Metro Manila Film Festival: A Showcase of Local Entertainment

It’s that time of the year when Filipino movies dominate the cinemas and foreign films have to give way to locally-produced films. The annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) happens every Christmas day until the first week of January. And although you might miss your Hollywood movie watching time, it is a good opportunity to get to know the local entertainment industry through movies that give you a glimpse of the local culture.

Now on its 41st year, the MMFF advocates the patronage of Filipino films by showcasing only local movies during a two-week period. This year’s festival will run from December 25, 2015 to January 7, 2016.

Here are some of the things that you need to know about the MMFF:

1) Movie Screenings. Only shortlisted films are shown in all Metro Manila cinemas during the festival. Hence, local and foreign films that are not participating in the MMFF may not be screened. For cinemas outside the metro, it is highly likely that they will only feature festival favorites.

If you’re curious or have taken a liking to the unique brand of Filipino romance, horror, or comedy, here are this year’s festival entries that you can check out:

— All You Need is Pag-Ibig (Romance, Comedy)

— Beauty and the Bestie (Comedy, Action)

— Buy Now, Die Later (Horror, Thriller)

— Haunted Mansion (Horror, Thriller)

— Honor Thy Father (Action, Drama)

— My Bebe Love (Romance, Comedy)

— Nilalang (Horror, Suspense)

— Walang Forever (Romance, Comedy)

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2) Specialized Cinemas. Expect foreign films to remain available in specialized cinemas like 3D and IMAX, as festival entries will have to be rendered in specific formats to play in these theaters. The holidays might be the best time to catch the space epic Star Wars in a huge screen like IMAX!

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3) New Wave of Talents. In 2011, the MMFF added the New Wave division to showcase full features, animated films, and shorts by up-and-coming student filmmakers. Catch the works of a new breed of directors from December 17 to 24, 2015, at SM Megamall, Glorietta 4, and Robinsons Ermita.

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4) Parade of Stars. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) also holds an annual float parade to promote the MMFF films, as well as to bring the movie stars closer to the Filipino public. Watch out for the date of the parade and road closure announcements by checking the Facebook pages of MMDA and MMFF.

For more information about the MMFF, visit their official Facebook page.

Article by Mina Loyola 

Photos from MMFF Official Facebook page, Star Cinema, My Movie World, PEP and ABS-CBN News