QCinema 2026 puts Filipino animated film 'Ella Arcangel' in festival spotlight

November 12 ------ Animation takes center stage at the 14th QCinema International Film Festival, with several animated films competing in different categories, including the Filipino feature “Ella Arcangel: The Battle of Tooth and Claw.”

Directed by Mervin Malonzo and based on Julius Villanueva’s comic book series, “Ella Arcangel” will open the festival with its world premiere on Nov. 13. The film follows a young mambabarang who confronts supernatural creatures threatening the residents of the slum she calls home.

Featuring the voices of Bianca Umali and Michael V, the film is also competing in the Asian Next Wave category, QCinema’s main competition.

Other animated entries include Kohei Kadowaki’s “We Are Aliens,” which premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and is competing in the New Horizons section, and “Jim Queen,” a satirical LGBTQIA+ film by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané, in the RainbowQC category.

The shorts competition, QCShorts International, also features Filipino entry “Sana’y Nandito Ka” by Clister Santos. The 3D-animated film follows a young man reuniting with his estranged mother after six years. Outside the competitions, the festival will screen “Perfect Blue,” the acclaimed 1997 anime thriller directed by Satoshi Kon, as part of its Rediscovery section.

The 14th QCinema International Film Festival runs from Nov. 13 to 22, with screenings at Gateway Cineplex 18, Robinsons Movieworld Galleria, Ayala Malls TriNoma, Fisher Box Office, and SM Cinema at SM City Fairview.

Source: mb.com.ph