QCIFF

 QCinema greenlits 11th festival edition

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte

The city of Quezon City, once again, rolled out another edition of the annual QCinema International Film Festival (QCIFF). The 10-day filmfest opened over the weekend with "Poor Things," the Golden Lion winner in this year's Venice Film Festival.

This year's theme, "Elevated," alludes to how filmmakers have raised the ante in making films and how cinephiles celebrate the medium/platform of cinema after the global pandemic.

Searchlight Pictures calls "Poor Things" a journey to self-discovery and enlightenment and a masterpiece from filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. The screenplay, written with wit and insight, revolves around the incredible coming-of-age and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe).

Under Dr. Baxter's protection, Bella is eager to learn; albeit in tedious ways. Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, she runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and wanton lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure starting in Lisbon and circumnavigating back to London. Free from the prejudices of her time, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.

Strong performances from Stone, Dafoe, and Ruffalo make this dark comedy a must-watch for film buffs. Ramy Youssef, who plays the gentleman-scientist Max McCandles, gives an equally riveting turn as Bella's fiance.

"Cinema has served as an important platform for the last decade. We are ready to welcome the rest of the world to the vibrant heart of Quezon City. Filmmakers' passion for QCIFF, with its set of challenges, has made for interesting perspectives when coupled with the magic of cinema. The power of films continue to heal, uplift, and inspire the collective human experience," enthused QC Film Commission executive director Liza Diño-Seguerra.

In her message, Quezon. City mayor, Hon. Ma. Josefina "Joy" Belmonte, who helped shape QCIFF, wishes for Quezon City to be the center of media and movie making in Southeast Asia.

"Quezon City has been the haven for arts and artists. QCinema, on the other hand, is the longest-running festival supported by government stance. As films transcend boundaries, QC has greatly helped in writing stories told in the silver screen," intoned Hon. Juan Carlos "Arjo" Atayde, congressman of Quezon City's first district, in his keynote speech.

The screening of "Poor Things" was the Southeast Asian premier of the edgy film on self-liberation. After the festival screenings, the film may not be released locally. This Frankenstein-meets-Barbie movie is rated R-18 and runs for 2 hours and 20 minutes.

The QCinema 2023 edition runs from November 17 to 26 at the Gateway Cineplex, Robinsons Magnolia, the Shangri-La Red Carpet, UP Town Center, and Powerplant Mall cinemas.