QCinema International Film Festival rolls out its boldest industry program yet, broadening its Southeast Asian reach with a new film market, enhanced gender equity initiatives, and a spotlight on documentary storytelling.
The recent QCinema Industry Media Conference 2025 set the tone for the highly anticipated QCinema International Film Festival’s upcoming edition, positioning the Philippine capital as a rising force in regional film development and collaboration through its most ambitious industry program to date.
Organized by the Quezon City Film Commission—under the Office of the City Mayor and led by Executive Director and Head of QCinema Industry Liza Diño—the QCinema Industry platform continues to evolve into a regional hub for co-production, training, and creative policy. The move is just one step in the city’s ongoing endeavor to become a UNESCO Creative City of Film.
“QCinema has always been a space where stories meet purpose,” shares Festival Director Ed Lejano. “Our goal is not just to showcase films, but to create connections that empower filmmakers and make Quezon City a home for Southeast Asian cinema.”
Diño adds: “We’re reimagining what an industry platform in Southeast Asia can be. QCinema Industry connects talent, institutions, and policy under one ecosystem—one that reflects our region’s strength, diversity, and shared creative voice.”
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A Wider Southeast Asian Network
At the core of QCinema’s industry programming is the QCinema Project Market (QPM), which this year showcases projects from nearly every Southeast Asian country except Brunei—a record milestone for the initiative.
“QCinema Industry is more than an annual gathering—it’s a platform for discovery,” explains Diño. “We’re building bridges between Filipino and Southeast Asian storytellers to shape a film culture that is globally recognized but rooted in our identity.”
The Philippine slate features Amateur; Daddy Cool; Dear Wormwood; Jaguar; Jollywood, KOMIXXX; Luzonensis and Floresiensis; Ozzy and Onie; Sentinel; The Void is Immense in Idle Hours; There Is, There Isn’t (Meron, Wala); and What’s Left of Us.
The regional lineup includes Ghost of the Currents (Thailand); Penumbra (Singapore); Ray of Light (Thailand); Romdoul, the Evening Fragrance (Cambodia); Strange Root (Singapore); The River Knows Our Names (Vietnam); The Willing (Rela) (Malaysia), and When the World Is Paused (Myanmar).
QCinema Partners With The Film Academy Of The Philippines
This year also marks a landmark partnership between QCinema Industry and the revitalized Film Academy of the Philippines, now under the Office of the President and led by Director General Paolo Villaluna.
“This partnership signifies a unified industry vision,” shares Villaluna. “Together, we’re ensuring that Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmakers are equipped not only to tell their stories, but also to sustain the industries behind them.”
The collaboration highlights a shared commitment to professionalizing the screen sector, strengthening guilds, and empowering creative labor across the Philippines and the region. The Film Academy of the Philippines joins as a co-presenter of key QCinema Industry programs. These include the Asian Next Wave Film Forum, QCinema Project Market, and Dokyu Days, each of which will weave policy, training, and global connectivity into the festival’s growing ecosystem.
The Launch Of A New Marketplace For Filipino Creativity
Among this year’s major announcements is the launch of the QCinema Film Market (QFM): a pilot initiative aimed at creating a Southeast Asian marketplace for film production and services, and one modeled after the American Film Market and Busan’s Asian Film Market.
QFM brings together 15 exhibitors from Quezon City’s leading production, post-production, and distribution companies, connecting them with global buyers and collaborators from the QPM network.
“This is where creative collaboration meets commerce,” Diño expounds. “QFM will help local companies expand globally and position Quezon City as Southeast Asia’s production and post-production hub.”
HER City: Where Women Take The Lead
This year’s Creative Industries Day places women at the forefront through HER CITY: Women Shaping Sustainable Film Cities, co-presented by the French Embassy and Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC).
“HER CITY is our commitment to amplifying women’s voices across every part of the creative chain, from policy and production to performance,” Diño expresses.
The program highlights “Gender Parity in Cinema: Lessons from France, Visions for Asia” and the first-ever Southeast Asian Actresses Roundtable, led by Iza Calzado (Philippines), Claresta Taufan (Indonesia), Qymira (Malaysia), and other top actresses from Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore.
The day will conclude with the signing of the “HER CITY Manifesto,” a gender-inclusive roadmap that will guide Quezon City’s UNESCO Creative City of Film policies.
The Asian Next Wave Presents Ideas For The Future
Led by Manet Dayrit—CEO and founder of post-production company Central Digital Lab—the Asian Next Wave Film Forum expands this year into a three-day summit of masterclasses, case studies, and policy dialogues centered on sustainability, innovation, and regional solidarity.
The 2025 edition, presented in partnership with the Film Academy of the Philippines, carries the theme “Beyond the Spotlight: Building Skills, Craft, and Ecosystems for a Future-Ready Southeast Asian Cinema.”
While directors and actors often take center stage, the forum shines a light on the behind-the-scenes professionals who make filmmaking possible: producers, designers, editors, assistant directors, line producers, and sound artists. In doing so, it aims to equip regional creatives with the tools, networks, and knowledge needed to build a resilient and inclusive industry, advancing its mission to professionalize Southeast Asia’s creative workforce.
“Asian Next Wave is where Southeast Asia’s creative forces converge,” explains Dayrit. “It’s about developing skills, empowering craftspeople, and future-proofing our regional cinema.”
Chronicling Life Through Dokyu Days
Documentaries will be taking center stage in this year’s festival through QCinema Dokyu Days. Presented in partnership with Daang Dokyu and the Film Academy of the Philippines, this new addition celebrates nonfiction storytelling as a catalyst for social impact.
Featuring Atom Araullo, Jeff Canoy, Thara Brown, Monster Jimenez, and Marlon Rivera, the two-day program will include screenings, advocacy discussions, and an Impact Lab led by Hollie Fifer of Doc Society.
“Documentary is the conscience of cinema,” expresses Kara Alikpala, who leads the initiative. “Through Dokyu Days, we’re creating space for stories that not only inform, but [also] inspire change.”
With its six interconnected programs—QPM, QFM, HER CITY, Asian Next Wave, Dokyu Days, and Critics Lab—QCinema Industry 2025 is poised to show everyone how art, policy, and industry can seamlessly converge to drive an inclusive creative economy.
It’s a collective effort that deserves to be championed, or as Festival Director Lejano expresses in a statement: “Every film starts with a single vision, but it takes a community to bring it to life. QCinema continues to be that space where creativity thrives, diversity is celebrated, and filmmakers are empowered to tell stories that matter.”
QCinema Industry 2025 runs from November 17 to 23, 2025, across Quezon City.
Photos courtesy of QCinema.
