BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin Magalong has issued Executive Order No. 10, Series of 2022, declaring March 1-30, 2022 as Montañosa Film Festival (MFF) Month, the first-ever independent film festival for the Cordillerans in the country’s Summer Capital.

Baguio City is a UNESCO-designated Creative City for Crafts and Folk Arts.
Magalong said this year’s MFF activity will carry the theme: “Mindset Change for Climate Change.”
Pre-event activities started in August last year until February this year with event coordination, call for entries, promotions and marketing, selection, and awarding of grants as well as a filmmaker’s boot camp. The film productions joining the competition will be presented during the festival.
Activities lined up for the month of March include several workshops on film appreciation, acting for film, story development and scriptwriting, cinematography, directing, production design, lights and sounds, production management, pitching, as well as release and distribution.
A Film Camp and Filmmakers’ Forum are to be scheduled, including a movie caravan and drive-in cinema, pop-up cinema, movies at the lake, horror movies, plus a Sagada and Ifugao film camp.
Film screening of the competing entries will also be done in March. The categories are Narrative (10-12 minutes), Documentary (10-12 minutes), and Mobile Phone Short (3-5 minutes).
Other films to look forward to include Cine Luzviminda – Philippine regional films, Cine Montañosa – films from the Cordillera region, and experimental films. There will also be international films from Southeast Asia and Europe.
A music and food fair will also be featured before the closing and awards night.
The MFF is a privately-driven activity with support from the city government while the Creative Baguio City Council (CBCC) is designated as co-presenter and lead implementer for the festival.