10 films to compete in this year’s MMFF

INSTEAD of the usual eight films, 10 will compete in the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) as announced on Tuesday in a post on the film festival official’s Facebook page.

The final six films that complete the festival’s lineup were chosen from 30 film submissions. They are:

Jun Robles Lana’s comedy Becky and Badette (produced by The Ideafirst Company), starring comediennes Eugene Domingo and Pokwang;

Lemuel Lorca’s comedy Broken Hearts Trip (Smart Films Productions and BMC Films), starring Christian Bables;

Zig Dulay’s fantasy drama Firefly (GMA Pictures), starring Alessandra De Rossi;

Pepe Diokno’s historical drama Gomburza (Jesuit Communications Foundation), starring Enchong Dee, Cedrick Juan, and Dante Rivero;

Derick Cabrido’s horror film Mallari (Mentorque Productions), starring Piolo Pascual; and,

Conrado Peru and Rommel Penesa’s romance When I Met You in Tokyo (JG Productions), starring Vilma Santos and Christopher De Leon.

The first four official entries were announced in July. They are:

Nuel Naval’s drama A Family of Two – A Mother and Son Story (Cineko Productions), starring Sharon Cuneta and Alden Richards;

King Palisoc’s horror thriller K(ampon) (Quantum Films), starring Beauty Gonzalez and Derek Ramsay;

Jason Paul Laxamana’s action-adventure Penduko (Sari Sari Network, VIVA Films, etc.), starring Matteo Guidicelli and Kylie Verzosa; and,

Mae Cruz-Alviar’s family drama Rewind (ABS-CBN Film Productions, Star Cinema, etc.), starring Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes.

The first four entries were chosen based on their scripts. The final six are all completed films.

The MMFF Selection Committee is headed by producer Jessie Ejercito.

The films were selected based on the following criteria: artistic excellence (40%); commercial appeal (40%); Filipino cultural values (10%); and global appeal (10%).

“The 10 chosen films are truly very good, based on the trailers and actors and actresses that represent these films,” said Don Artes, the acting chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and chairman of the MMFF. The MMDA runs the film festival.

The 49th MMFF will run from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2024 in theaters nationwide. The film festival’s Gabi Ng Parangal (awards night) will be held on Dec. 27.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/mmffofficial. — BHL