MANILA -- The Malaysian horror movie "Tiger Stripes" by Amanda Nell Eu is the big winner of QCinema International Film Festival 2023.

The film scooped the grand prize -- the Asian Next Wave Best Picture -- as well as the Best Director award for Eu.

"Tiger Stripes" was hailed for "leading a distinctive cinematic trend that merges horror with profound social commentary, particularly addressing the issues women continue to face nowadays, and for its standout production values and powerful performances."

"Thank you so much to QCinema and the jury. It is so meaningful to share the film to a Southeast Asian audience and we are truly honored to receive these awards," Eu said.

Asian Next Wave is the main competition section of QCinema.

This year, eight feature-film directorial debuts from the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and Thailand competed for the Pylon Award.

"Mimang" by Kim Tae-yang brought home the NETPAC Jury Prize, while the Philippine entry "Gitling" by Jopy Arnaldo won Best Screenplay.

The Best Artistic Achievement award went to Dinh Duy Hung for his visually rich and evocative cinematography of "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell."

Kang Ren Wu, who played a hearing-impaired illegal immigrant in "Abang Adik," won the Best Lead Performance, QCinema’s sole acting award.

Aside from Asian Next Wave, QCinema also awarded several short films that competed under QCShorts and QCSEA.

QCShorts’ Best Picture is Aedrian Araojo's "Animal Lovers," which illustrated how short films "can push the edge of taste while continuing to fascinate and entertain."

The QCShorts Special Jury Prize went to the multi-media short "Tumatawa, Umiiyak" by Che Tagyamon.

The gender sensitivity award went to "A Catholic School Girl" by Myra Angeline Soriaso.

"Hito" by Stephen Lopez won Best Picture in QCSEA, QCinema’s new competition section for Southeast Asian Shorts.

The Shorts Jury Prize went to filmmaker Joon Goh for "MOP."

QCinema’s first batch of emerging critics who participated in the QCinema’s Critics Lab were also awarded the Critics Prize. It went to I Look into the Mirror and Repeat to Myself by Giselle Lin.

Aside from these film awards, QCinema Critics Lab has also bestowed the Alexis Tioseco and Nika Bohinc Award for Film Criticism to Lé Baltar.

It also honored the life and work of QCinema Foundation member Teddy Co.