Metro Manila Film Festival Celebrates Golden Year with Launch of #MMFF50

 

Started off as Metropolitan Film Festival back in 1975, the Metro Manila Film Festival was a project spearheaded by then First Lady Imelda R. Marcos that was held in September of that year, but was move in the month of December the following year. 

Joseph Estrada was named the first ever Best Actor for the movie "Diligin mo ng hamog ang uhaw na lupa" which also was named as the first ever Best Picture, with Augusto Buenaventura winning the first Best Director Plum. Meanwhile, Charito Solis for Araw Araw, Gabi Gabi has won the first ever Best Actress award for the film festival. 

The MMFF has been the breeding ground of many classic movies such as Himala, Insiang, Burlesk Queen, Magic Temple, Jose Rizal, Tanging Yaman, and more. The festival was also considered as a ground for the best directors such as Celso Ad Castillo, Marilou Dias-Abaya, Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal to name a few to showcase their best masterpieces on the silverscreen, and also it has been a breeding ground for the best actors and actresses in the industry such as  Fernando Poe Jr, Dolphy, Joseph Estrada, Nora Aunor, Maricel Soriano, and Vilma Santos who just won her 5th Best Actress trophy for When I Met You in Tokyo. 

50 years later, now the biggest and most prestigious film festival in the country the MMFF continues to evolve and thrive along with the changing times to give its patrons the best movies on every Christmas day.      

This year, the Metro Manila Film Festival is celebrating its 50th edition and to make the festival more special, the Metro Manila Development Authority launched a series of events that will commemorate the fifty year legacy of the festival starting off with the Classic Poster Murals with i-Academy this August. This coming September 50 classic MMFF Movies will be back in cinemas for only fifty pesos it's called "SineSingkwenta". 

A series of masterclasses were also launched wherein selected students will have the chance to learn from the industries finest about directing, acting, writing, and even cinematography. There will also be fund raisers and of course the much awaited Parade of Stars happening in Manila and the Gabi ng Parangal that is set to happen at the Manila Metropolitan Theater on the 27th of December.   

The MMFF Execom this year has decided to make more room in the film festival by making it 10 official entries, the first five entries based on script were announced at the official launch of the #MMFF50 held at the Manila City Hall earlier today, July 16.  

The first entry to be named was "And the Breadwinner is!?" starring Vice Ganda, directed by Jun Robles Lana, and produced by ABS-CBN Film Prodcution Inc and IdeaFirst Company. Next entry is from GMA Picture, starring Dennis Trillo and Sofia Pablo, and directed by Zig Dulay called "Green Bone". 

Suspense-Horror flick "Strange Frequencies: Haunted Hospital" starring Enrique Gil and Jane De Leon, directed by Kerwin Go, and produced by Reality MM Studios Inc was the third entry, while the Musical version of the classic Nora Aunor starrer "Himala" was the fourth entry this stars Aicelle Santos, directed by Pepe Diokno, and produced by Kapitol Films. 

Last entry of the first batch stars Piolo Pascual and Vic Sotto entitled The Kingdom, directed by Mike Tuviera and produced by APT Entertainment, M Zet, and M Quest. 

The last five entries will be announced on October 15 and will be based on finished films category.