(From left) Dingdong Dantes, Mae Cruz-Alviar, Marian Rivera, Alden Richards, Sharon Cuneta. Images: Twitter/@StarCinema, Instagram/@reallysharoncuneta
“Rewind,” which is Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera’s comeback film, and Sharon Cuneta and Alden Richards’ upcoming project were among the first four entries confirmed for the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
The MMFF made the announcement on the first four entries of the annual film festival on Monday, July 10, where selection committee head Jessie Ejercito and selection committee member Roy Iglesias were present.
(From left) MMFF selection committee member Roy Iglesias, MMFF selection committee head Jessie Ejercito. Image: Marinel Cruz/Philippine Daily Inquirer
Cuneta and Richards’ upcoming film “A Mother and Son’s Story,” which was confirmed in June, was the first to be announced, where the actors are set to play mother and son, respectively.
The film is directed by Nuel Naval, while Enrico Roque, Patrick Meneses, and Jacky Lim serve as the producers.
The horror film “K(Ampon)” also joins the lineup, starring Beauty Gonzales and Derek Ramsay. The King Palisoc-helmed movie is produced by Quantum Films, while Dodo Dayao is named as the scriptwriter.
The first four entries for MMFF 2023 include “Rewind” (Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera), “A Mother and Son’s Story” (Alden Richards, Sharon Cuneta), “(K)ampon” (Beauty Gonzales, Derek Ramsay), and “Penduko” (Cristine Reyes, Matteo Guidicelli). |📸: MMFF/Facebook via @HMallorcaINQ pic.twitter.com/gRBt4mlSv0
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) July 10, 2023
Meanwhile, Matteo Guidicelli and Cristine Reyes will headline the fantasy-action film “Penduko” which is directed by Jason Paul Laxamana.
On the other hand, Rivera and Dantes will team up anew for the family movie “Rewind,” which is a collaboration between Star Cinema, APT Entertainment, and Agosto Dos Media. The “magic realism”-themed movie, directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, is the couple’s first project together after 11 years.
The remaining four entries will come from “finished film submissions,” where filmmakers can submit until Sept. 29.
The selection committee also noted that the four films were chosen based on artistic excellence (40%), commercial appeal (40%), Filipino cultural sensibility (10%), and global appeal (10%).
The annual film festival will take place from December 2023 to January 2024. EDV