The Quezon City (QC) government is going to great lengths this year to promote and celebrate the achievements of Philippine cinema. As a newly appointed Creative City of Film by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Quezon City has successfully become a productive space for Filipino directors, producers, and actors to hone their craft.
Since 2013, we’ve seen aspiring local filmmakers bring their passion projects to fruition through the QCinema International Film Festival (QCIFF). The event features compelling stories about social issues and human experiences—not just in the Philippines, but around the world. Every year, the festival highlights over 70 critically acclaimed local and international movies through a competition section, exhibition section, and short film lineup.
Photo: QCinema
This year, the QCIFF is back with a brand new roster of must-watch films. The film festival will run from November 14 to 23, 2025, at Robinsons Galleria, Gateway Cineplex, Trinoma, Cloverleaf Mall, Eastwood Mall, and Fisher Mall QC. Tickets cost ₱250 per film.
Here are the nine participating multinational movies in the QCIFF’s main competition section, Asian Next Wave:
Open Endings (Philippines)
Nigel Santos’s widely loved sapphic film from this year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival is making an extended run at the QCIFF. Open Endings follows Hannah (Jasmine Curtis-Smith), Charlie (Janella Slavador), Kit (Klea Pineda), and Mihan (Leanne Mamonong), four exes-turned-best friends in their early 30s who navigate the highs, lows, and in-betweens of womanhood together.
Open Endings won Best Ensemble Performance on October 12, 2025, at Cinemalaya’s Awards Night.
Diamonds In the Sand (Japan, Malaysia, Philippines)
In this heartwarming film about solitude and community, we meet Yoji (Lily Franky) as he leaves Japan to join his late mother’s caregiver, Minerva (Maria Isabel Lopez), and her daughter (Charlie Dizon) in the Philippines. Director Janus Victoria sheds light on the contrasts and common grounds between the two countries and their cultures.
Family Matters (Taiwan)
Family Matters follows the Hsiao family—Winter (Lan Wei-hua), Spring (Queena Huang), Summer (Tseng Jing-hua), and Autumn (Alexia Kao)—as they uncover new truths about one another and their own lives that will make or break their bond.
Ky Nam Inn (Vietnam)
In times of grief and tragedy, Khang (Lien Binh Phat) and Ky Nam (Do Thi Hai Yen) find comfort in solace and each other. Though Ky Nam is still overwhelmed with loss and heartbreak, Khang patiently waits to grow close to the woman and help her stay at ease.
Lost Land (Japan, France, Malaysia, Germany)
Siblings Somira and Shafi (Shomira Rias Uddin and Muhammad Shofik Rias Uddin) are refugees who reside in a camp in Bangladesh. One day, they embark on a treacherous journey to Malaysia in hopes of finally reuniting with their family.
Luz (France, Hong Kong, China)
Luz is an action-packed dystopian adventure that “redefines reality” and our everyday hardships. When con man Wei (Guo Xiaodong) sets out to find his estranged daughter, he meets Ren (Sandrine Pinna), a gallerist seeking aid for her ill mother. The two cross paths and end up in Luz, a virtual realm guided by a mysterious, glowing deer.
Renoir (Japan, France, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia)
Chie Hayawaka’s Renoir highlights the odd and unconventional experiences of eleven-year-old Fuki (Yui Suzuki) as she grapples with her father’s loss. Fuki aims to break away from the real world and its perils in ways she can, even if only for a moment.
A Useful Ghost (Thailand, France, Singapore, Germany)
This absurd film explores the tragic, bittersweet realities of life and death while offering a critical view of working-class citizens in Thailand. After Nat (Davika Hoorne) dies from dust poisoning, she returns to her husband, March (Witsarut Himmarat), as a vacuum cleaner that helps him around the house and consoles him amid familial conflict.
The World of Love (South Korea)
The World of Love explores trauma and grief through the eyes of Joo-in (Seo Su-bin), a 17-year-old rebel and troublemaker who uses her brash personality as a shield against her tragic past. Her experiences as a teenager guide her in multiple ways to cope, recover, and learn from her mistakes.
ALSO READ: Meet the 6 Filmmakers for QCINEMA’s 2024 QCShorts Program
Which films are you excited to watch at QCinema this year? Share your picks with us in the comments below!
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