The QCinema Project Market (QPM), the official industry program of the QCinema Film Festival, has unveiled its selection of feature film projects for its inaugural year with a Southeast Asian focus. This year, 20 projects will compete for grants and prizes exceeding $400,000.
Ed Lejano, Qcinema Festival Director, expressed their commitment to boosting the regional film industry, emphasizing the resurgence of local grants after pandemic-induced disruptions. The allocation includes P3 Million for three Filipino features and $35,000 for three Southeast Asian features. The program has also secured international partnerships, expanding the funding opportunities.
Qcinema introduced the QPM Cinema Night during the Busan International Film Festival’s Asian Content and Film Market on October 10. The event marked the official launch of QPM and showcased its selected projects, as announced by Liza Diño, QCFDC Executive Director and QPM Managing Director Ed Lejano, and QCinema Film Foundation President Manet Dayrit.
Diño expressed pride in the overwhelming response from both established and emerging talents across the region. The program aims to facilitate connections and partnerships between the Philippines and Southeast Asia, bringing authentic stories to life while involving investors, companies, and film funders from across the world.
A Selection Committee comprised of industry experts, including Matthieu Darras, Jongsuk Thomas Nam, Paolo Villaluna, and Dayrit, had the challenging task of selecting 20 projects from the 65 submissions. They were inspired by the immense creative potential of the regional filmmakers and are hopeful that QPM will help these projects become fully realized films.
QPM will be hosted during the 11th QCinema International Film Festival from November 18 to 20, 2023. Its primary goal is to foster Southeast Asian partnerships and collaborations for producing regional content. As the festival’s official industry arm, QPM will facilitate connections between international decision-makers and key players in Southeast Asian cinema.
Notable industry players, including Amazon and post-production companies like Mocha Chai Laboratories and Space Lion Studios, have joined as decision-makers at QPM. These organizations will provide post-production prizes, and CMB Film Services, the premier film equipment company in the Philippines, will offer equipment rental prizes for selected projects. Tatino Film’s Pop Up Residency in Europe will also award a residency to a deserving project.
Furthermore, QPM and QCinema have partnered with the Film Development Council of the Philippines to provide Co-Production Grants for this year’s projects, enhancing their support for the development of regional cinema.