Quezon City becomes more than just a venue—it transforms into a storytelling capital—when QCinema 2025 returns with a dynamic showcase of short films from across the globe.
QCShorts International, a staple of the QCinema International Film Festival (QCIFF), expands its scope this year with an exciting roster: 33 short films from 21 countries, presented in six distinct thematic programs. These films push the boundaries of fiction, animation, documentary, and experimental cinema, collectively reflecting the festival’s overarching 2025 theme, “Film City.”
“The expansion of QCinema’s short film program is part of the festival’s commitment to leveraging the short film as a form for experimentation and storytelling while also honoring how it has been involved in much larger global conversations, especially as a city of film.”
– Programmer and film critic Jason Tan Liwag
A Competition of Southeast Asian Voices, Rooted in Home
At the heart of QCShorts International is a competition section, featuring six local grantee films and fifteen Southeast Asian entries, spread across four programs. Each segment invites viewers to rethink the short film not just as a prelude, but as a complete, resonant art form.
Program 1: This Vast Artifice
Borrowing its title from Eve Driver’s poetry, this program explores the fragile illusions of modern cities. Stories from the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand question what happens when hope meets concrete—and when innocence breaks beneath neon.
Featured Films:
- As If To Nothing – Pek Jia Ho & Ang Jia Jung (Singapore)
- Honey, My Love, So Sweet – JT Trinidad (Philippines)
- Please P(r)ay Attention – Vasupol Suwanjuta (Thailand)
- Surface Tension – The Serrano Sisters (QCinema grantee, Philippines)
- Yelo – Gab Rosique (QCinema grantee, Philippines)
Program 2: The Center Cannot Hold
Named after Elyn Saks’ memoir, these five shorts navigate collapsing realities—from grief to liberation, from madness to meaning. With powerful works from Myanmar, Indonesia, and the Philippines, this program speaks to a region in flux.
Featured Films:
- A Metamorphosis – Lin Htet Aung (Myanmar)
- Hoy, Hoy, Ingat! – Norvin de los Santos (QCinema grantee, Philippines)
- Si Kara: Ang Babaye Nga Nag Daba-Daba – Dale (QCinema grantee, Philippines)
- Vox Humana – Don Josephus Eblahan (Philippines/USA/Singapore)
- When the Blues Goes Marching In – Beny Kristia (Indonesia)
Program 3: This Is Where I Leave You
Letting go is never simple. These five shorts depict departures both literal and emotional—letting go of home, love, and memory. Quiet yet evocative, the program hints at new beginnings amid endings.
Featured Films:
- Agapito – Arvin Belarmino & Kyla Danelle Romero (Philippines/France)
- Before the Sea Forgets – Lê Ngọc Duy (Singapore)
- Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites – Chheangkea (Cambodia/France/USA)
- Sammi, Who Can Detach His Body Parts – Rein Maychaelson (Indonesia)
- Visiting Heaven Gate – Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang (Vietnam/Czech Republic)
Program 4: We Were Once Small Things
Childhood, reimagined. These six shorts from the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia trace journeys through identity, grief, ancestry, and land. With vibrant perspectives and deep emotional resonance, this competition segment invites viewers into youthful awakenings.
Featured Films:
- Baby Fat – Margarita Mina (USA/Philippines)
- In the Valley – Lim Han Loong (Malaysia)
- Little Rebels Cinema Club – Khozy Rizal (Indonesia)
- My Plastic Mother – Amar Haikal (Indonesia)
- Ours Was A Timeless Night Burning – Lauviah Caliboso (QCinema grantee, Philippines)
- RUNO! – Lysa Catolico & Jazmine Gin Pateña (QCinema grantee, Philippines)
QCShorts Expo: Where Boundaries Break
In addition to its competition section, QCShorts International introduces two exhibition programs under QCShorts Expo, each offering a radically different viewing experience.
Unthinkable Atrocities
Brave, urgent, and sometimes unsettling, these films explore horrors both imagined and all too real. From folkloric curses to genocide and censorship, the program refuses easy resolutions—and instead forces us to witness, remember, and imagine resistance.
Spotlighted Filmmakers: Mattie Do, Jocelyn Charles, Mohammed Almughanni, Neo Sora, Maryam Tafakory, Christopher Radcliff
Unhealthy Fixations
The sixth and newest program features 2024 QCinema grantees returning with fresh works. These shorts tackle obsessions—parental failure, surveillance, climate anxiety, and bodily insecurities—with creativity and courage. Expect childhood trauma, post-apocalyptic romance, body horror, and heist film all in one lineup.
Featured Films:
- Refrain – Joseph Dominic Cruz
- Alaga – Nicole Rosacay
- RAMPAGE! (o ang parada) – Kukay Bautista Zinampan
- Water Sports – Whammy Alcazaren
- Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos – Gilb Baldoza
- Supermassive Heavenly Body – Sam Villa-Real
Festival Details & Where to Watch
QCinema 2025 runs from November 14 to 23, across Gateway, Trinoma, Eastwood, Fisher Mall, Cloverleaf, and Robinsons Galleria.
Tickets: ₱250 per program
More Info: Visit qcinema.ph
With bold themes, fearless storytelling, and a commitment to community, QCShorts International 2025 proves that the short film is no minor feature—it’s the heartbeat of a city in motion.
