‘Daddy Cool’ Picks Up Top Award At QCinema Project Market
Major award winners also included 'Penumbra', 'The River Knows Our Names', 'There Is, There Isn't' & 'The Void Is Immense In Idle Hours'.
Dominic Bekaert’s Daddy Cool, set in the world of disco during the Philippines’ martial law era, won the top award, the Quezon City Best Project Award, at the close of this year’s QCinema Project Market (QPM).
The project, which picked up a prize of $17,240 (PHP1m), was also presented with in-kind awards from QPM partners including Cambodia’s Kongchak Studio and the Philippines’ Central Digital Lab.
The QPM Southeast Asian Project Award went to Penumbra, from Singapore’s Russell Morton, in first place and The River Knows Our Names, from Vietnam’s Mai Huyen Chi, in second place. Penumbra tells the story of an inmate who escapes from a brutal riot in an island prison, while The River Knows Our Names is set amongst the undocumented floating homes of the Mekong delta.
The QPM Filipino Project Award was presented to Arjanmar H Rebeta’s There Is, There Isn’t in first place and Sam Manacsa’s The Void Is Immense In Idle Hours, about two women searching for a missing child, in second place. There Is, There Isn’t follows a man searching for his missing son while his town is threatened by a volcanic eruption.
Malaysian filmmaker Joon Goh’s The Willing, about an Indonesian migrant in Malaysia, took the QPM Discovery Award, while Best Pitch went to Khavn De La Cruz’s Jollywood, a black comedy about a young boy making life-changing decisions during a slum clearance. (See below for full list of awards).
In total, QPM, the industry arm of QCinema International Film Festival, handed out the equivalent of $310,000 (PHP18m) in awards. The event was also celebrating the recent news that Quezon City, one of the cities that comprises Metro Manila, has been designated as a UNESCO City of Film.
In addition to two days of pitch sessions and one-on-one meetings, QCinema’s industry platform hosted Dokyu Day; Creative Industry Day, focusing on the experiences of women in various film industry roles; and the Asian Next Wave Film Forum, which encompassed panel discussions on a range of industry topics.
QPM managing director Liza Dino-Seguerra commented on this year's edition of the event: “Quezon City’s UNESCO Creative City of Film designation inspires us to aim even higher. These awards reflect our belief in the region’s filmmakers and our dedication to supporting their stories as they travel to global audiences.”
QCINEMA PROJECT MARKET 2025 WINNERS:
MAJOR AWARDS:
Quezon City Best Project Award:
Daddy Cool, dir: Dominic Bekaert (Philippines)
Prize: PHP1m ($17,240)
QPM Southeast Asian Project Award [1st Place]:
Penumbra, dir: Russell Morton (Singapore)
Prize: PHP500,000 ($8,620)
QPM Southeast Asian Project Award [2nd Place]:
The River Knows Our Names, dir: Mai Huyền Chi (Vietnam)
Prize: PHP 300,000 ($5,1700)
QPM Filipino Project Award [1st Place]:
There Is, There Isn’t (Meron, Wala), dir: Arjanmar H. Rebeta (Philippines)
Prize: PHP500,000 ($8,620)
QPM Filipino Project Award [2nd Place]:
The Void Is Immense In Idle Hours, dir: Sam Manacsa (Philippines)
Prize: PHP300,000 ($5,170)
QPM Discovery Award:
The Willing, dir: Joon Goh (Malaysia)
Prize: PHP500,000 ($8,620)
Best Pitch:
Jollywood, dir: Khavn De La Cruz
Prize: PHP100,000 ($1,700)
PARTNER AWARDS:
Mocha Chai Laboratories Award:
Jaguar, dir: Dean Colin Marcial
Prize: Comprehensive post-production services valued at up to $50,000
CMB Equipment Support Grant:
Luzonensis And Floresiensis, dir: Glenn Barit (Philippines)
Dear Wormwood, dir: Dodo Dayao (Philippines)
Ozzy And Onie, dir Jaime Pacena II (Philippines)
The Void Is Immense In Idle Hours, dir: Sam Manacsa (Philippines)
When The World Is Paused, dir: Han Thit Htoo Aung (Myanmar)
Romdoul, The Evening Fragrance, dir: Lomorpich Rithy (Cambodia)
Prize: Film equipment support worth PHP1m ($17,240)
Kongchak Studio Award:
Daddy Cool, dir: Dominic Bekaert (Philippines)
Prize: $10,000 worth of audio post-production services
Central Digital Lab Color Correction Grant:
The Void Is Immense In Idle Hours, dir: Sam Manacsa (Philippines)
Daddy Cool, dir: Dominic Bekaert (Philippines)
Prize: Colour grading & digital mastering services worth PHP300,000
Barebones Award:
There Is, There Isn’t (Meron, Wala), dir: Arjanmar H. Rebeta (Philippines)
Romdoul, The Evening Fragrance, dir: Lomorpich Rithy (Cambodia)
Ghost Of The Currents, dir: Patiparn Boontarig (Thailand)
KOMIXXX, dir: Jopy Arnaldo (Philippines)
Prize: Colour grading services worth $14,000
Terminal Six Post-Production Award:
Dear Wormwood, dir: Dodo Dayao (Philippines)
Prize: $10,000 in post-production support
Narra Post-Production Grant:
What’s Left Of Us, dir: Tyrone Acierto (Philippines)
Penumbra, dir: Russell Morton (Singapore)
Dancing Gale, dir: Sammaria Sari Simanjuntak (Indonesia)
Prize: One Filipino project & two SEA projects each receive PHP500,000 in audio post-production services
Puregold Cine Panalo Film Marketing Grant:
Ozzy And Onie, dir Jaime Pacena II (Philippines)
Prize: PHP200,000 in marketing support
Pop Up Film Residency x FAP Project Award:
The Void Is Immense In Idle Hours, dir: Sam Manacsa (Philippines)
Prize: 3-week international film residency at Pop Up Film Residency
Pop Up Film Residency x FAP Skill Up Award:
Eero Yves Francisco, production designer (Philippines)
Prize: 3-week international film residency at Pop Up Film Residency
Kingyo Productions Award:
When The World Is Paused, dir: Han Thit Htoo Aung (Myanmar)
Prize: $5,000 plus music mentorship and collaborative support with Kingyo’s Taiwanese composer
Stage Post Audio & Music Productions Inc:
Luzonensis And Floresiensis, dir: Glenn Barit (Philippines)
There Is, There Isn’t (Meron, Wala), dir: Arjanmar H. Rebeta (Philippines)
Sentinel, dir :Carl Joseph E. Papa (Philippines)
Ozzy And Onie, dir Jaime Pacena II (Philippines)
Prize: PHP600,000 worth of audio post-production & original musical scoring
