The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival held in

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. The festival, which runs from December 25 (

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

) through

New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Whi ...

and into first weekend of January in the following year, focuses on Filipino films. During the course of the festival, movie theaters show only films that are approved by its jurors and exclude foreign films except in

3D theater 3-D, 3D, or 3d may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Relating to three-dimensionality * Three-dimensional space ** 3D computer graphics, computer graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data ** 3D film, a ...

s and

IMAX theater IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme ...

s. Since 2010s, film entries were played in select 3D cinemas that it can show movies in 2D format. It is one of the two Filipino major film festivals to exclude movies out of the country in a week-long period, the other being the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino happening during August. The annual event began with the 1975 Metro Manila Film Festival, during which ''Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa'' ("''Water the Thirsty Earth with Dew''") by Augusto Buenaventura won the best film award. One of the festival highlights is the parade of floats at the opening of the festival. The floats, each one representing a movie entry with their respective stars, parade down usually Roxas Boulevard, as was the case in many of the previous awards. Beginning in 2017, however, the float parade is now usually hosted by each of the 17 local governments of the capital region. On the awards night, a Best Float award is also announced along with the major acting awards. A sister festival which is a spin-off of the MMFF, the Metro Manila Summer Film Festival, was supposed to have its first edition in April 2020. However, it was canceled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

History

A precursor the current festival began in 1966. Then- mayor of Manila Antonio Villegas inaugurated the "Manila Film Festival" ("Manila Tagalog Film Festival"). It was set up in order to get Philippine films screened in "first-run" theaters which at that time only screened American films. It was a 12-day event from June 14 through June 24, Manila's birthday, during which only locally produced films could be shown in the theatres. The festival featured a parade in downtown Manila of actors and the featured films. In addition, in an effort to promote Philippine films, Antonio Villegas banned the showing of foreign films at movie houses during the Manila Film Festival. Most of the first batch of the festival films came up with English titles. Despite the lack of support, there were different changes in making the festival flourish. The best films of Manila Film Festival included ''Daigdig ng mga Api'' (1966), ''Dahil sa Isang Bulaklak'' (1967), ''Manila, Open City'' (1968), ''Patria Adorada'' (1969), ''Dimasalang'' (1970), ''Cadena de Amor'' (1971), ''Elias, Basilio at Sisa'' (1972), ''Nueva Vizcaya'' (1973) and ''Alaala mo Daigdig Ko'' (1974). Starting in 1975, Manila Film Festival was discontinued as Metro Manila Film Festival took over. In 1973, the Manila Film Festival was discontinued as Martial Law was imposed in September the year before. On September 21, 1975, during the Marcos Presidency, the filmfest was expanded to include all the other cities and towns in the newly formed

and began under the name "1975 Metropolitan Film Festival" (MFF). In 1977, name was changed to "Metro Manila Film Festival". After Villegas' death in 1984, a special award in the Metro Manila Film Festival, the Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award, was created in his honor and is given to the best film that best portrays Philippine culture and Filipino people to the world. MRN Film International's ''

Andrea, Paano Ba ang Maging Isang Ina? ''Andrea, Paano Ba ang Maging Isang Ina?'' ''(Andrea, How Is It Like to Be a Mother?)'' is a 1990 Filipino film and an official entry to the 1990 Metro Manila Film Festival. The film won for Aunor all the Best Actress Awards given by the five ann ...

'' was the first one to receive the lifetime achievement award in 1990. Since then, it has been awarding prestigious films that deserves the honors. In 2010, the film festival underwent some changes. First, the commercial viability criterion (box-office performance of the entries) was removed. As of 2010, the criteria for the selection of Best Picture(s) are: artistry; creativity and technical excellence; innovation; and thematic value. Entries are also judged for global appeal (70 percent) and Filipino cultural and/or historical value (30 percent). In addition, the festival format gave a tribute to independent "indie" films. Lastly, the established board of jurors was expanded to include housewives, drivers, students, teachers, etc. The festival logo was changed to feature a map of the Metropolis of Manila, based on the old seal of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority with seventeen stars on it symbolizing the 17 cities and municipality of Metro Manila. The logo for the first 35 festivals featured a torch. In September 2011, Atty.

Francis Tolentino Francis N Tolentino (; is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as a Senator since 2019. He served as Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) from 2010 to 2015 and was the Mayor of Tagaytay from 1995 to 2004. For th ...

