Malaysian Malay-language body horrorย Tiger Stripesย by Amanda Nell Eu is the QCinema International Film Festivalโs big winner for 2023.
The film scooped the grand prize, the Asian Next Wave Best Picture, and the Best Director Award for Amanda Nell Eu.ย
The film was hailed for leading a distinctive cinematic trend that merges horror with profound social commentary, particularly addressing the issues women continue to face nowadays, and for its standout production values and powerful performances.
Director Amanda Nell Eu expresses her gratitude for the award. “Thank you so much to QCinema and the jury. It is so meaningful to share the film to a South East Asian audience and we are truly honoured to receive these awards. Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
Asian Next Wave is the main competition section of QCinema.
This year, eight feature film directorial debuts from the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand competed for the Pylon Award.ย
Mimangย by Kim Tae-yang brought home the NETPAC Jury Prize. Philippine entryย Gitlingย by Jopy Arnaldo won Best Screenplay.ย
The Best Artistic Achievement award went to Dinh Duy Hung for his visually rich and evocative cinematography ofย Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.ย
Kang Ren Wu, who played a hearing-impaired illegal immigrant inย Abang Adikย won the Best Lead Performance, QCinemaโs sole acting award.
Aside from Asian Next Wave, QCinema also awarded several short films which competed under QCShorts and QCSEA.
QCShortsโ Best Picture is Aedrian Araojo’sย Animal Lovers. It won for illustrating how short films can push the edge of taste while continuing to fascinate and entertain.
The QCShorts Special Jury Prize went to the multi-media shortย Tumatawa, Umiiyakย by Che Tagyamon.ย
The gender sensitivity award went toย A Catholic School Girlย by Myra Angeline Soriaso.
In QCSEA, QCinemaโs new competition section for Southeast Asian Shorts,ย Hitoย by Stephen Lopez won Best Picture.ย
The Shorts Jury Prize went to filmmaker Joon Goh forย MOP.
QCinemaโs first batch of emerging critics who participated in the QCinemaโs Critics Lab also awarded the Critics Prize. It went toย I Look into the Mirror and Repeat to Myselfย by Giselle Lin.
Aside from these film awards, QCinema Critics Lab has also bestowed the Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc Award for Film Criticism to Lรฉ Baltar. It also honored the life and work of QCinema Foundation Member Teddy Co.ย