This year’s QCinema International Film Festival gives animation a more prominent place in its lineup, with local and international works competing in several sections, and the much-loved Perfect Blue by the late Satoshi Kon returning to the big screen.
Animation has always struggled with being relegated to a genre meant for children, rather than being recognized as the complex and admirable art form it truly is. That’s why the 14th QCinema International Film Festival is doing its part in cultivating a greater appreciation for the medium as a legitimate form of film by providing an even larger platform for animated work in its newest edition.
Animated features are part of three of the festival’s competition sections, as is a new short film and a beloved anime classic by the late and great Satoshi Kon, which will hopefully give viewers—whether they’re animation fans or fresh eyes—something to look forward to when QCinema starts on November 13, 2026.
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Ella Arcangel: The Battle Of Tooth and Claw Kicks Things Off
The festival opens with the world premiere of Ella Arcangel: The Battle of Tooth and Claw, directed by Mervin Malonzo. A recipient of a ₱1.5-million prize from the QCinema Project Market, Ella Arcangel is an adaptation of Julius Villanueva’s popular comic book series. It tells the story of a preteen mambabarang, a folk sorcerer who must contend with supernatural creatures threatening the lives of the people living in the slum she calls home.
Featuring the voices of Bianca Umali and Michael V, the bracingly political film poses the question of who the real monsters are in Filipino society. It’s competing in QCinema’s main competition and Asian Next Wave, where it goes up against films by some of the region’s most promising emerging filmmakers. It also marks the first time a film in competition will open the festival.
We Are Aliens Showcases Takes Us To New Horizons
In the New Horizons section, which highlights exciting debuts from around the world, Kohei Kadowaki’s We Are Aliens will also be in contention. The film made its debut at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and follows the relationship between two boys who become friends in the third grade, only to gradually drift apart as social pressures change the nature of their interactions. The vibrantly animated film explores the casual cruelty that can emerge at a young age, and how that callousness can affect a person for far longer than one might imagine.
Jim Queen Offers Queer Representation At RainbowQC
QCinema’s LGBTQIA+ section, RainbowQC, features Jim Queen by directors Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané. Winner of the Silver Audience Award at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival, this satirical film imagines a scenario in which a virus turns queer men straight. The titular Jim, the six-packed leader of the Gym Queens, must team up with the newly out twink Lucien to save himself from a fate worse than death.
“Sana’y Nandito Ka” At QCShorts International
Animated films also have a presence in QCinema’s shorts competition, QCShorts International. “Sana’y Nandito Ka” by Clister Santos is one of this year’s five QCShorts grantees, receiving ₱700,000 in production support from the festival. Santos is a graduate of CIIT College of Arts and Technology, and his 2023 debut short film, “Ili-Ili,” won the top prize for animation at the CCP Gawad Alternatibo. His film for QCinema is a 3D-animated slice-of-life drama following a young man who reunites with his estranged mother after six years. “Sana’y Nandito Ka” competes against 18 other short films from all over Asia.
A Renewed Appreciation For Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue (1997)
Outside of competition, the Rediscovery section—where restored classics get their due— features Satoshi Kon’s masterwork Perfect Blue. The 1997 film is one of the most compelling and memorable works of the form, having influenced filmmakers around the world, including Darren Aronofsky, who paid homage to Kon in his own landmark film, Requiem for a Dream (2000). Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010) has also drawn comparisons to Kon’s work, thematically and, to a certain extent, visually.
Perfect Blue is a tale of internet paranoia even before social media had its boom, this prescience adding to its timelessness. It follows an idol-turned-actor who loses touch with reality as she deals with online abuse from supposed fans and becomes the target of a stalker intent on harming the people around her. Kon managed to predict the potential harms of the internet and parasocial behavior before anyone could fully grasp how it would eventually be used.
This year’s festival theme is Genre’teurs, a portmanteau of “genre” and “auteur.” And true enough, the 14th QCinema International Film Festival animated film lineup really goes out of its way to fully showcase the medium’s ability to explore all manner of genres, with its limitless visual possibilities giving filmmakers a kind of imaginative freedom unlike anything else.
The 14th QCinema International Film Festival runs from November 13 to 22, 2026, with screenings at Gateway Cineplex 18, Robinsons Movieworld Galleria, Ayala Malls TriNoma, Fisher Box Office, and SM Cinema – SM City Fairview. Tickets are priced at ₱200. For more information, visit qcinema.ph or follow QCinema on social media at @qcinemaph for updates.
All photos courtesy of QCinema International Film Festival
Frequently Asked Questions
The 14th QCinema International Film Festival starts on November 13, 2026, opening with the world premiere of Mervin Malonzo’s animated film Ella Arcangel: The Battle of Tooth and Claw.
The festival’s animated lineup includes Ella Arcangel: The Battle of Tooth and Claw, We Are Aliens, and Jim Queen, as well as the animated short film “Sana’y Nandito Ka.” Satoshi Kon’s acclaimed 1997 film Perfect Blue will also screen in the Rediscovery section.
Directed by Mervin Malonzo, Ella Arcangel: The Battle of Tooth and Claw follows a preteen mambabarang who must face supernatural creatures threatening the people in the slum she calls home. Adapted from Julius Villanueva’s comic book series, the film features the voices of Bianca Umali and Michael V.
Perfect Blue follows an idol-turned-actor who begins losing touch with reality as she deals with online abuse from supposed fans and a stalker intent on harming the people around her. The 1997 film explores internet paranoia and parasocial behavior, themes that have become increasingly relevant over time.
“Sana’y Nandito Ka” by Clister Santos is among the five QCShorts grantees at this year’s festival. The 3D-animated slice-of-life drama follows a young man who reunites with his estranged mother after six years and competes against 18 other short films from across Asia.
