QCinema Project Market (QPM) 2025 has officially unveiled its 21 finalists, highlighting the most promising Southeast Asian and Filipino narrative films in mid to advanced development. Selected from 60 submissions, the finalists include 12 projects from the Philippines and 9 from other Southeast Asian countries, reflecting the program’s commitment to supporting diverse regional voices and connecting them with global producers and benefactors.
The finalist selection forms the core of this year’s QPM, offering filmmakers the opportunity to present their projects in one-on-one meetings with industry partners, deliver 8-minute closed-door pitches to the jury, and participate in networking events designed to advance their projects toward production.
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An awards night will be held on November 22, featuring the Quezon City Best Project Award, which grants ₱1 million to the project demonstrating exceptional cinematic excellence. The jury includes Brad Liew and Manet Dayrit of the Philippines, Riina Sildos of Estonia, Ming-Jung Kuo of Taiwan, and Irene Soriano and Michael Werner of the United States.
The 21 finalists are:
- The Void is Immense in Idle Hours (Philippines) – Two women search for a disappeared boy, confronting shared grief and guilt in a violent world.
- The River Knows Our Names (Có Dòng Sông Biết) (Vietnam) – A girl living on a Mekong houseboat longs for a birthday celebration while her family faces displacement and ecological collapse.
- KOMIXXX (Philippines) – A director and soft-porn actress collaborate on an erotic comic, questioning whether their dreams will love them back.
- Luzonensis Floresiensis (Philippines) – A caveman and cavewoman explore ancestral history, reflecting connections between Filipinos and Indonesians.
- Dear Wormwood (Philippines) – A resurrected mother with a cursed touch meets another mother living with exiled women, raising questions about miracles and divine nature.
- Dancing Gale (Indonesia) – A grieving mother summons the supernatural to bring back her daughter, angering the Earth.
- Sentinel (Philippines) – Five interconnected stories reveal a school’s secrets after a student witnesses a military hazing incident.
- What’s Left Of Us (Philippines) – A neurological condition erases memory, causing mass hysteria and fear of identity loss.
- There Is, There Isn’t (Meron, Wala) (Philippines) – A veteran cockfighter uncovers disappearances in his circle, including his son, confronting poverty and violence.
- JOLLYWOOD (Philippines) – A viral content creator must choose between family hustles and his dream of becoming a nurse.
- Amateur (Philippines) – A basketball MVP faces high-risk choices and spirals into obsession after a crushing finals loss.
- Daddy Cool (Philippines) – During Martial Law, a secretary rises to power, becoming a Marcos crony amid rivalry and romance.
- Ghost of the Currents (ผีเงือก / Phee-Nguek) (Thailand) – A Naga spirit reveals the ecological consequences of Mekong River dams after a flood.
- Jaguar (Philippines) – A condominium security guard witnesses a violent altercation and faces moral dilemmas.
- Ozzy and Onnie (Philippines) – Two students navigate a tense 1996 Manila romance amid family and political pressures.
- Penumbra (Singapore) – A prison escapee washes ashore and is taken in by an old man, exploring guilt and mythology.
- Ray of Light (Thailand) – A young actress resists industry pressures while finding solace with a veteran lighting technician.
- Romdoul, the evening of fragrance (រំដួល) (Cambodia) – A journalist encounters her estranged mother and grandmother at the Preah Vihear border, confronting loss.
- Strange Root (Keinginan) (Singapore) – In 1024 AD Singapore, a yam-borne demigod contends with a foreign beast threatening his authority.
- The Willing (Rela) (Malaysia) – Two young companions face rebellion, addiction, and difficult choices.
- When the World is Paused (ဆုံမှတ်) (Myanmar) – Two fated individuals reconnect after a coma, linked through prophetic dreams and youth defiance.
The selection of these 21 projects underscores QPM’s mission to foster Southeast Asian cinema, providing filmmakers with the resources and exposure needed to develop their stories for international audiences. Each finalist now moves forward into meetings, pitches, and networking that could determine the next wave of regional cinema.
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