FILM FEST PARADE The cast of “Mindanao,” one of the entries in the 45th Metro Manila Film Festival, rides a float with a dragon head symbol conceptualized by its director Brillante Mendoza. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines — At 15.2 kilometers, the route for Sunday’s “Parade of Stars” was more than twice as long as last year’s, and was said to be the longest in the history of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
But the celebrities participating in the glitzy motorcade, which officially opened the 45th edition of the annual show biz event, were upbeat and didn’t seem to mind their floats dragging under the midday heat.
It was the least they could do, they agreed, for the thousands of fans who flocked to the streets—the very same people they’re counting on to watch their films, which will be shown in cinemas on Dec. 25 to Jan 7, 2020.
“Keri lang! It only happens once a year, anyway,” said Maine Mendoza of Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity. “It’s always a great feeling to be here, seeing and waving at all the excited fans.”
‘Good weather’
Mendoza and her costars rode on an elaborate aquatic-themed float, decked with corals and wrapped with octopus tentacles. Behind it was a giant pearl, a crucial element in the film.
“I just prayed for good weather, so that more fans could go out,” she said. “It wasn’t so great last year because it rained hard and the floats got stuck in the mud. People worked hard for those, and it would be a waste if people don’t get to see them.”
Rocco Nacino, one of the lead actors in the romantic drama “Write Abouwwt Love,” said he anticipated an exhausting but enjoyable parade.
“The traffic could be bad; things could get chaotic. But it’s an experience you can’t trade for anything else,” he said, adding that standing under the heat for a couple of hours was a small sacrifice compared with the efforts of fans.
“Who’s behind all the success we’re enjoying? It’s none other than the people,” Nacino said.
Comeback
After a 26-year absence, seasoned actor Aga Muhlach returned to the festival via the local remake of the hit Korean drama “Miracle in Cell No. 7.”
“The entertainment industry has changed so much over the years—a lot of it now internet-based, digital now. That’s why it’s nice that this tradition continues,” said Muhlach.
Another star making a comeback was Carmina Villaroel—lead star of the horror drama flick “Sunod”—who was last seen in the MMFF in 1990.
“Nakakangawit, aminin mo (It’s tiring, admit it)! But I’m very excited because the last time I was here, I was just 15 years old,” recalled the actress, who led her entry’s float —a stone building in the clutch of a sinister-looking hand.
“But if we get tired, what more the fans? Aches, sweat and all, they’re out there on the streets,” she said. “We’re so grateful for that.”
Villaroel’s costar JC Santos was also part of “Cell No. 7,” so the actor had to shuttle between his entries’ floats. “Will I be needing a zipline for that? Go rappelling? How should I go about it?” he said, laughing.
“The parade is important. More than a promotional tool, it’s a show biz tradition,” he pointed out.
Colorful floats
One of the most arresting and festive floats was that of the award-winning social drama “Mindanao,” which was shaped like a traditional ship adorned with a dragon figurehead on its bow. The film’s director, Brillante Mendoza, crafted the float himself.
On the deck and under the gold-trimmed parasols were Allen Dizon and Judy Ann Santos, who won best actress at the Cairo International Film Festival for her portrayal of a mother tending to her cancer-stricken child in the middle of a conflict zone.
The colorful float of the comedy film “The Mall the Merrier” was a pile of department store items and trinkets. With boyfriend Ion Perez by his side, lead star Vice Ganda had revelers on the streets screaming and cheering.
Iza Calzado, Meryll Soriano and Jasmine Curtis-Smith—stars of “Culion,” a historical drama set in a leper colony in Palawan province—waved and blew kisses at the crowd from a float that looked like a humble straw and bamboo dwelling.
Early in the day, word went around that “3Pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon” star Coco Martin wouldn’t take part in the motorcade. As it turned out, he showed up, but dressed as Paloma—Martin’s female alter-ego in the action-comedy flick.
The crowd broke into deafening cheers as Martin, looking pretty in his pink She-Ra-esque costume, mounted the sweet tooth heaven of a float heaped with pastel-colored candies and balloons.