, then-chairman of the

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA; fil, Pangasiwaan sa Pagpapaunlad ng Kalakhang Maynila) is a government agency of the Philippines responsible for constituting the regional government of Metro Manila, comprising the capita ...

(MMDA) changed the category name of "indie" films to "New Wave" films to make it sound better and more attractive to hear, as well as including "Student Short Film Category" for the first time. Consequently, the next year, the 38th Metro Manila Film Festival held in 2012 became the highest earning MMFF to date with 767 million pesos, 21% higher than that of 2011. In January 2013 Interaksyon.com review, writer Jessica Zafra complained, "Speaking of standards, why do we bother to review the festival entries when most of them are rubbish? Because they're not supposed to be rubbish! Contrary to what you’ve been led to believe, 'entertainment' and 'commercial appeal' are not synonyms for 'garbage'. There are good commercial movies, and there are bad commercial movies. The bad outnumber the good because the studios think the viewers are idiots."

Notable incidents

There have been numerous notable incidents during the various festivals. In 1977, director Lino Brocka walked out of the awarding ceremonies at the Metropolitan Theater when Celso Ad. Castillo's ''Burlesk Queen'' starring

Vilma Santos Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos-Recto (, born November 3, 1953) is a Filipino actress, singer, dancer, TV host, producer, and politician. She served as a House Deputy Speaker since 2019 to 2022 and as the Representative of Batangas' 6th district sinc ...

won eight of the ten awards including the Best Picture award during the 3rd Metro Manila Film Festival. Mr. Brocka reportedly threw invectives at Rolando Tinio, who was the chairman of the panel of judges of the festival. In 1978, the board of jurors decided to not award honors for

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress on the 4th Metro Manila Film Festival. Instead, the jurors gave

Nora Aunor Nora Cabaltera Villamayor (born May 21, 1953), professionally known as Nora Aunor (), is a Filipino actress, recording artist, and film producer. Aunor has also appeared in several stage plays, television shows and concerts. She is known as P ...

a "Best Performer" award for her role in the movie ''Atsay''. Aunor beat

, whom fortune-tellers on the talk show of ''

Inday Badiday Maria Lourdes Jimenez Carvajal (August 6, 1944 – September 26, 2003), popularly known as Inday Badiday, was a Filipino TV host and journalist who was known as Philippine television's "queen of showbiz talk shows" and "queen of intrigues". ...

'' and many moviegoers predicted would win the award for her role in the movie ''Rubia Servios''. When Nora accepted her award, she cried "Mama, mali ang hula nila" ("Mama, their prediction is wrong") apparently because fortune-tellers incorrectly predicted the outcome. In 1983, during the awards night of the 9th Metro Manila Film Festival, many were surprised after

Coney Reyes Constancia Angeline Reyes Nubla (born May 27, 1954), better known by her screen name Coney Reyes, is a Filipina film and television actress, comedian, television host and producer. Coney made her debut on the silver screen in the 1975 film ''R ...

won the Best Actress award for the movie ''Bago Kumalat ang Dugo'' and

Anthony Alonzo Antonio Viana Hernandez (April 2, 1948 – October 9, 1998), also known as Anthony and Tony, was a Filipino actor, singer, and councilor of Quezon City. Early life He was born as Antonio Viana Hernandez on April 2, 1948, in Quezon City to Alfred ...

is given the

award for the same movie, besting acting greats

Charito Solis Rosario Violeta Solís Hernández, better known as Charito Solís (October 6, 1935 – January 9, 1998), was a FAMAS and Gawad Urian Award-winning Filipina film actress, in addition to being the first Philippine woman who have bared her chest in ...

Phillip Salvador Phillip Mikael "Ipe" Reyes Salvador (born Felipe Reyes Salvador; August 22, 1953) is a three-time FAMAS award-winning Filipino film and television actor. Acting career Salvador made his film debut in 1971 with ''Adios Mi Amor''. He toiled in ...

, and Vic Silayan, who were all in the movie '' Karnal''. In addition, juror's standards of giving Willie Milan the Best Director award against Lino Brocka is questioned. In 1986, for the first time, the 12th Metro Manila Film Festival did not give out the traditional first and second Best Picture awards as well as the other two categories:

Best Story Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...

and

Best Screenplay Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation, ...

