MANILA -- In celebration of Pride Month, QCinema International Film Festival launched its previous section RainbowQC as a full-fledged film festival.

Now called RainbowQC Pride Film Festival, its inaugural event will happen from June 25 to 27, 2025 at Gateway Cineplex 18, Gateway Mall 2 in Cubao, Quezon City

RainbowQC Pride Film Festival is set to  present a compelling lineup of international and local films that reflect the richness and complexity of queer experiences. The festival is part of Quezon City’s official Pride Month celebration.

Leading the program is the Southeast Asian premiere of "The Wedding Banquet" by Andrew Ahn, a contemporary reimagining of the Ang Lee classic that explores themes of identity, family, and the evolving dynamics of modern relationships. 

Also featured is the Philippine premiere of "Some Nights I Feel Like Walking," a co-production between the Philippines, Italy, and Singapore. Directed by Petersen Vargas and starring Jomari Angeles, Miguel Odron, Gold Azeron, Argel Saycon, and Tommy Alejandrino, the film follows a group of young hustlers who come together to fulfill the final wish of a friend.

The festival also showcases "Cocoon" (Kokon) by Leonie Krippendorff, a tender coming-of-age film set in Berlin, and "Consequences" by Darko Štante, a Slovenian drama that examines power, desire, and masculinity in a youth detention center.

Feature films are programmed by QCinema artistic director Ed Lejano. 

Tickets for "Cocoon" and "Consequences" are priced at P150 each, made accessible through the support of cultural partners Goethe-Institut and the Embassy of Slovenia. Tickets for "Some Nights I Feel Like Walking" and "The Wedding Banquet" are available at P300 each.

Rounding out the festival is the free screening of RainbowQC Shorts: The First Water is the Body, a program of Filipino queer short films curated by Jason Tan Liwag. Taking its title from the 2020 poem by Natalie Diaz, the program is composed of shorts films whose intimacies are tied to images of water, as they explore queer temporalities, fluid identities, and the invisible longings that shape the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals.

It includes "Abutan Man Tayo ng House Lights" by Apa Agbayani, which follows a middle-aged gay man finding one last dance in a future Manila rave scene; "A Catholic Schoolgirl" by Myra Angeline Soriaso, where a 15-year-old student confronts her feelings for a nun in a conservative Catholic school; "the river that never ends" by JT Trinidad, featuring a middle-aged trans woman who serves as a companion-for-hire amidst a decaying city; "Microplastics" by Lino Balmes, a poignant look at a boy’s search for connection in a world filled with artificiality; and concludes with "Water Sports" by Whammy Alcazaren, a post-apocalyptic romantic comedy in which two high school students try to survive climate catastrophe through the strength of their love, featuring the late Ricky Davao.

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