MMFF to hold festival twice a year

Image: Facebook/@mmffofficial

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) will be holding two festivals in a year, starting 2020.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Thursday that the second festival would be held during the summer from April 11 to 21, starting 2020.

“‘Yung second MMFF natin sa summer, start po natin 2020. Ito ay gagawin ng Sabado de Gloria, Black Saturday, which is on April 11,” MMDA General Manager Jojo Garcia said in a press conference in Makati City.

He said the proposal to stage two festivals stemmed from Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.

Meanwhile, MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim said the second edition of the MMFF, which is dubbed as the Metro Manila Summer Film Festival (MMSFF), is aimed to aid the Filipino film industry.

“Gusto nating tulungan ‘yung local industry ng pelikulang Pilipino,” Lim said in the press conference.

He noted that foreign films dominate cinemas for most of the year and that Filipino producers only make films during December for the MMFF.

Marami sa producers natin gumagawa ng pelikula once a year lang. Tinatapat na lang sa film festival dahil sa MMFF sa December, exclusive ‘yung mga pinapalabas doon, puro pelikulang Pilipino lang. For the rest of the year, halos walang Pilipinong pelikula,” Lim said.

The MMDA is the organizer of the MMFF.

READ: MMFF working to stage festival twice a year

The MMFF said the summer festival would be based on submitted finished films produced not earlier than January 1, 2019, including those that were earlier submitted for the 2019 MMFF finished film competition.

The MMFF Selection Committee will choose eight official entries to be shown exclusively in Metro Manila and in all theaters nationwide.

The MMDA said the summer film festival was presented to the Metro Manila Council and the Metro Manila mayors have expressed full support.

The MMSFF will also have its own Parade of Stars to be held on April 5, 2020 and Awards Night on April 15, 2020./ac