QCinema’s RainbowQC Shorts Lineup: Highlighting The Diversity of LGBTQ Experience
QCinema’s RainbowQC Shorts Lineup: Highlighting The Diversity of LGBTQ Experience
QCinema’s tenth installment is coming this November 17-26 at select theaters.
QCinema continues to highlight notable LGBT films of up-and-coming Filipino directors with this year’s RainbowQC shorts—with a lineup that surely showcases diverse portraits of the LGBTQ experience.
Petersen Vargas’ How to Die Young in Manila
Starting with a film that had its world premiere at the Busan and Singapore International Film Festivals, Petersen Vargas’ How to Die Young in Manila depicts the proclivities and perils of anonymous hook-ups. The short follows a young man played by Elijah Canlas, in the heart of Manila, who pursued a group of go-getters thinking that one of them might be his arranged anonymous hookup, not knowing the danger that lies ahead of him.
Gabriela Serrano’s Dikit
Named as one of the Best Filipino Films of 2021 by CNN Philippines Life, Gabriela Serrano’s silent horror short Dikit retells and transforms Jose Nepomuceno’s classic Filipino film Ang Manananggal (1929) into a contemporary drama. Starring Mariana Serrano, the director’s co-writer and sister, and actress Mika Zarcal, Dikit tells the story of how a young woman with an insidious secret finally acts upon her deepest desires when a new couple moves in next door.
Vahn Leinard Pascual’s Alingasngas ng Mga Kuliglig
Another silent horror short that will make its way to QCinema this year is Vahn Leinard Pascual’s Alingasngas ng Mga Kuliglig. The film portrays a man who fell in love with a tikbalang—a Philippine mythical creature with a head and hooves of a horse—after being coerced by his father to become the town’s folk healer. The film also bagged the Best Picture award at the International Silent Film Festival Manila: Mit Out Sound.
Kaj Palanca and Celeste Joven’s Contestant#4
Another QCinema audience favorite is coming back, as the winner of QCinema Audience Award in 2016, Kaj Palanca and Celeste Joven’s Contestant#4, makes its way in RainbowQC shorts lineup. Starring Elijah Canlas and Joel Saracho, the short depicts a budding friendship between a young boy and an elderly man after the former accidentally watches an old clip of the latter cross-dressing.
Norvin de los Santos’ Isang Daa’t Isang Mariposa
Another film focusing on the themes of elderly queer people is Norvin de los Santos’ Isang Daa’t Isang Mariposa. The film shows how a 101-year-old trans woman used her one hundred thousand peso government reward for centenaries to fall in love once more. This short previously competed in QCinema’s “QCShorts” competition back in 2019.
Trishtan Perez’s i get so sad sometimes
And last but definitely not the least, last year’s winner of QCShorts’ Best Picture is also making a comeback in QCinema this year. Trishtan Perez’s i get so sad sometimes demonstrates the multitude of emotions felt by a gay teenager who will finally get to see the face of the older man he developed an anonymous affair with online.
The RainbowQC Shorts will be screened at Gateway Cineplex for its theatrical run and will be available for viewing online via Vivamax starting November 21.
