Animation takes center stage at the 14th QCinema International Film Festival, with a diverse lineup of animated films featured across several competition sections and special screenings. From Filipino folklore and coming-of-age stories to LGBTQIA+ satire and psychological thrillers, this year’s selection highlights the medium’s creative possibilities and its ability to explore compelling stories and different genres.
Opening the festival on November 13 is the world premiere of Ella Arcangel: The Battle of Tooth and Claw, directed by Mervin Malonzo. The film, which received a Php 1.5-million grant from the QCinema Project Market, adapts Julius Villanueva’s popular comic book series about a preteen mambabarang who must confront supernatural creatures threatening the lives of the residents in the slum she calls home.
Featuring the voices of Bianca Umali and Michael V, Ella Arcangel explores social and political realities through a supernatural narrative that challenges audiences to question who the real monsters are in Filipino society. It competes in Asian Next Wave, QCinema’s main competition for emerging filmmakers in the region. This also marks the first time a competition film serves as the festival opener.
Another animated feature competing in New Horizons is Kohei Kadowaki’s We Are Aliens, which premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. The film follows two boys who become friends in third grade but gradually grow apart as social pressures influence their relationship. Through its vibrant animation, the film examines childhood cruelty, changing friendships, and the lasting effects of seemingly ordinary experiences.
Meanwhile, RainbowQC, the festival’s LGBTQIA+ section, features Jim Queen by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané. The film, which won the Silver Audience Award at the 30th Fantasia International Film Festival, offers a satirical take on a world where a virus turns queer men straight. Its story follows Jim, the six-packed leader of the Gym Queens, who joins forces with Lucien, a newly out twink, to avoid a fate worse than death.
Animation also finds a place in the QCShorts International competition through Sana’y Nandito Ka by Clister Santos. One of this year’s five QCShorts grantees, the film received Php 700,000 in production support from the festival. Santos previously won the top animation prize at the CCP Gawad Alternatibo for his 2023 debut short film, Ili Ili.
His latest work is a 3D-animated slice-of-life drama about a young man who reunites with his estranged mother after six years. Sana’y Nandito Ka joins 18 other short films from across Asia in this year’s competition.
Beyond the competition sections, animation fans can also revisit a landmark work through the Rediscovery section, which features restored classics. This year’s selection includes Satoshi Kon’s acclaimed 1997 anime film Perfect Blue, a psychological thriller that continues to influence filmmakers around the world, including Darren Aronofsky, who paid homage to Kon’s work in Requiem for a Dream.
Perfect Blue follows an idol-turned-actor whose grip on reality begins to unravel as she experiences online abuse from supposed fans and becomes the target of a dangerous stalker. Its exploration of internet paranoia, obsession, and the darker consequences of celebrity culture remains remarkably relevant decades after its release.
With this year’s theme, Genre’teurs, a combination of the words “genre” and “auteur,” QCinema celebrates filmmakers who use genre as a creative tool for personal expression. The festival’s animated selections demonstrate how the medium can move across different storytelling styles, themes, and visual approaches while giving filmmakers the freedom to bring their distinct artistic visions to life.
The 14th QCinema International Film Festival runs from November 13 to 22, 2026, with screenings at Gateway Cineplex 18, Robinsons Movieworld Galleria, Ayala Malls TriNoma, Fisher Box Office, and SM Cinema at SM City Fairview. Tickets are priced at Php 200.
For more information, visit qcinema.ph or follow QCinema on social media at @qcinemaph for festival updates.
