More of the same

SOTTO. Teams up with Delas Alas in “Enteng ng Ina Mo.”

Last year, the new officials behind the Metro Manila Film Festival initiated reforms that film buffs welcomed, like a higher percentage for quality content in determining the official entries, and a new sidebar featuring “indie” productions.

However, when push came to shove and the entries were shown, the festival’s “commercial” orientation remained its strongest element, so the “reforms” turned out to be – well, not all that big a deal – which was a real pity, since the original Manila Film Festival (before it was expanded to the MMFF) had a glorious start.

It was the event that turned the tide in favor of local movies, which before the festival were welcomed in only two or three theaters in Manila and were looked down upon by the hoity-toity and colonial-minded.

Homegrown productions

But, the very first Manila Film Festival changed all that when it screened some competent and interesting productions, which made even the mata-pobre instant fans of local movies.

Quite amazingly, in only a few years, many more people wanted to watch our homegrown productions, and more moviehouses opened their doors to local movies, resulting in the third Golden Age of Filipino films.

Alas, that great advantage has been eroded through the years, so we’re back where we started, with the Filipino film industry on its knees once more, no thanks to compromised “festivals” like the MMFF.

And yet, we continue to hope (against hope) that the festival will finally and genuinely realize the good it hasn’t done – and still can do – if it really makes quality the most important consideration for choosing its official entries.

Well, not to rain on our own hoped-for parade, but the list of 2011 MMFF official entries has been released, and it looks like we need to pray more – a lot more –before Heaven hears and grants our plaintive pleas because this year’s eight official entries are for the most part as commercial as they come:

Umpteenth incarnation

“Enteng ng Ina Mo,” a comedy topbilling Vic Sotto and Ai Ai delas Alas. “Hototay.” “Mr. Wong” with Robin Padilla and Angelica Panganiban. “My Househusband” with Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos. “Panday 2” with Bong Revilla. “Segunda Mano.” “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” And, on its umpteenth incarnation, “Shake Rattle and Roll.”

The MMFF prides itself in having grossed billions of pesos, some of which have been used to fund the operations of some film organizations. That’s the reason given for the festival’s decision to “go commercial,” especially now that moviegoing (except for the prosperous Christmas week) has slumped.

Alas, the MMFF doesn’t have the perspicacity and just plain smarts to realize that the festival in particular and the industry in general’s lack of quality products is in fact the reason for its decade-long slump because, why in blazes should moviegoers plunk down P100 or P150 at the tills for the dubious “pleasure” of watching – more of the same?