THE TEN-FILM selection of the 50e The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) competition is now complete.
The first five films in the lineup were announced last July. The final five to complete ten festival films are:
• The Romanticism of Crisanto Aquino My future you (Regal Entertainment), starring Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin;
• Dan Villegas’ thriller Uninvited (Mentorque Productions), starring Vilma Santos, Nadine Lustre and Aga Muhlach;
• Richard Somes’ thriller Top package (Nathan Studios), starring Arjo Atayde and Julia Montes;
• Jason Paul Laxamana’s romance Keep me close (Viva Films), starring Carlo Aquino and Julia Barretto; And,
• Chito Roño’s horror film Espantaho (Quantum Films), starring Judy Ann Santos and Lorna Tolentino.
They join the first five official entries:
• The drama of Zig Dulay Green bones (GMA Pictures), starring Dennis Trillo, Ruru Madrid and Sofia Pablo;
• Jun Robles Lana’s comedy-drama And the breadwinner is (Star Cinema and The IdeaFirst Company), starring Vice Ganda and Eugene Domingo;
• Kerwin Go’s Strange Frequencies: Haunted Hospital (Reality MM Studios), with Jane de Leon and Enrique Gil;
• Pepe Diokno’s musical adaptation Himalaya: Isang Musikal (Kapitol Films and UxS), starring Aicelle Santos and Bituin Escalante; And,
• Action drama by Mike Tuviera The kingdom (APT Entertainment, M-Zet TV Productions and MQuest Ventures), starring Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual.
The films were chosen from a record number of 70 entries.
The MMFF selection committee is led by producer Jessie Ejercito.
The films were chosen based on the following criteria: artistic excellence (40%), commercial appeal (40%), Philippine cultural values (10%) and global appeal (10%).
The 50 of the MMFFe This year “signifies the film industry’s unwavering passion despite the many challenges it continues to face,” Ronaldo “Don” Artes, head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and chairman of the MMFF, said in a statement . The film festival is run by the MMDA.
The 50e edition of the MMFF runs from December 25 to January 7, 2025 in theaters nationwide.
For more information, visit www.facebook.com/mmffbyficial. – Brontë H. Lacsamana