp, contemporary drama.
- The Portuguese House (Spain, Portugal) – Internationally acclaimed narrative exploring identity and family.
- The Things You Kill (Turkey, Canada, France, Poland) – World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award winner at Sundance 2025.
Before Midnight
Exploring uncanny and extraordinary stories:
- The Garden of Earthly Delights (Netherlands, Philippines, Belgium) – Netherlands Film Festival Best Director, Cinematography, Sound, and Editing.
- Rabbit Trap (USA, UK) – Dark, suspenseful storytelling.
- Ugly Stepsister (Norway, Poland, Sweden, Denmark) – Contemporary reinterpretation of classic fairy tales.
Rediscovery
Timeless masterpieces returning to the big screen:
- Almost Famous (USA) – Classic music-driven coming-of-age story.
- Linda Linda Linda (Japan) – Beloved Japanese film celebrating youth and friendship.
- Showgirls (USA) – Cult classic re-examined for a new generation.
QC Selects
Diverse films for audiences of all stripes:
- Call My Manager (Philippines) – First two episodes of the HBO Max series.
- Human Resource (Thailand) – Venice Film Festival award winner.
- Lakambini: Gregoria de Jesus (Philippines) – Historical drama.
- Rental Family (USA/Japan) – Contemporary comedy-drama.
- Shadow Transit (Philippines) – Engaging social commentary.
- The Kings of the World (Colombia, Luxembourg, France, Mexico, Norway) – Golden Shell Best Picture winner, San Sebastián Film Festival.
- The Richest Woman in the World (France, Belgium) – Queer Palm nominee at Cannes 2025.
Dokyu Days
Documentaries and non-fiction stories that challenge and inspire:
- Below the Clouds (Italy) – Venice International Film Festival Special Jury Prize winner.
- 10s Across the Borders (Philippines, Singapore, Germany) – Captivating cross-cultural narrative.
- The Road to Sydney (USA) – Insightful and inspiring documentary.
- Treasure Hunter (USA) – Engaging real-life adventure story.
- The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia, France, USA) – Silver Lion winner, Academy Awards submission.
- 2000 Meters to Andriivka (Ukraine, USA) – Sundance 2025 premiere, Ukraine’s Academy Awards submission.
Focus On: Sandra Hüller
Co-presented with the Goethe-Institut Manila, this is a spotlight on the extraordinary range of the acclaimed German actress:
- Requiem (Germany) – Powerful performance-driven drama.
- The Zone of Interest (UK, Poland, USA) – Cannes 2023 Grand Prix winner, Academy Awards recognition.
- Toni Erdmann (Germany, Austria, Monaco, France, Switzerland, Belgium) – FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes 2016, Oscar nominee.
- Two to One (Germany) – Innovative storytelling.
- Anatomy of a Fall (France) – Palme d’Or winner, Academy Award Best Original Screenplay.
QCShorts International (Exhibition)
Award-winning short films from around the globe:
- A Very Straight Neck (Japan, China) – Best Auteur Short Film, Locarno Film Festival 2025.
- An Orange from Jaffa (Palestine, Poland) – 2025 Oscar Shortlist, Clermont-Ferrand Grand Prix winner.
- God is Shy (France) – Cannes Film Festival world premiere.
- Razeh-del (Iran, UK, Italy) – European Film Award nominee, Locarno Junior Jury Award winner.
- We Were the Scenery (USA, Canada) – Sundance Documentary Short winner, Short Dox Award at Dokufest.
The 13th Edition of QCinema runs November 14 to 23, 2025, at Gateway, Robinsons Galleria, Eastwood, Trinoma, Fishermall, and Cloverleaf. Tickets are ₱250. Visit qcinema.ph for updates.
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