In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), student filmmakers take the spotlight as 10 short films vie for the Best Short Film, second Best Short Film, third Best Short Film, and a Special Jury Prize, which will earn for the winners cash prizes and trophies.

The MMFF x FDCP Short Film Competition received more than 300 entries from across the archipelago. The theme is “50” from the students’ point of view and their interpretation of the number in the context of culture, experiences, and imagination.

The Top 10 finalists are from Mindanao State University-General Santos City, University of the Philippines Mindanao, University of the Philippines Diliman, University of Makati, City of Malabon University, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Bulacan State University, and STI College Ortigas-Cainta.

Inang Wak-Wak by Drenzel Calopez is a Cebuano horror-comedy about a family cursed to become monsters when they turn 50 years old. His mother is accused of being a bird-like monster who hunts and kills at night. Will the son believe the rumor?

PNB 12 – 50 is a touching drama directed by Ryan Paolo Resuena using Bisaya, Tagalog, English languages. Typhoon Pablo has wreaked havoc in a small town in New Bataan, Compostela Valley. The rains and strong water current separate a father from his small daughter. A father’s cry for help remains unanswered to this day. “Isa itong istorya kung saan ang lawak ng buhay ng isang tao ay naging singliit ng singkwenta na numero (This is a story about a man whose life is just equal to the number 50,” says Ryan.

Saan Aabot ang 50 Pesos mo? by Selina Claire T. Napano is an entertaining animated film featuring a cat student who journeys through school in a series of misadventures with his ₱50 money bill. Inspired by the real challenges of student life, Selina reveals, “For others, ₱50 must seem like a trivial thing, but coming from a family that struggles with money like Cinco, ₱50 feels like everything.”

A Delivery Rider by Jennissie Gilbuena focuses on a rider’s daily routine, his hardships and pressures on delivering 50 quotas and how he tries to be humane amid losing his home. “With the return of MMFF x FDCP Student Shorts post-pandemic, I emphasize the theme not just as a quota to meet, but as a deeper meaning,” muses Jennissie. “The number ‘50’ represents more than just a task.”

Luke Daniel Remetre delivers an experimental film, 50 BPM, about an old musician who attempts to finish his half-done piece despite a failing heart. Luke is from De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde. “Ultimately, this story is about our power of creation, the passion to start something, and the courage to accept compromises,” he writes.

University of the Philippines Diliman has 50lo Trip with Lolo Dan by Denbert M. Tiamson and Jay-r Julio and Ikalimampung Palapag by Kimi Ong, Ryuta Suwa, and Raina Vergara.

50lo Trip with Lolo Dan tries to fulfill an old man’s wishes using an old film camera and a hidden notebook belonging to the grandfather. Ikalimampung Palapag is an experimental short film delving into the various interpretations of the five stages of mental health recovery.

Laurence de Vera’s fifty-fifty is about a friend getting choked with a 50-50 chance of survival in a world describes as “where friends are everything and mistakes feel like it’s the end of the world.”

Pabaon by Desiree Anne de Belen is a family drama about a 12-year-old boy chasing a ₱50 bill leaving friends and moments in his pursuit.

University of Makati student Raphael Tominez directs The 50th Soul, an action fantasy about 50 souls who were given the chance to have immediate freedom. “50 years is a start of something new, something greater than what any one person could do, and we can only achieve it together,”

Raphael says.

All short films will be screened in tandem with the full-length Metro Manila Film Festival entries starting Christmas Day at cinemas.