Editorial: on this year's Metro Manila Film Festival

Recently, the Metro Manila Film Festival announced the four remaining qualifying films for their 2017 edition. These four movies were finished films submitted to the festival that underwent some sort of screening process to be selected. At least I hope that's the case because there really isn't any transparency between the MMFF and the general public, in almost anything.

We don't know who the selection committee is. Are they the same people as the executive committee, which would constitute a gigantic conflict of interest? There's also the fact that way before these four films were announced, an earlier batch of four films, were chosen. These first four titles were not finished films. These films were based on submitted scripts, based on the following criteria:

• 40% artistic excellence
• 40% commercial appeal
• 10% promotion of Filipino cultural and historical values and
• 10% global appeal

Compare this with the MMFF 2016  criteria, which is as follows:

• 40% Story, audience appeal, overall impact
• 40% Cinematic attributes and technical excellence
• 10% Global appeal 
• 10% Filipino sensibility 

See the second criteria in the new guidelines? Commercial appeal. The 2017 MMFF isn't interested in showing you a good movie, it's trying to sell you a product. NO OTHER FILM FESTIVAL IN THE WORLD HAS CRITERIA LIKE THIS. And as capitalism is as capitalism does, it's far more easier, and far more profitable to create films as fast and as cheaply as possible to maximize returns. Heck, if I'd want to make tons of money, I'd probably do something similar.

The 2016 edition of this festival was something else, something that reflected genuine change. Films were judged on even ground, based only on their quality and overall merit. And people wanted to watch these films. Perhaps the festival's only drawback was that there wasn't a kid-friendly movie to bring their kids to. (Aside from the quirky Star Cinema romantic comedy or the animated movie that was in said film fest).

But instead of moving forward, the festival moved backward. Like Newton's third law stated, "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Weeks before the start of MMFF 2016 two of the most prominent rejects of the festival, Enteng Kabisote 10 and Super Parental Guardians, booked cinemas and stayed in theaters for as long as four weeks.

Remember this shit? I did.

During the film festival itself, provincial cinemas asserted the fact that they were not covered under the mandatory period of exhibition, eventually replacing some of the MMFF films early, pulling them out and replacing them with the above films. Even in previous MMFFs, four films are made into sacrifices under the promise of a full run. They're then pulled out for the sake of other films. There is no fairness to the whole thing. 

Serial plagiarist and generally horrible person Tito Sotto held a Senate hearing after MMFF 2016, requesting that "indie" films should have their own film fest. I'm sure he'd tell you that it had nothing to do with his brother's film not getting in and receiving subpar returns thanks to an early run. Good thing no one listened to him and didn't separate indie from mainstream, right?

This year's first four entries are very predictable. A rom com. A Vice Ganda comedy. A movie featuring one of Star Cinema's hottest draws, Coco Martin and a movie starring (gasp) Vic Sotto. Just lovely, am I right? I have no reason to believe the MMFF if, say, they stated that the scripts for these four films represent the finished films in any form. For all we know, the scripts submitted during this process consists of lorem ipsum text for 50 pages. If you've read this article, you wouldn't believe them too.

That is why, I cannot in good conscience support the first four films chosen by the MMFF (The Revenger Squad, Ang Panday, All of You and Meant to Beh.) I personally have nothing against these films, and there is the remote chance that one or more of them may actually be good. But they were chosen under a lopsided judging system that favors certain groups and persons more than others and exploits and victimizes others. This isn't about indie or mainstream, adults or children, or money or art anymore. It's about being fair and just in how this once great festival selects movies.

As far as the film industry is concerned, I'm a nobody, some cheeky fatass with a blog that gets a few hundred to a couple thousand hits a month. But for the last ten months I have seen almost every local film released in cinemas and I have paid for almost every screening with my hard earned money. I've made my financial contribution to the industry, and in this case, I'm speaking with my wallet. In the past eleven months, there have been a lot of good movies and a ton of garbage. I think in this case I deserve better. YOU deserve better.

The people who run MMFF think that movies are more business than art? What's the best way to bring down a business? Don't support it.

In addition, I won't be covering the above four films in this space. No posts, no nothing. Instead, I will spend my hard earned money ordering take out or buying gifts or watching the new Star Wars film.

Because presumably they were chosen on the basis of merit, I will probably cover some of the other four MMFF films (Siargao, Haunted Forest, Deadma Walking, Ang Larawan) in this blog and I'll do my part as a paying audience member to support these four films as much as I can and try to stop them from being taken advantage of by those other films.

Dear audience member, do you still want to treat your kid to a movie? The remaining four films were chosen fairly, so you might want to take a look at that. 

Do you think the same way as I do? Then call your local theater and demand for these films to be screened. Take action, spread the word as the movies come out. If these other movies are good, tell others, spread word of mouth. Remember, you deserve better, but the industry isn't going to move for your sake.

Dear filmmaker, if this festival fails to change even next year, consider not submitting your film to the festival next time. If you choose not to listen to me, do not hold any pretensions that your film will be treated fairly if you get in.

If you think our films are worth fighting for, then take a stand and fight.

Or you could let the status quo reign supreme and be content with an unjust, exploitative system. Your call.

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By the way, kids, this is still in IMAX theaters during Christmas:

Tell your parents to take you to watch it. Have fun ❤❤❤❤❤❤<3 p="">