QCinema Market Awards Grants to Philippines, Southeast Asian Projects

The QCinema Project Market, the industry platform of the Philippines‘ QCinema International Film Festival, wrapped its second edition with grants and co-production support distributed across multiple projects from the region.

Three Filipino projects secured the market’s top Philippine Co-Production Grant of $34,000 each: Martika Ramirez Escobar’s “Anak Alon” (Daughters of the Sea), Eve Baswel’s “Bato Bato Sa Langit, Ang Tamaan Magagalit” (Heaven Help Us), and Sonny Calvento’s “Inahing Baka” (Mother Maybe).

The Myanmar-Indonesia co-production “The Beer Girl in Yangon,” helmed by Sein Lyan Tun, scored the Southeast Asia Co-Production Grant worth $17,000. Additional co-production grants of $12,000 each went to Singapore’s “Other People’s Dreams” from Daniel Hui and Malaysia’s “The Passport” from Ananth Subramaniam.

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Joel Ruiz’s “Angel De Dios” landed the Mocha Chai Award, which includes post-production services valued at $50,000. Kenneth Dagatan‘s “Molder” picked up the Kongchak Studio Award, securing sound post-production services worth $10,000.

CMB Discovery backed multiple projects with equipment rental support, including five $17,000 grants to Filipino projects and eight additional $13,500 grants. Barebones awarded color correction grants worth $14,000 each to four projects, while Central Digital Lab provided two $10,000 color correction packages.

The two-day market, held at Quezon City, featured 20 feature-length fiction projects selected from 70 submissions across Southeast Asia. The event facilitated one-on-one meetings between filmmakers and international production companies.

QCinema Project Market managing director Liza Dino-Seguerra said the market “will continue to be a vital platform for fostering cross-border collaborations and co-production opportunities among Filipino, Southeast Asian, and international filmmakers.”

Complete List of Winners:

QPM Philippines Co-Production Grant ($34,000 each)
“Daughters of the Sea” (Anak Alon)
“Heaven Help Us” (Bato Bato Sa Langit Ang Tamaan Magagalit)
“Mother Maybe” (Inahing Baka)

QPM Southeast Asian Co-Production Prize
“The Beer Girl in Yangon” (Myanmar, Indonesia) – $17,000
“Other People’s Dreams” (Singapore) – $12,000
“The Passport” (Malaysia) – $12,000

Mocha Chai Award (valued up to $50,000)
“Angel De Dios” (Philippines)

CMB Discovery Award ($17,000 each)
“Lihim na Luha” (Philippines)
“Please Bear With Me” (Philippines)
“Golden” (Philippines)
“Angel de Dios” (Philippines)
“Molder” (Philippines)

CMB Discovery Award ($13,500 each)
“My Neighbor The Gangster” (Philippines)
“The Returning” (Philippines)
“Heaven Help Us” (Philippines)
“Baradero” (A Ship of Fools) (Philippines)
“Ewa” (Philippines)
“Daughters of the Sea” (Philippines)
“Hum” (Philippines)
“Mother Maybe” (Philippines)

Kongchak Studio Award ($10,000)
“Molder” (Philippines)
Central Digital Lab Award ($10,000 each)
“The Returning” (Philippines)
“My Neighbor The Gangster” (Philippines)

Barebones Award ($14,000 each)
“Golden” (Philippines)
“Hum” (Philippines)
“Future Laobans” (Myanmar)
“I’ll Smile in September” (Singapore, India)

T6xBB Award ($14,000)
“The Beer Girl in Yangon” (Myanmar, Indonesia)

TAICCA Award ($5,000)
“Ewa” (Philippines)

Nathan Studios Development Grant ($4,500)
“Lihim na Luha” (Secret Cries)