Makati City to host 51st Metro Manila Film Festival — Mayor Nancy
Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay and MMDA Chairman Romando Artes during the launch of the 51st edition of the MMFF.
Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay announced on Wednesday, July 9, that the city will host the 51st edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) this December, with the theme “MMFF 51: A New Era for Philippine Cinema."
Accoriding to her, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and MMFF Chairman Romando Artes sent a letter to her office requesting for the city to serve as the venue for this year's festival. He also invited her to join the 2025 MMFF Executive Committee, which manages and supervises the film festival.
"We are glad to be the host this year. Aside from being the country's premier business district, we aim to make Makati known as an arts and culture hub. Hosting the MMFF brings us closer to that vision," Binay said.
On Tuesday, Binay was joined by Artes in leading the official launch of the 51st MMFF 2025 at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.
During the kick-off event, she extended the city's support to the country's film industry, acknowledging the artistry and hard work of producers, directors, writers, actors, and production staff working behind the scenes.
She added the films they create not only entertain but also help audiences unwind and shape the opinions of Filipino moviegoers.
"Rest assured that we will support all the movies to be screened. The city government of Makati will do our best to make this year's film festival a success," Binay noted.
The teasers for the first four film entries were also shown to the public during the launch which include:
- "Call Me Mother" starring Nadine Lustre and Vice Ganda, directed by Jun Robles Lana
- "Rekonek" starring Gerald Anderson, Gloria Diaz, Alexa Miro, Carmina Villaroel, and Zoren Legaspi, directed by Jade Castro
- "Manila's Finest" starring Piolo Pascual, directed by Rae Red
- "Shake, Rattle and Roll: Evil Origins" starring Ivana Alawi, Francine Diaz, Kaila Estrada, Fyang Smith, Loisa Andalio, Manilyn Reynes, Janice de Belen, Carla Abellana, Ysabel Ortega, Ashley Ortega, Elijah Alejo, Richard Gutierrez, Ryan Bang, JM Ibarra, Dustin Yu and Seth Fedelin, directed by Shugo Praico, Joey de Guzman and Ian Lorenos.
The next four MMFF entries for this year will be announced on September 30.
First organized by the MMDA in 1975, the MMFF is an annual film festival held nationwide which runs from Christmas Day through New Year's Day and into the first weekend of January in the following year.