MIFF postpones second edition due to California wildfires
The Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) postpones second edition due to the California wildfires. Image: Instagram/@janetrnepales
The Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) has announced the postponement of its upcoming second edition due to the ongoing wildfires in Southern California.
Originally slated to take place from Jan. 30 to Feb. 2, the event will be rescheduled to new dates that are yet to be announced.
Organizers, meanwhile, urged the public to carry on with relief efforts amid the ongoing wildfires.
“Because of the catastrophic wildfires that are heavily affecting Southern California, we at the Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) are postponing our second 2025 edition, originally scheduled from January 30 to February 2, to a later date to be announced,” MIFF chairman and co-founder Omen Ortiz said in a statement.
“We are devastated by the tremendous impact of the wildfires on many people, including the Filipino community. At this time, as we pray for the people experiencing trauma and loss, we ask all to continue supporting the fire relief efforts,” he added.
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MIFF stressed their priority to “honor the frontline workers and volunteers, including the Filipino first responders, who are heroically battling the wildfires” before announcing the new dates of this year’s festival.
The festival will showcase the 10 official film entries from the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) and other movie screenings at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, along with a star-studded awards gala at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.
In November 2024, as part of their pre-interlude activities for the festival, Cinegang Inc. and MIFF held a panel discussion, dubbed “How to Award Your Film and TV Project,” with Filipino American publicists David Magdael and Annalee Paulo, who are recognized voters for the Academy Awards, and Mark Dascasos (“John Wick 3”) and Nico Santos (“Crazy Rich Asians”) as speakers.
In January 2024, The MIFF held its inaugural edition, screening the 10 official entries of the 2023 MMFF for the first time in Hollywood.
In a previous interview, media consultants Janet and Ruben Nepales, who are among the Filipino American co-founders of the MIFF, explained that they are a separate entity from the MMFF and wanted to make the MIFF a long-term festival.
“We’re an independent entity. I mean, we love the support of the Metro Manila Film Festival, but we are our own independent organization. So we are very happy with MMFF to help us bring the films from the Philippines, but we hope to make it a long-lasting organization,” said Ruben at the time.
Meanwhile, the 2025 Oscar nominations have also been rescheduled from Jan. 19 to Jan. 23, as well as the Critics Choice Awards, which were originally slated for Jan. 12 and moved to Jan. 26 due to the California wildfires.