THE METRO Manila Film Festival (MMFF), traditionally held during the Christmas holidays, will now have a second summer edition. The Metro Manila Summer Film Festival is slated for April, and is a partnership between the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the government agency which runs the festival, and the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP).
This was announced by Romando Artes, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and MMFF Over-all Chairman in a press release.
“We will release the deadline of submission of entries as early as we can so that interested producers and filmmakers may be guided accordingly,” said Mr. Artes.
The Parade of Stars for the MMFF Summer Edition will be held on April 1, while the Awards Night will take place on April 11.
The summer film festival will run for an 11-day period, from April 8 (Black Saturday) to April 18, in cinemas nationwide.
“Rest assured that the MMFF will exert all efforts by encouraging our stakeholders, especially the local entertainment industry, to create quality films. I urge each and every one of you to patronize Filipino films,” Mr. Artes said.
TARGET REACHEDLast week the MMFF announced that it had reached its P500 million target gross sales for last December’s edition.
“We are delighted to announce that we were able to reach our target gross sales amounting to ₱500 million considering that we are still recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, the 2022 MMFF is a certified box-office hit,” Mr. Artes was quoted as saying in a press release.
With the theme “Balik Saya,” eight films were shown in cinemas nationwide from Dec. 25, 2022 up to Jan. 7, 2023.
The four top films based on the gross sales receipts are Deleter, Family Matters, Labyu with an Accent, and Partners in Crime. The MMDA, however, did not disclose official figures of earnings.
Mikhail Red’s Deleter won seven awards in the festival’s Gabi ng Parangal including Best Picture and Best Director. Meanwhile, Nuel Naval’s Family Matters won the Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award.
An online edition of the festival was held in 2020 and earned less than P50 million. In comparison, the 2019 on-site edition took in P995 million. No official earnings figures were announced for 2021 when the film festival returned to physical screenings in selected movie theaters nationwide. The MMFF’s box office record was set in 2018 when it earned P1.060 billion. — MAPS