. According to one of the jurors, Tingting Cojuangco stated: "No one of the seven entries deserved these awards..." She added that they: "...would like to express

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offic ...

concern over the current state of the Philippine movie industry as reflected in the entries to the year's MMFF... he entriesfailed to reinforce and inculcate positive Filipino values by portraying negative stereotypes, imitating foreign films and perpetuating commercially-oriented movies...". In 1988 during the award-giving ceremony of the

14th Metro Manila Film Festival The 14th Metro Manila Film Festival was held in 1988. An unheralded and obscure movie, ''Patrolman'' was named the Best Picture in the 1988 Metro Manila Film Festival. The lead star, once unknown stuntman-actor Baldo Marro won the Best Actor a ...

, stuntman and character actor-turned-filmmaker Baldo Marro won the

for ''Patrolman'' film, which also won him the Best Director award. In fact, he was not known before this. He bested prizewinning director

Chito Roño Chito may refer to: *Chito Calvo (1903–1977), Filipino basketball player, swimmer, and coach *Chito Garcia (1924–2015), Mexican baseball outfielder and manager *Chito Gascon, Filipino lawyer, civil organizer, and human-rights activist * Chito ...

of ''Itanong Mo Sa Buwan'' in the division, sending uproar from well-meaning critics and regular local film observers. Nevertheless, the announced Best Director award goes to Laurice Guillen. In 1993, during the "Gabi ng Parangal" of the

1993 Metro Manila Film Festival The 19th Metro Manila Film Festival was held in 1993. Reyna Films' ''Kung Mawawala Ka Pa'' and Star Cinema's ''May Minamahal'' shared top honors in the 1993 Metro Manila Film Festival. ''Kung Mawawala Ka Pa'' was awarded Best Picture and received ...

, the list of winners was supposedly leaked. In 1994, during the "Gabi ng Parangal" of 20th Metro Manila Film Festival held in PICC, the six major awards ( Three Best Pictures, Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Awards, Best Director, and

) were not given as Alejandro Roces, chairman of the Board of Jurors announced that "none of the entries was deserving". On the side note, the Manila Film Fest (MFF) had a similar, but different case in which both the Best Actress and Best Actor awards were given to Ruffa Gutierrez and Gabby Concepcion respectively instead of the supposed-to-be winners. In 2001, on December 27 of the 27th Metro Manila Film Festival,

Cesar Montano Cesar Manhilot (born August 1, 1962), known professionally as Cesar Montano (), is a Filipino actor, film producer and film director. Montano started in show business as a commercial model.

, although he received the

award, expressed his disappointment that his film, '' Bagong Buwan'' did not receive the Best Picture award. He states: "For me, '' Bagong Buwan'' is still the best picture. No offense meant, but for others, '' Yamashita'' may be the best picture. Kanya-kanya 'yan. Wala nga lang kaming trophy. Bibili na lang kami ng trophy sa Recto. (To each his own. We just don't have a trophy. We'll just buy one in Recto)." referring to a strip on C.M. Recto Avenue in Manila notorious for manufacturing fake diplomas, certificates and trophies.Ranoa-Bismark, Maridol. "Montano, De Rossi, Yamashita top awardees at Metro Filmfest". ''The Philippine Star''. December 29, 2001. Newspaper Print. In 2002, first, the cast of the film '' Dekada '70'' walked out of the award ceremonies after Lualhati Bautista failed to win the

and

awards. Even more controversial was the decision of the judges to name the first-timer

Ara Mina Ara Mina (born Hazel Pascual Reyes-Almarinez; May 9, 1979) is a Filipino actress, singer, endorser, and entrepreneur. Career Mina became part of the Philippine entertainment industry at 14 years of age via the youth-oriented program '' That ...

the Best Actress for her role in Mano Po, beating multi-awarded

, who was in '' Dekada '70''. In addition, the producers of the films '' Spirit Warriors: The Shortcut'' and '' Lastikman'' protested the non-inclusion of the two films as official entries, prompting the Metro Manila Film Festival committee to extend the annual event. Consequently, the committee extended the film screenings to seven days to accommodate two more films which did not make it to the entries. Speaking of the films,

, director of Second Best Picture '' Dekada '70'', was curious as to why was '' Spirit Warriors: The Shortcut'' named the Third Best Picture award if the officials disqualify it as an official entry. In the same way, the production team of ''Ang Agimat: Antin-Anting ni Lolo'' was also appalled to the decision of the jurors to give the Best Visual Effects award to '' Spirit Warriors: The Shortcut'' if they only use "mono", beating their use of the more advanced " Dolby Digital system". In 2005, director

