Now on its 13th edition, QCinema once again brings to our shores some of the world’s best films from November 14 to 23, 2025. With the theme “Film City,” QCinema 2025 not only highlights the important role the city plays in supporting the film industry, it also gives us a glimpse of stories that talk about the power of cinema and storytelling.
This year’s festival features nine full-length sections and five shorts programs.
The opening film is Couture, starring Angelina Jolie and directed by Alice Winocour. It tells the story of an American filmmaker who arrives in Paris for Fashion Week. It had its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival in September.
The festival showcases various Competition Sections that feature an impressive lineup of movies from different parts of the world.
Screen International
Couture by Alice Winocour
An American filmmaker arrives in Paris for Fashion Week on a life-and-death journey.
Divine Comedy by Ali Asgari
An censored Iranian-Azeri filmmaker embarks on a Vespa trip to challenge the system by clandestinely screening his film in Iran.
Hamnet by Chloé Zhao
A tale of loss, romance, family, bonds, and the surrounding worlds of the Shakespeare family.
History of Sound by Oliver Hermanus
Two young men during World War I set out to record the lives, voices and music of their American countrymen.
Little Amélie by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han
A young Belgian girl’s childhood in post-war Japan explores themes of childhood, memory, cultural identity, and the power of human connection.
Once Upon a Time in Gaza by Tarzan and Arab Nasser
A young student befriends a charismatic restaurant owner and start peddling drugs while delivering falafel sandwiches, but they are soon forced to grapple with a corrupt cop and his oversized ego.
Sirat by Oliver Laxe
A profound meditation on the fragility of the human condition and the illusions of safety embedded in the Western worldview.
The Mastermind by Kelly Reichardt
A failed architect who wanders into a museum and steals four paintings discovers that holding on to the art is more difficult than stealing, so he goes on the run.
The Things You Kill by Alireza Kahatami
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.
Asian Next Wave
A Useful Ghost by Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke
A grieving man discovers that his late wife has reincarnated in a vacuum cleaner.
Diamonds in the Sand by Janus Victoria
Yojji, a salaryman, decides to go to Manila, Philippines for another shot at happiness.
Family Matters by Pan Ke-yin
18-year-old Spring discovers she is adopted and starts to uncover the secrets of her working-class family.
Ky Nam Inn by Leon Le
A romantic drama where a young translator and older widow finds comfort in each others’ arms.
Lost Land by Akio Fujimoto
Two siblings leave a refugee camp in Bangladesh and goes on a perilous journey to reunite with their family.
Luz by Flora Lau
Two people both grappling with family meet in a virtual reality world where a mystical deer reveals hidden truths.
Open Endings by Nigel Santos
Four queer women, exes and best friends, navigate adulthood, love, friendship, chosen families.
Renoir by Chie Hayakawa
An 11-year-old girl grappling with a terminally ill father and stressed out mother experiences life with adults dealing with their own struggles.
The World of Love by Yoon Ga-Eun
A high school student navigates love, friendship, and traumatic past.
Rainbow Cinema
3670 by Park Joon-Ho
A young North Korean defector who is forced to hide his true identity finds the courage to step into South Korean’s vibrant gay community.
Bel Ami by Geng Jun
The lives of middle-aged people collide in a frozen China town: a closeted husband, lesbian couple, and a restaurant owner out to unite every gay person in town.
Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingoes by Diego Céspedes
In a dusty Chilean mining town in 1982, 11-year-old Lidia, raised by a fierce queer community, faces fear, violence, and love’s transformative powe
On the Road by David Pablos
A drifter who sleeps with truckers meets a reserved driver and joins him hauling freight across northern Mexico.
Skin of Youth by Ash Mayfair
A transgender fights to have enough money for a sex-change operation to fulfill her dream of living in a woman’s body.
Strange River by Jaume Claret Muxart
Didac rides his bicycle along the Danube until he meets the mysterious Alexander, who appears and disappears in the river’s waters.
Summer’s Camera by Divine Sung
A young girl refuses to shoot the unfinished roll of film in her late father’s camera, until she becomes enthralled by the school’s football star.
The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi
A young woman leaves her family to study in Paris where she finds herself caught between her religious upbringing and the freedom that comes with being a student in the city.
New Horizons
Amoeba by Siyou Tan
In a repressive city-state, a rebellious young girl convinces three of her friends to form a gang as an act of resistance.
Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari
As a family of six settles into their new home, the internal struggles are revealed through the perspective of the youngest child.
Brand New Landscape by Danzuka Yuiga
Ren works as a delivery rider for moth orchids. Haunted by the death of his mother and years of estrangement with his father, whom he unexpectedly meets one day.
The Chronology of Water by Kristen Stewart
A swimmer reconciles her turbulent upbringing and resurfacing trauma by finding solace in the art of literature.
