10 Short Films you shouldn’t miss at the 12th QCinema International Film Festival 2024

By Asian Film Festival on November 8, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

These are our ten recommended short films from the QCinema International Film Festival (Philippines), which will take place from November 8 – 17, 2024 across Gateway Cineplex 18, Ayala Malls Cinema at Trinoma, Red Carpet at Shangri-la Plaza, and Powerplant Mall.

Are We Still Friends? by Al Ridwan – Indonesia | 2024 – 16 minutes

Three boys are asked to call one of their long lost friends. Aan recalls the memory with his friend, Wildan, who stayed over at his house to work on a school project. Zaka recounts the conflict that made him lose contact with his friend, Muchib, and tries to make peace with it. Alwi tries to not talk about sad things, but comes to terms with them when Ryan tells a story about his friend who passed away. (QCinema 2024)

Forgetting Clara by Nicole Matti – Philippines | 2024 – 16 minutes

In a surreal visual journey, Forgetting Clara navigates the shadowy intersections of memory and identity, where fragmented images and silent echoes reveal the complexities of desire and the weight of unspoken truths. (QCinema 2024)

Here We Are by Chanasorn Chaikitiporn – Thailand | 2024 – 20 minutes

A housekeeper receives a film made by her daughter. Combining found footage of Thailand during the Cold War with present-day images of Bangkok, the film reminds her of anecdotes she heard from the woman she works for and it triggers a re-telling of her own story of coming to the capital. (QCinema 2024)

In the Name of Love I Will Punish You by Exsell Rabbani – Indonesia | 2024 – 15 minutes

A mother sacrifices her savings to send her son into the military, but her world shatters when he transforms into Sailor Moon. Desperate for a solution, she turns to a shaman for help, but the shaman tells her that this is a difficult task and requires even more sacrifice. (QCinema 2024)

Invisible Labor by Joanne Cesario – Philippines | 2024 – 21 minutes

Marcos then, Marcos now. Filipino workers unite and lead the struggle for economic and political rights, determined to shape the course of history. In between, a janitor painstakingly rewinds videotapes featuring these struggles, unknowingly aiding in the preservation of history. (QCinema 2024)

Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos by Gilb Baldoza – Philippines | 2024 – 20 minutes

Celso, a factory worker, accidentally injures his hand on the job and receives compensation under his insurance. However, when he returns to work and gets hurt again, his employers become suspicious. As he faces pressure to secure his job, Celso uncovers a shocking clause in his insurance: a substantial payout to his family in case of his death. (QCinema 2024)

Objects Do Not Fall Randomly From the Sky by Maria Estela Paiso – Philippines | 2024 -11 minutes

A young girl turns into a fish and recounts the struggles of the fisherfolk in her hometown, Zambales. (QCinema 2024)

Saigon Kiss by Hồng Anh Nguyễn – Vietnam, Australia, Germany | 2024 – 22 minutes

Mơ roams through the rush hour traffic to avoid an unwanted phone call. When she meets Vicky by the side of the street with her broken motorbike, a visceral chance encounter unfolds between the two young queer women on the loud streets of Saigon. (QCinema 2024)

Washh by Mickey Lai – Malaysia, Ireland | 2024 – 23 mintues

Late at night in a Malaysian camp, a group of female trainees on duty are urgently summoned. One trainee, allegedly possessed by a ghost, accuses them of breaking the rules by leaving “dirty things” in the toilet. The instructor sternly orders them to clean it up by midnight. These girls, from different faiths, are placed in the same living space, and the boundaries of mutual respect start to blur, with their strained harmony on the verge of collapse. They are pressured to undertake a gruesome midnight cleanup. (QCinema 2024)

Water Sports by Whammy Alcazaren – Philippines | 2024 – 20 minutes

Jelson and Ipe, students deep in love, undergo trials of the mind and body as they prepare themselves to survive a world devastated by climate change. Though life may be harsh and unforgiving, They believe what their teacher says in that a strong heart and mind can triumph with an iron will. But Jelson and Ipe soon learn that maybe the best way to survive the end of the world is to simply just live, laugh, and love (QCinema 2024)

For more information, please visit: https://qcinema.ph/