MMFF 2023: Elevation of Philippine Cinema and Local Artistry
Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), the grandest film festival in the Philippines, is back for its 49th edition! With a theme of “Tara na! Makisaya!”, the annual film festival will run from Christmas Day until the first weekend of January of the following year.
MMFF is a massive platform for Filipino talents and audiences to celebrate our local artistry and reflect on our culture. This year, everything is spot on! They surprised the fans with ten promising movies lined up for showing nationwide rather than the usual eight-movie lineup.
The selection committee previously introduced the first four movies in July, handpicked out of 26 script submissions. They announced the remaining six last October; selected from a record-breaking 30 completed film submissions.
MMFF 2023: Elevation of Local Cinema
Moviegoers and the general public received this year’s MMFF with so much love. With each entry’s breathtaking posters and trailers—the excitement for the biggest year-end event grows by leaps and bounds. Productions and actors are on the ball as netizens have praised the improvement in storyline and edit. Serving the audience with a taste of the soaring local film and cinema.
We can see the rise of MMFF 2023 from its past editions through the list of the chosen movies. MMFF proved that they took the time to deliberate and select the best among the rest. Always keeping in mind the reputation of the local film industry and the satisfaction of every viewer.
Reflection on Life and Culture
With a long list of choices, which should we really look out for? To cater different tastes, MMFF welcomed a fair variety of genres to choose from—comedy, drama, horror, history, and even fantasy. But one thing is for sure: every single movie reflects the life and culture of the Philippines.
One of the entries, Pepe Diokno’s “GOMBURZA,” starring Dante Rivero, Cedrick Juan, and Enchong Dee, will retell the stories of the three accused martyrs’ involvement in the orchestrating of the Cavite Mutiny during the Spanish colonial era. It also strives to spark passion for nationalism and provide a space for recalling and understanding history.
On the lighter side, Jun Robles Lana’s comedy movie “Becky and Badette,” starring Eugene Domingo and Pokwang, will center around best friends who have become unlucky in life and ridiculed in their alumni reunion. Overnight, their lives changed dramatically when they went viral. This movie will ponder on friendship, life punches, and the dangers of social media virality.
Annual Family Tradition
The MMFF has cemented its influence and is already an integral part of the Filipino Christmas tradition. After a whole year of hard work and stress, events like this become an avenue for fun and relaxation.
As they say, ‘Christmas is the gift that keeps on giving.’ For Filipinos, MMFF is a gift we receive every holiday season; it recognizes our talents, and stories. Also, it aims to celebrate our society and identity by showcasing our personalities and dreams through film.
Indeed, our Christmas tradition is incomplete without seeing a movie from this festival. Besides, film festivals like this are a step forward to show the world that our culture is rich and that our film industry is back on its feet and eager to flourish and evolve.
