By Anna Liza Villas-Alvaren
In just three days, the earnings of this year’s 44th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) have surpassed the P373.3 million-national gross sales of last year’s festival.
Tim Orbos, MMFF executive committee chairman, said the development is a big achievement for the film festival which opened on Christmas Day.
FILE PHOTO: MMFF /MANILA BULLETIN
“We are very thankful for the overwhelming show of support of our Filipino moviegoers for this year’s MMFF,” he said.
Orbos said he is confident that this year’s lineup would set new records, adding that specific figures would only be disclosed on the last day of the festival.
Earlier, the MMFF execom said organizers, movie producers of festival entries and even cinema representatives have agreed not to release any actual figures and rankings while the festival is ongoing so as not to create a bandwagon effect on the viewers.
The annual film festival opened on December 25 and would run until January 7, 2016.
The eight participating movies are: "Ang Panday" by CCM Creative Productions Inc., directed by and starring Coco Martin; "Meant to Beh" by Octo Arts Films, directed by Chris Martinez and starring Vic Sotto and Dawn Zulueta; "All Of You" by Quantum and MJM Productions, directed by Dan Villegas and starring Jennylyn Mercado and Derek Ramsay; and "Gandarrapiddo: The Revenger Squad" by Star Cinema and Viva Films, directed by Joyce Bernal and starring Vice Ganda, Daniel Padilla, and Pia Wurtzbach; "Deadma Walking" by T-Rex Entertainment, directed by Julius Alfonso and starring Joross Gamboa; "Siargao" by TEN17P Productions, directed by Paul Soriano and starring Jericho Rosales and Erich Gonzales; "Haunted Forest" by Regal Entertainment, directed by Ian Loreños and starring Jane Oineza; "Ang Larawan" by Culturtrain Musicat Productions, directed by Loy Arcenas and starring Rachel Alejandro and Joanna Ampil.
During the film festival, no foreign films are shown in cinemas and theaters in order to showcase locally produced films.
The MMFF is an annual event organized primarily to help promote and enhance the preservation, growth and development of the local film industry.
Proceeds from the MMFF go to a number of beneficiaries in the film industry such as the Mowelfund, Film Academy of the Philippines, Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council, Optical Media Board, and Film Development Council of the Philippines.