Featured art by Glacianne Lacerna.
MANILA, Philippines — As the Holidays ushers in the festive season of community, every year, the much-awaited annual celebration of rich and diverse Filipino films at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) invites every household to a cinematic experience filled with stories that carry the narratives of our culture, dreams, and the ever-evolving state of the Filipino creative talent.
The MMFF, now in its 51st year, continues to bring a range of stories that honors the plight of the Filipino people, captured by the artistry of Filipino filmmakers. Traditionally runs from Christmas Day (December 25), and extends into the first weekend of January of the new year, the festival serves as a homecoming for original Filipino stories with a variety of genres that are sure to fit one’s taste–whether it’s drama, romance, horror, comedy, thriller, or action. Now, more than ever, especially anchored on the season of coming together, it is important that we be reminded of what a rich communal experience it is to go to the cinemas, and support our local filmmakers and the industry as a whole, while we’re at it.
This year collected an interesting mix of filmmakers who are serving a flavor of Filipino artistry and storytelling this Christmas season. Here’s a rundown of entries that might pique your interest and make you save a seat as they start to dominate local theaters nationwide:
I’mPerfect
By Sigrid Andrea Bernando
“When the world says they can’t, they’ll prove they can.” A romance film by Kita Kita director Sigrid Andrea Bernando, I’mPerfect narrates the tale of Jessica and Jiro, two adults with Down Syndrome, who navigate the road to falling in love.
Starred by Anne Krystel Daphne Go and Earl Jonathan Amaba, both with Down syndrome themselves, this heartfelt movie paints a portrait of how, despite the factors that may limit them, two people meet and fall in love against all odds.
Manila’s Finest
By Raymond Red
This crime thriller, directed by Raymond Red, follows the story of a seasoned policeman played by Piolo Pascual in his pursuit of solving a series of murder cases set in the tumultuous year of 1969.
The story centers on the brotherhood of policemen as they struggle to maintain their integrity and loyalty after uncovering a violent turf war that pulls them into a tangled web of corruption–one that links powerful businessmen, influential politicians, and even members of the law enforcement itself.
Rekonek
By Jade Castro
Rekonek centers on family dynamics set during a Christmas Eve that forces them to reconnect with each other after a worldwide internet breakdown. Starring a stellar cast such as Gerald Anderson, Bela Padilla, Andrea Brillantes, Gloria Diaz, Charlie Dizon, Alexa Miro, and the Legaspi family, they portray the characters of six different families with complex relationships.
This drama delves into the profound meaning and importance of both interpersonal and intrapersonal connections, especially in today’s world where the internet has taken such huge significance in the relationships we build. As they are stripped of their reliance on digital connectivity, the characters are forced to trace back the roots of forming connections and rediscover the importance of in-person relationships.
UnMarry
By Jeffrey Jeturian
Starred by Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo, UnMarry tells us that sometimes love can grow between two people, but sometimes that love isn’t enough and that it can unravel through the seams.
The film explores the story between two people in the middle of their petitions of their annulments with their respective spouses, meeting halfway in the process. The trailer of the film goes on to show how each of their marriages had possibly gotten to that point, having each other as support in overcoming the rough patch of their relationships.
Bar Boys: After School
By Kip Oebanda
As a sequel to the 2017 Cinemalaya film Bar Boys, the law school coming-of-age drama makes a return, set ten years after the group of friends’ graduation with the roles being reprised by the original main cast composed of Carlo Aquino, Rocco Nacino, Enzo Pineda, and Kean Cipriano.
As the initial film tells the tale of their journey in law school, the story of the sequel revolves around what had become of the aspirations they all had during their time in law school all those years ago, and how much of that holds with the life they live presently and how much it had changed since then.
Call Me Mother
By Jun Robles Lana
This comedy-drama, starring Vice Ganda and Nadine Lustre, promises a film filled not just with laughter but with eye-opening lessons as Call Me Mother portrays the complex, intertwined lives of two mothers. Twinkle, a single queer mother, is in the process of adopting a child. Her world is shaken by the unexpected arrival of Mara, the biological mother, who forms a bond with the boy Twinkle is soon to adopt.
The film explores Twinkle’s hilarious and complicated but heartfelt journey as she goes to great lengths to prove her worth, challenging audiences to grapple with the meaning of motherhood. It makes viewers question the intricacies of biology versus love and devotion when it comes to defining a mother’s worth and value.
Love You So Bad
By Mae Cruz Alviar
Produced by Star Cinema, GMA Pictures, and Regal Entertainment, Love You So Bad stars Will Ashley, Bianca de Vera, and Dustin Yu in this romance film written by Crystal Hazel San Miguel.
There is much left to speculate about what the movie will be about and who’ll get who, as it’s officially described to have a “nakakakilig” twist and that not all wild nights have a happy ending to it. College senior Savannah is on her road to finding her footing in life on her own terms, but with the complications of being torn between the bad boy and the chick magnet. This is where “old wounds” get reopened and life’s more difficult choices start to confront her.
Shake, Rattle, & Roll: Evil Origins
By Joey De Guzman, Ian Loreños, Shugo Praico
The iconic Shake, Rattle, & Roll franchise is set to make another comeback on the big screen this year with its seventeenth installment. Off note, the long-running horror anthology features the return of original cast members Manilyn Reynes and Janice de Belen.
Divided into three different interconnected stories set across time: Past (1775), Present (2025), and Future (2050), the film is ready to serve a new set of tales of terror that trace the origins of evil from the colonial past to a dark, post-apocalyptic future.
A new era to Filipino storytelling
With the 51st edition of the MMFF underway, the current lineup is anchored on the theme “A New Era for Philippine Cinema”, according to MMDA Chairman Atty. Romando Artes. With the ongoing global push to revive people’s cinema-going viewing behavior, in the Philippines, there needs to be a concerted efforts from filmmakers, government agencies, and the public to keep watching films in cinemas alive.
Common genres amongst MMFF films throughout the years either fall under drama, romance, or action and fantasy — so this begs the question: Will the stories told in these movies be any different? Will these stories be worth buying a movie ticket for? Are people also going to do their fair share of effort to make sure, those who make will continue to explore uncharted territories on what to tell and how to tell on the big screen.
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