MANILA – The 10 entries to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has been revealed, all available digitally through streaming beginning Christmas Day, December 25.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said instead of the usual eight entries, the MMFF will showcase 10 movies this year.
These 10 official entries are Magikland (fantasy adventure), Coming Home (family drama), The Missing (horror), Tagpuan (romance), Isa Pang Bahaghari (family drama), Suarez, the Healing Priest (biopic), Mang Kepweng, Ang Lihim ng Bandang Itim (comedy), Pakboys Takusa, (comedy), The Boy Foretold by the Stars (romantic comedy), and Fan Girl (drama).
The entries, it said, were chosen based on the criteria of artistic excellence (40 percent), commercial appeal (40 percent), Filipino sensibility (10 percent), and global appeal (10 percent).
Danilo Lim, MMDA and concurrent MMFF chairperson, noted that while the pandemic prohibits the screening of these films on cinemas, the tradition of watching MMFF films will continue through streaming services such as Upstream and GMovies.
“MMFF 2020 will not be limited to Filipinos residing in the country but will allow overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to enjoy the festival on a legitimate platform, anywhere they are in the world. We are grateful to our partners for making the MMFF 2020 possible. We urge everyone to support the film festival,” Lim said.
The Parade of Stars and ‘Gabi ng Parangal,’ both part of the annual MMFF, will also be streamed online in compliance with health and safety protocols for Covid-19, he said.