Joel Lamangan Joel Lamangan (born September 21, 1952) is a Filipino film director, television director and actor. His award-winning films includes ''The Flor Contemplacion Story'', ''Sidhi'', '' Deathrow'', ''Hubog'', '' Aishte Imasu 1941'', ''Blue Moon'' an ...

walked out after he lost to Jose Javier Reyes. Lamangan failed to win the Best Director for ''

Blue Moon A blue moon is an additional full moon that appears in a subdivision of a year: the third of four full moons in a season. The phrase in modern usage has nothing to do with the actual color of the Moon, although a visually blue Moon (the Moon ...

'' against Reyes' ''

Kutob ''Kutob'' is a 2005 Filipino suspense horror film directed by Jose Javier Reyes; the title translates into ''"foreboding"'' in English. The film was a box office success in the Philippines, with both Reyes and Agustin also winning the Best Dir ...

''. In the same year, Regal Films's matriarch Lily Monteverde voiced out her disappointment as she lamented that some winners in the festival were "undeserving". In 2006, Octoarts Films and M-Zet Production's '' Enteng Kabisote 3: Okay Ka, Fairy Ko: The Legend Goes On and On and On'' was declared the Best Picture after festival organizers changed the criteria for the award by giving more weight to "commercial appeal". As it was the only prize that the film won, the decision to let the film receive it becomes the subject of yet another controversy at the festival. Movie producer

Star Cinema ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. (doing business as Star Cinema or ABS-CBN Films) is a Filipino film studio and film and television production company and film distributor headquartered in Quezon City. It is one of the major film studios in t ...

made a protest to the MMDA and wrote to then MMFF chairman

Bayani Fernando Bayani Flores Fernando (born July 25, 1946) is a Filipino politician, businessman and professional mechanical engineer who served as the representative for Marikina's 1st congressional district from 2016 to 2022. Prior to his election to co ...

, claiming that the movie ''

Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo ''Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo'' (''Wedding, Worried, Wearied'') is a 2006 Filipino romantic comedy film written and directed by Jose Javier Reyes and it was based on a written screenplay by Mary Ann Bautista. It was an official entry for the 2006 Me ...

'' should have won Best Picture because it topped the box office for the first few days. In 2007, the awards night ended in less than an hour after festival organizers decided to just announce the winners without even mentioning the nominees for each category. The organizers explained that it had to be rushed and had to end at exactly 9pm because a concert, featuring singer

Lani Misalucha Lani Bayot Misalucha (; born Lani Dimalanta Bayot; August 3, 1969) is a Filipino singer who performs pop, rock, jazz, soul, rhythm and blues, and operatic arias. Her ability to sing across several genres gave her the title "Asia's Nightin ...

, was scheduled right after the awards ceremonies. In 2011, Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz declined to accept the award for Best Director for the movie Manila Kingpin after he claimed that the movie "was edited without his consent beyond his recognition." In 2014, Rina Navarro, one of the producers of '' Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo'' questioned the result of the panel's judgement in the awards night. The movie won the most coveted Best Picture award but it failed to win the other major categories such as the Best Director award, the

and Best Actress awards, the

award, and the Best Original Story award all of which went to Dan Villegas' ''

English Only, Please ''English Only, Please'' is a 2014 Filipino romantic comedy film directed by Dan Villegas and starring Jennylyn Mercado and Derek Ramsay. Produced by Quantum Films, in association with MJM Productions, Tuko Film Productions and Buchi Boy Films it i ...

''. In 2015, a day before the awards night, Erik Matti's '' Honor Thy Father'' was disqualified for the Best Picture award after being screened at the

Cinema One Originals The Cinema One Originals Film Festival, a division of ABS-CBN Films commonly known as Cinema One Originals, is an independent film festival in the Philippines held annually in the month of November in Quezon City. Its primary goal is to show ...

. Dondon Monteverde, the film's producer, revealed that they did disclose this information beforehand. He attested that its premiere at the Cinema One festival didn't generate revenue which complies by the rules. He also questioned the timing of this decision, one day before the awards ceremony, and he demanded an investigation. In 2016, the festival gained buzz after the EXECOM announced the top 8 entries for the 2016 edition. Different from past years, the movies of the certified box-office drawers

Vice Ganda Jose Marie Borja Viceral (born March 31, 1976), popularly known as Vice Ganda (; ), is a Filipino comedian, talk show host, television presenter, actor, entrepreneur, and singer. He is a regular host on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show '' It's ...