DJ Ahmet by Georgi Unkovski
A young boy from a remote village finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and falling in love, for the first time, with a girl already promised to someone else.
Lucky Lu by Lloyd Lee Choi
A delivery rider’s world is turned upside down when he loses his only source of income: his e-bike.
Manas by Marianna Brennand
A young girl living in the heart of the Amazon rainforest is determined to change her destiny–to escape like her older sister.
On Your Lap by Reza Rahadian
A pregnant young woman leaves her city to provide a better future for her child. She meets a coffee shop owner, where women sit on men’s laps as they drink coffee.
The President’s Cake by Hasan Hadi
Amidst the daily struggles, a young girl scrambles to find the ingredients needed to bake the mandatory cake.
Before Midnight
The Garden of Earthly Delights by Morgan Knibbe
In the slums of Manila, 11-year-old Ginto dreams of gang life over scavenging, rejecting his sister Asia’s care as she turns to sex work to survive.
Rabbit Trap by Bryn Chainey
When a musician and her husband move to a remote house in Wales, the music they make disturbs local ancient folk magic, bringing a nameless child to their door.
Ugly Stepsister by Emilie Blichfeldt
In a twisted take on the classic Cinderella story, ‘The Ugly Stepsister‘ follows Elvira as she battles to compete with her insanely beautiful stepsister.
QC Selects
Human Resource by Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit
A film about labor, yes, but also about hours, screens, presence, and how much of ourselves gets eaten alive by systems we didn’t build.
Lakambini : Gregoria de Jesus by Arjanmar Rebeta and Jeffrey Jeturian
The film follows the life of Gregoria de Jesus, the Lakambini ng Katipunan, and her role in our nation’s history.
Shadow Transit by Pedring Lopez
A grieving photojournalist and troubled DJ flee through Manila and Hong Kong’s criminal underworld while a dangerous syndicate pursues them.
Rental Family by Hikari
An American actor in Tokyo struggles to find purpose until he lands an unusual gig: working for a Japanese “rental family” agency.
The Richest Woman in the World by Thierry Klifa
Marianne, the richest woman in the world, meets a dandy-writer-photographer in Paris and become inseparable. Their loving friendship surprises, amuses, intrigues, makes people talk and eventually unsettles the billionaire’s entourage and family.
Call My Manager by Erik Matti
The Philippine adaptation of an international series that tackles the lives of the people working in the entertainment industry.
QC Shorts
- Hoy, Hoy, Ingat! (Hey, Hey, Take Care!) by Norvin de los Santos (Philippines) — World Premiere
- Ours Was A Timeless Night Burning by Lauviah Caliboso (Philippines) — World Premiere
- RUNO! by Racquel “Lysa” Catolico and Jazmine Gin Pateña (Philippines) — World Premiere
- Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nag Daba-Daba (Kara: The Burning Woman) by Dale (Philippines)
- Surface Tension by The Serrano Sisters (Philippines) — World Premiere
- Yelo by Gab Rosique (Philippines) — World Premiere
- A Metamorphosis by Lin Htet Aung (Myanmar)
- Agapito by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero (Philippines, France) — World premiere
- As If To Nothing by Pek Jia Ho and Ang Jia Jung (Singapore)
- Baby Fat by Margarita Mina (Philippines, USA) — World Premiere
- Before the Sea Forgets by Lê Ngọc Duy (Singapore)
- Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites by Chheangkea (Cambodia, France, USA)
- Honey, My Love, So Sweet by JT Trinidad (Philippines)
- In the Valley by Lim Han Loong (Malaysia)
- Little Rebels Cinema Club by Khozy Rizal (Indonesia)
- My Plastic Mother by Amar Haikal (Indonesia)
- Please P(r)ay Attention by Vasupol Suwanjuta (Thailand)
- Sammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts by Rein Maychaelson (Indonesia)
- Visiting Heaven Gate by Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang (Vietnam, Czech Republic)
- Vox Humana by Don Josephus Eblahan (Philippines, USA, Singapore
- When the Blues Goes Marching In by Beny Kristia (Indonesia)
Rediscovery
Almost Famous by Cameron Crowe
In 1973, 15-year-old William Miller’s unabashed love of music and aspiration to become a rock journalist lands him an assignment from Rolling Stone magazine.
Linda Linda Linda by Nobuhiro Yamashita
A group of aspiring teenage girls form a band to perform for the high school rock festival, can they get it together?
Showgirls by Paul Verhoeven
A mysterious young drifter who calls herself Nomi Malone hitches a ride to Las Vegas, where she finds work as a stripper and sets about clawing her way to the top.
The festival will hold screenings at the following cinemas: Gateway, Robinsons Galleria, Eastwood, Trinoma, Fishermall, and Cloverleaf. Ticket price: P250.
Videos and cover photo courtesy of QCinema
