The QCinema International Film Festival returns for its 14th edition from Nov. 13 to 22, 2026. The festival showcases an expansive selection of films under the curatorial concept of Genre’teurs. This concept explores the intersection of genre filmmaking and auteur cinema.
Quezon City holds a prestigious distinction. It is one of only two cities in Southeast Asia designated as a UNESCO Creative City of Film.
The animated feature Ella Arcangel: Ballad of Tooth and Claw opens the festival. The movie marks its world premiere. Mervin Malonzo directed the film.
The story presents a distinctly Filipino vision of the supernatural and social realities. It highlights 12-year-old Ella, voiced by Bianca Umali. Ella is a young mambabarang who battles malevolent spirits. She also confronts violence and abuses of authority in her community amid the government war on drugs. Julius Villanueva created the original comics. The project won the ₱1.5-million QCinema Project Market Philippines Co-Production Grant in 2023.
Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda closes the festival with Look Back. The live-action film adapts Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga. Natsuki Deguchi stars as Fujino. Aju Makita plays Kyomoto. The drama follows two young female artists whose friendship and shared love of drawing shape their creative journeys. The film won five collateral awards at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
The Asian Next Wave competition section features emerging storytellers. Sompot Chidgasornpongse brings 9 Temples to Heaven. Zou Jing directs A Girl Unknown, a coming-of-age drama about a young woman forced to rebuild her life repeatedly. Taichi Kimura presents Fujiko, a female-emancipation drama about a 1970s single mother challenging societal rules.
Aung Phyoe directs Fruit Gathering, a queer drama following a female factory worker in Myanmar. Lê Bảo offers Hearing, an intimate family drama. Phuttiphong Aroonpheng presents The Burning Giants, blending social drama with fantasy. Yoon Da-bi directs The World Before, capturing the emotional transitions of youth.
The New Horizons competition section spotlights debut and second feature films. Theja Rio presents Angh, a historical drama set in 1960s Nagaland. Nông Nhật Quang directs Baby Jackfruit, Baby Guava, a documentary exploring neurodivergence and family dynamics. Lim Ha-yeon brings Beach Fictions, following a young woman in a coastal town.
Rami Kodeih directs Furies, a crime thriller set during the economic collapse in Lebanon. Marine Atlan presents La Gradiva, a French coming-of-age story. Fernanda Tovar directs Sad Girlz, examining the aftermath of sexual assault and its impact on young female friendships. Xavier Tera offers The Color of the Sun, set in Okinawa. Kohei Kadowaki brings the animated drama We Are Aliens.
The RainbowQC section celebrates LGBTQIA+ identities and resilience. Michelle Zhou directs Big Little Things. Pierre le Gall brings Flesh and Fuel, a romance between two drivers. Isabelle Stever directs I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming, a war drama following a trans man during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané present the animated satire Jim Queen. Urška Djukić directs Little Trouble Girls, a story about a shy teenager questioning her beliefs. Anuparna Roy brings Lovers in the Blue Night, set in Mumbai. Jane Schoenbrun directs the horror film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.
The RainbowQC section celebrates LGBTQIA+ identities and resilience. Michelle Zhou directs Big Little Things. Pierre le Gall brings Flesh and Fuel, a romance between two drivers. Isabelle Stever directs I Rarely Wake Up Dreaming, a war drama following a trans man during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané present the animated satire Jim Queen. Urška Djukić directs Little Trouble Girls, a story about a shy teenager questioning her beliefs. Anuparna Roy brings Lovers in the Blue Night, set in Mumbai. Jane Schoenbrun directs the horror film Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.
QCShorts International presents four diverse programs. Program 1, “At Night We Lead Different Lives,” includes And If Thuy Didn’t Exist by Carlo Francisco Manatad. It follows an undocumented woman navigating a new country. Maki Makilan presents Body Works, following a dishwasher who enters a paid romance to survive. Apa Agbayani brings Is This Desire?. Ivan Tan presents She Said. Le Hoang offers Through the Cracks.
Program 2, “A Little Blasphemy Never Hurt Anyone,” highlights irreverent tales. Ananth Subramaniam directs Bleat!. Jen Nee Lim presents Fruit, following a pregnant woman seeking choices where abortion is illegal. Rodiell Veloso offers Run Shirley Run!. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke brings The Bovine Comedy. Thiên Ân Nguyễn directs The Dream Is a Snail.
Program 3, “All Our Mothers Were Once Girls,” focuses on women and family bonds. Kylechandler Bigay directs Grandmothering, featuring a 67-year-old beautician redefining beauty. Toni Cañete presents Maanaa Kanimo, following two sisters investigating a missing statue. Clister Santos brings Sana’y Nandito Ka, about a young man reconciling with his mother. Natalie Sin offers The 4PLY Clandestine System.
Program 4, “The Mountains Always Ask for More,” examines environmental and political struggles. Carla Pulido Ocampo directs A Ghost Can Only Howl, following a young healer joining a revolution. Arief Budiman presents Golden Island, exposing land exploitation in Papua. Savunthara Seng brings Incident on the Mountain. Timoteus Anggawan Kusno presents Obscura. Jaime Morados offers They Made Monsters, exploring where true horrors lie.
The Screen International section presents acclaimed global cinema. Andrew Haigh directs A Long Winter. Paweł Pawlikowski offers Fatherland. Cristian Mungiu presents Fjord. Lav Diaz brings Makikiraan Po (Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors). Hong Sang-soo directs Nowhere to Lay My Eyes. Rodrigo Sorogoyen offers The Beloved. Radu Jude brings The Diary of a Chambermaid. Eugene Kotlyarenko presents Vintage Violence.
QC Selects features curated visions. Bebe Go directs 11. Makoto Ueda presents You Are the Film. Jordan Firstman brings Club Kid. Annapurna Sriram presents Fucktoys, following a sex worker. P.R. Monencillo Patindol directs I Grew an Inch When My Father Died, exploring brothers coping with grief after an abusive parent dies. Eddie Cahyono brings IBUKU, depicting a mother fighting to reach her daughter abroad. John Torres offers The Remotes. Alberto Rodríguez presents The Tigers.
The Rediscovery section honors film history. Alejandro González Iñárritu presents Amores Perros. Lav Diaz offers Batang West Side. Victor Villanueva brings Patay na si Hesus. Andrzej Żuławski presents Possession. Satoshi Kon offers Perfect Blue. A special focus on screenwriter Pete Lacaba highlights Jaguar by Lino Brocka and Sister Stella L. by Mike de Leon.
The Before Midnight section showcases bold genre cinema. SABU presents Arrested Memory. Kevin Walker and Jack Auen offer Chronovisor. Nicky Murphy brings I Love Paris. Isabel Sandoval presents Moonglow, a crime drama set in 1970s Manila. Arthur Harari offers The Unknown.
Dokyu Days highlights powerful real-world stories. Khavn directs Bomba Bernal. Mani Haghighi presents I Deserve a Lover Whose Every Rise Sets Fiery Dooms Raging Across the Skies, capturing cultural memory during wartime. Elisa Gómez Alvarez brings To the Moon and Back, following two young female scientists from the Philippines and Morocco pursuing space exploration. Alessandra Sanguinetti presents The Illusion of an Everlasting Summer.
Barbara Kopple offers Union Town, following delivery workers fighting for labor rights.
Screenings will take place at Gateway Cineplex 18, Robinsons Movieworld Galleria, Ayala Malls Cinemas TriNoma, Fisher Box Office, and SM Cinema – SM City Fairview. All festival tickets cost ₱200 each.