Coco Martin Rodel Pacheco Nacianceno (born November 1, 1981), known professionally by his stage name Coco Martin (), is a Filipino actor, director, and film producer. He is best known for playing the lead roles in '' Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin'', '' Walang ...

's '' The Super Parental Guardians'',

Vic Sotto Marvic Valentin Castelo Sotto (; born April 28, 1954), professionally known as Vic Sotto, is a Filipino actor, singer and comedian known far and wide for his various television and film projects on the major Philippine television networks GMA ...

's ''

Enteng Kabisote 10 and the Abangers ''Enteng Kabisote 10 and the Abangers'' is a 2016 Filipino superhero fantasy comedy film and the tenth film installment of the Filipino television sitcom '' Okay Ka, Fairy Ko!''. The film was announced in August 2016 with Marlon N. Rivera and To ...

'',

Regal Entertainment Regal Entertainment, Inc. (formerly and more commonly known as Regal Films) is a Philippine film production company based in Pasig. It was founded by Lily Monteverde on August 19, 1962. It has produced movies of all genres; and is the oldest s ...

's '' Mano Po 7: Tsinoy'' and

Vhong Navarro Ferdinand Hipolito Navarro (born January 4, 1977), known professionally as Vhong Navarro, is a Filipino comedian, actor, dancer, recording artist and television host. He is a regular host on ABS-CBN's noontime variety show '' It's Showtime''. H ...

's ''

Mang Kepweng Returns ''Mang Kepweng Returns'' is a 2017 Filipino fantasy comedy horror film. The film is directed by Giuseppe Bede Sampedro and is under the production of Cineko Productions in association with Viva Films. The film is a remake of the 1979 film ''Ma ...

'' was rejected in that edition. But despite good reviews about the 8 entries, the film festival only grossed , or a drop from 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival's . And the edition of the festival showed only Indie films. The idea of indie-only film was later scrapped and commercial films was allowed again.

Scope

As the name suggest, the Metro Manila Film Festival ran by the

covers cinemas within

. The initial allocation of cinema slots for the film festival's entry films are determined through lottery. This allocation system had only been applied for cinemas in Metro Manila in the past, but this now utilized for cinemas outside the metropolis as well. However cinemas are free to drop or continue to screen certain entry films after the first day. Cinemas outside Metro Manila are also free to screen non-entries, as was the case during the run of the 2016 edition, where non-entry mainstream films '' The Super Parental Guardians'' and ''

'' were screened by select provincial theaters during the festival's run.

Festivals

Awards

The ''Gabi ng Parangal'' () serves as the awarding ceremony for participating films in the Metro Manila Film Festival.

Merit categories

Festival awards

Special awards

Other awards

=Short film categories

= * Best Short Film: since 2016 * Special Jury Prize: since 2016 * Best Director: since 2016 * Best Screenplay: since 2016

Defunct ''New Wave'' categories

* Best Full-Length Film: 2010–2015 * Best Actress: 2011–2015 *

: 2011–2015 * Best Director: 2012–2015 * Gender Sensitivity Award: 2011–2015 * Special Jury Prize: 2011–2015 * Best Student Film: 2011–2015 * New Wave Animation Best Picture: 2011–2015

Most received wins

This is a list of superlative Metro Manila Film Festival winners. This list is current as of the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival "Gabi ng Parangal" (awards ceremony) held on December 27, 2021. The following are fifteen films which have received ten or more awards in different categories.

Best Director

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

Best Actress

Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actress

Most combined wins

Most combined awards for

, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Director. Most combined awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

Highest-grossing entries

The table shows the highest-grossing Filipino film entries in the Metro Manila Film Festival that hits the hundred million mark. Note: All figures are in

Philippine Peso The Philippine peso, also referred to by its Tagalog name ''piso'' ( Philippine English: , , plural pesos; tl, piso ; sign: ₱; code: PHP), is the official currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 ''sentimo'', also called ...

Notes

References

External links

IMDB: Metro Manila Film Festival Official website of the Metro Manila Film Festival
{{Manila attractions Philippine film awards Film festivals in the Philippines Festivals in Metro Manila 1966 establishments in the Philippines Metropolitan Manila Development Authority