QCinema film festival returns with midnight series including Chai Fonacier-starred 'Nocebo'
There are still thriller nights post-Undas, as Quezon City's official international film festival is relaunching its horror series—which includes Nocebo starring Filipino actor Chai Fonacier.
QCinema's Midnight Series, first introduced in 2017, offer chills and thrills in late-night screenings from Nov. 17 to 26. This year features three titles: Ireland-produced Nocebo, Spanish language Huesera, and American Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.
Nocebo revolves around fashion designer (Eva Green), who’s suffering from a mysterious illness. A Filipino caregiver (Fonacier) arrives and soon offers traditional folk healing. The immediate recovery of Green’s character soon leads to a revelation of a horrifying truth.
The psychological horror premiered at the Sitges Fantasy Festival in Spain last October. It's the first co-production of Ireland and the Philippines, co-produced by Epic Media and Film Development Council of the Philippines.
In her directorial debut, Michelle Garza Cervera's Huesera deals with a mother (Natalia Solían), who finds herself pregnant and is soon threatened by occult forces.
The supernatural body horror premiered at the Tribeca Festival in New York last June, and won best new narrative director for Cervera.
Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, meanwhile, stars Jun Jong-seo (Money Heist Korea), a girl with unusual powers who escapes from a mental asylum. She will have a chance encounter with a prostitute portrayed by Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Bride Wars), giving way to a strange alliance as they go on a crime spree in the neon-streaked streets of New Orleans.
The fantasy thriller premiered at the Venice International Film Festival last September, winning Nave D’Argento for its "one true pair" lead characters, as well as a special mention for its soundtrack.
Now on its 10th edition, QCinema 2022 has the special theme "In10City." The festival returns to a full in-person event after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.