MMFF surpasses target
Record-breaking gross earnings, plus the usual controversies and protests, marked the recently concluded 37th Metro Manila Film Festival.
The annual event, held Dec. 25-Jan. 7, brought in P636 million, the MMFF executive committee announced on Monday.
The execom was pleased to have surpassed its P600-million target, member Ric Camaligan told Inquirer.
Top-grosser was the Tony Y. Reyes fantasy-adventure “Enteng ng Ina Mo,” starring Vic Sotto and Ai Ai de las Alas. Joyce Bernal’s suspense-thriller “Segunda Mano” took second spot and Mac Alejandre’s “Panday 2,” featuring Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. was third. “My House Husband: Ikaw Na!”, a family comedy by Jose Javier Reyes, was fourth, followed by the horror trilogy “Shake Rattle and Roll 13,” by Richard Somes, Jerrold Tarog and Chris Martinez.
Last two slots
In the last two slots were the controversial films “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story” by Tikoy Aguiluz and “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” by Jun Lana.
“How much [each of] these films earned, the exact figures, will be released by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) soon,” said Camaligan. The MMDA mounts the annual fest.
Filmmaker Mark Meily, an execom member, added: “This year, we posted the highest first-day yield (P117.38 million) in the festival’s history.”
New Year’s Day earnings reached P477 million—a 20-percent increase from last year, said Camaligan, who is also head of the National Cinema Association of the Philippines.
Asked for his personal assessment, Meily said: “There are controversies and protests during the festival almost every year … and the disputes are almost always caused by one film outfit, Regal (Entertainment).”
The awards night boycott on Dec. 28 by the cast of Regal’s “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” was “a downer, but was also expected,” added Meily.
No effect
“It didn’t affect the awards proceedings at all,” Camaligan said. “It was just sad for the people who attended the event to see their idols.”
Regal protested the MMDA’s decision to disqualify its entry from competing in four categories—best picture, best director, best screenplay and the Gatpuno award—for allegedly “deviating from the pre-approved story line.”
According to Camaligan, Regal claimed it was an oversight and that its staff made efforts to inform the MMFF of the changes in the script. “This clearly didn’t reach us on time,” said Camaligan. “The MMFF’s policy is very clear.”
Citing festival rules and regulations, Camaligan said Regal’s violation could also mean disqualification from the festival the following year, and the forfeiture of its P500,000 bond. “However,” he said, “we didn’t insist on those anymore. Time heals all wounds. For now, let’s just focus on the objective: to entertain people and raise funds for MMFF beneficiaries.”
Sabotage?
Adding to the controversy, Laguna Gov. E.R. Ejercito accused a postproduction company of “sabotage” after only 17 theaters of the 34 promised to his entry, “Asiong Salonga,” received copies during the first festival day.
“It wasn’t the fault of the MMFF or the cinema that this happened,” Meily explained. “SQ Film Laboratories failed to beat its deadline. Most of the copies (35mm print) arrived on the night of Christmas or on the second day.”
In any case, Meily said the festival should be “more organized” next year to avoid a repeat of the incident during the awards program at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World, Pasay City, where many guests who had tickets could not enter the 1,500-seat venue because of “overbooking.”
Bright side
On the bright side, Meily reported that the three day screenings (Dec. 18-21) for the New Wave section that featured independent films at the Robinsons Galleria in Quezon City were “well-attended,” and that student directors were “happy to have their films shown. A lot of them promised to join again next year.”
Next year, he said, “We intend to announce the finalists earlier, so they’d have more time to promote. Most of the directors were able to release their trailers and distribute publicity materials only on the first day of screening.”
Meanwhile, Camaligan revealed that the reduction in amusement taxes for films, which took effect last year, has allowed more cinema operators to purchase more comfortable theater seats and upgrade to digital audio system.
Republic Act No. 9640, which was enacted into law in 2009, reduces amusement taxes from 30 percent to a minimum of 10 percent on the gross receipts of admission fees in cinemas.
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