The 14th QCinema International Film Festival is introducing Genre’teurs, a new curatorial concept highlighting films that bring together the conventions of genre cinema and the distinct creative voices of their directors.
Set to run from November 13 to 22, 2026, QCinema describes Genre’teurs as a portmanteau of “genre” and “auteur.” The concept focuses on works that operate within familiar film genres while showcasing the personal style, perspective, and creative decisions of the filmmakers behind them.
“Genre gives filmmakers a framework, while the auteur brings a personal voice to that framework,” says Ed Lejano, QCinema Artistic Director.
“With Genre’teurs, we want to look at films where these two elements come together as a pervading theme that cuts across the festival program. These are films that may belong to a familiar genre, but the way the filmmaker approaches the material makes the film distinctly their own.”
Genre’teurs will be explored across several sections of this year’s festival, including Screen International, the festival’s selection of notable international films; Asian Next Wave, the festival’s main competition section; RainbowQC, its LGBTQIA+ competition section; New Horizons, its competition for emerging filmmakers; Before Midnight, its genre-focused section; QCSelects, its curated selection of notable films; Rediscovery, which revisits significant films from different periods and places; Dokyu Days, its documentary section; and QCShorts International, which showcases short films from the Philippines and abroad.
“You’ll see Genre’teurs take different forms across this year’s program. We will have titles like Amores Perros and Batang West Side, both crime dramas; Makikiraan Po, a historical drama; The Burning Giants, a science-fiction drama; Furies, a crime thriller and heist film; and Vintage Violence, a romantic comedy,” adds Lejano.
Two defining classics from the 2000s share the spotlight in the Rediscovery section. Amores Perros, by Alejandro González Iñárritu, weaves together three stories connected by a car accident, bringing together crime, drama, and thriller elements in its gritty Mexico City setting.
Batang West Side, Lav Diaz’s defining film of that decade, celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The neo-noir crime drama won the Urian Award for Best Film of the Decade in 2011.
Diaz’s newest film, Makikiraan Po, garnered the Premio Brian Award at Venice and the Critics’ Choice Award at Filmfest Hamburg just weeks ago. Set during the Spanish colonial period, the historical drama reflects Diaz’s distinctive approach to stories of Philippine history, violence, and oppression. It will screen under the Screen International section for its Southeast Asian premiere.
From the main competition, Asian Next Wave, comes The Burning Giants, a science-fiction drama by Thai filmmaker Phuttiphong Aroonpheng, which had its world premiere in the Orizzonti competition at Venice. It was also selected for the QCinema Project Market (QPM) in October 2023.
For its Asian premiere, Lebanese filmmaker Rami Kodeih makes his feature directorial debut with Furies, a crime thriller in which two sisters stage a daring heist to recover their money after banks freeze their accounts following the country’s economic collapse. The film also recently premiered in Venice and is Lebanon’s entry for the Oscars next year.
Vintage Violence, a stylized, action-packed rom-com set in Tokyo and toplined by Cole Sprouse, just premiered in Toronto’s Midnight section and is slated as one of the top films in QCinema’s Before Midnight.
Other remarkable genre permutations include I Love Paris, a vampire mockumentary that won the Audience Award at the Fantasia Festival last August, and The Unknown, starring Léa Seydoux and awarded the Prix Jean Vigo in Cannes. Both titles will have their Asian premieres at QCinema.
The full QCinema 2026 lineup will be announced in the third week of October.
QCinema will screen films across Gateway Cineplex 18, Robinsons Movieworld Galleria, Ayala Malls Cinemas TriNoma, Fisher Box Office, and SM Cinema – SM City Fairview. For more details, visit qcinema.ph or follow QCinema on social media at @qcinemaph for updates.
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