‘QCinema Project Market 2024’ Championing Southeast Asian Stories and Industry Collaboration

THE QCinema International Film Festival (QCIFF) proudly announces the second year of the QCinema Project Market (QPM), scheduled to take place from November 14 to 16, 2024.

Alongside the much-anticipated Asian Next Wave Film Forum and Creative Industries Day, these events offer filmmakers, directors, producers, and industry leaders unparalleled opportunities for collaboration, learning, and networking.

QPM serves as an industry platform connecting Southeast Asian filmmakers with funding partners, producers, and international collaborators. The market facilitates one-on-one meetings, project presentations, and exclusive networking events for feature film projects in development.

The event aims to champion Filipino and Southeast Asian voices, bridging local talent with global opportunities through co-production grants and post-production awards. With its carefully curated lineup of projects, QPM offers critical support to ensure these works are brought to life and seen on the global stage.

“QCinema Project Market is committed to continuing to bridge collaborations with the Philippines and Southeast Asia, offering a space for co-productions that elevate our region’s stories to the world. There’s a growing number of investors in the Philippines recognizing the potential of films for the international market, and QPM aims to capitalize on this exciting opportunity. By connecting filmmakers with these investors and partners from Southeast Asia, we are driving the region’s rise as a key player in global cinema and ensuring that our stories are given the platform they deserve.” said Liza Diño, Executive Director of the Quezon City Film Commission (QCFC) and the Managing Director of QCinema Project Market.

The QPM awards are divided into ten categories, providing financial support and essential post-production services.

Three Filipino projects will receive the QPM-PH Co-Production Grant, with each project awarded PHP 2,000,000. Meanwhile, the QPM-SEA Production Prize will grant PHP 1,000,000 to one outstanding Southeast Asian project and PHP 750,000 each to two others.

Post-production services also play a significant role in the prizes. The Mocha Chai Award offers post-production support worth USD 50,000, while the Kongchak Studio Award provides USD 10,000 in sound post-production services at their studios in Cambodia. Color correction services are made available through the Central Digital Lab Award which grants two projects USD 10,000, and the Barebones Award, offering four color-correction grants of USD 14,000—two each for Filipino and Southeast Asian projects. The T6xBB Award also provides USD 14,000 worth of post-production services for one Filipino and one Southeast Asian project.

Additionally, the CMB Discovery Award offers equipment rental support of PHP 1,000,000 for one project and PHP 500,000 for another. Lastly, one project receives the Nathan Studios Development Prize of PHP 250,000, while the TAICCA Award gives a cash prize of USD 5,000.

The winners of the QPM awards will be announced on November 16, 2024.

Seven Southeast Asian projects are featured at QPM 2024, showcasing diverse narratives from the region:

The Beer Girl in Yangon (Myanmar, Indonesia), directed by Sein Lyan Tun. Picturehouse (Vietnam) by Minh-Nghiem Nguyen-Vo, Future Laobans (Myanmar) by Maung Sun, To Leave, To Stay (Cambodia) by Danech San, Other People’s Dreams (Singapore), directed by Daniel Hui, The Passport (Malaysia) by Ananth Subramaniam, I’ll Smile in September (Singapore, India) by Aakash Chhabra

13 projects from both established and upcoming Filipino filmmakers are part of QPM 2024:

Anak Alon (Daughters of the Sea), directed by Martika Ramirez Escobar, Molder by Kenneth Dagatan, My Neighbor the Gangster, directed by Mario Cornejo, Bato Bato Sa Langit Ang Tamaan Magagalit (Heaven Help Us) by Eve Baswel, Baradero (A Ship of Fools) by Keith Deligero, Lihim Na Luha (Secret Cries) by Eileen Cabiling, Inahing Baka (Mother Maybe) by Sonny Calvento, Please Bear With Me by Gabriela Serrano, Angel De Dios by Joel Ruiz, Hum by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Ewa (Eve) by Keith Sicat, The Returning by Atsuko Hirayanagi.

On November 15, 2024, QCFC will hold the Creative Industries Day, an immersive event designed to foster collaboration across sectors in the creative economy.

QCFC will host the Asian Next Wave Film Forum on November 16, 2024. This forum delves into the evolving landscape of Asian cinema, with panels and masterclasses focused on blending art-house and genre filmmaking, international co-productions, and the role of film festivals in elevating Asian stories.

Panelists include industry leaders from major festivals like Venice, Toronto, and Busan, as well as celebrated filmmakers and producers from across Southeast Asia. Attendees will gain insights into how the convergence of art and genre cinema is reshaping the region’s storytelling landscape.

Key sessions include Defining Asian Genre, which offers insights into cultural influences on Southeast Asian genre films, and Riding the Wave of Asian Financing, a series of case studies on financing strategies for filmmakers. Additional discussions feature The Next Wave of Asian Auteurs, with conversations on narrative innovation and masterclasses on marketing, sound design, and genre writing led by industry experts.

(ROHN ROMULO)