Eight Asian films compete in QCinema’s main section, Asian Next Wave, with titles recognized at Cannes, Venice, Locarno, and other international festivals.
Stephanie Mayo··3 MIN READ
The QCinema International Film Festival returns for its 14th edition from 13 to 22 November 2026 under the banner of “Genre’teurs.” The curatorial concept examines the intersection of genre filmmaking and auteur cinema, with a focus on how distinct personal perspectives reshape familiar narrative conventions.
At the center of the festival's competitive program sits Asian Next Wave, a centerpiece section featuring eight narrative features vying for top honors.
Here are the eight films competing in this year's main slate:
Ella Arcangel: Ballad of Tooth and Claw
Mervin Malonzo’s animated feature pulls double duty as the festival’s opening film and a main competition contender. Adapted from the comic series by Julius Villanueva, the story follows a 12-year-old girl, voiced by Bianca Umali, who uses her powers as a mambabarang to protect her neighborhood from malevolent spirits while confronting state violence and police corruption. The project makes its world debut after securing a 1.5 million peso co-production grant from the QCinema Project Market in 2023.
9 Temples to Heaven
Directed by Sompot Chidgasornpongse, this multinational co-production follows a businessman on a rushed journey across nine temples after a fortune teller predicts his mother’s imminent death. The drama made its debut in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival before being chosen as Thailand’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 99th Academy Awards.
A Girl Unknown
Directed by Zou Jing, this China-France co-production tracks a young woman repeatedly displaced from her home and forced to rebuild her life in unfamiliar places. The feature premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week, picking up both the FIPRESCI Prize and the Gan Foundation Award.
Fujiko
Director Taichi Kimura explores female independence in 1970s Japan through a single mother pushing against societal expectations. The film picked up the Golden Mulberry Audience Award at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, alongside the Nippon Cinema Award at Germany’s Nippon Connection.
Fruit Gathering
This queer drama from director Aung Phyoe, produced across Myanmar, Czechia, and France, examines a young factory worker deciding her future while navigating the physical demands of daily industrial labor. It enters the slate after winning the Crystal Globe Grand Prix at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Hearing
Directed by Lê Bảo, this multi-country co-production involving Vietnam, Singapore, Norway, France, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, and Thailand centers on the quiet tensions and emotional distances within a family. The feature earned its spot in the International Competition at the Locarno Film Festival.
The Burning Giants
Director Phuttiphong Aroonpheng blends social realism with fantasy elements in a production backed by Thailand, France, Singapore, and the Netherlands. Initially nurtured through the QCinema Project Market, the film made its international debut in the Orizzonti section of the Venice International Film Festival.
The World Before
South Korean filmmaker Yoon Da-bi sets her coming-of-age drama on an isolated island, tracing the volatile transitions and emotional uncertainty of youth. The feature received a Special Mention in the Kutxabank-New Directors category at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Nine program slates complete the festival
While Asian Next Wave forms the core of the competition, the broader festival encompasses nine distinct sections. Audiences can navigate New Horizons, RainbowQC, QCShorts International, Screen International,QC Selects, Rediscovery, Before Midnight, and Dokyu Days.
Across these categories, the lineup moves between emerging directors, LGBTQIA+ narratives, global festival hits, short films, non-fiction cinema, late-night genre releases, and newly restored archival works.
QCinema
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