2019 Metro Manila Film Festival
The 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is the 45th edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. It is organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters (except IMAX and 4D theaters).
 | |
| No. of films | 8 |
|---|---|
| Festival date | December 25, 2019 to January 7, 2020 |
Entries
Feature films
The following was the criteria used in determining the final 8 entries:[1]
The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Executive Committee announced four of the eight official entries in July 2019.[2] The first four films were selected based from the scripts submitted until May 31, 2019.[3]
Kampon was originally one of first four entries but was disqualified due to the late filing of its producers for a change in its leading actor after Derek Ramsay withdrew from the project. Kampon was replaced by Sunod which was the next in line entry for the horror genre.[4]
| Title | Starring | Production company | Director | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First batch | ||||
| Miracle in Cell No. 7 | Aga Muhlach, Bela Padilla, Xia Vigor | Viva Films | Nuel Crisostomo Naval | Drama, Comedy |
| Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity | Vic Sotto, Maine Mendoza | M-ZET TV Productions, APT Entertainment | Linnet Zurbano | Comedy |
| The Mall, The Merrier | Anne Curtis, Vice Ganda | Star Cinema, Viva Films | Barry Gonzalez | Family, Comedy, Musical |
| Sunod | Carmina Villarroel, Mylene Dizon | Ten17P, Globe Studios | Carlo Ledesma | Horror |
| Second batch | ||||
| 3pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon! | Jennylyn Mercado, Coco Martin, Ai-Ai delas Alas | CCM Productions, Quantum Films | Rodel Nacianceno | Action, Comedy, Romance |
| Culion | Iza Calzado, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, Meryll Soriano | iOptions Ventures Corp. | Alvin Yapan | Historical drama |
| Mindanao | Judy Ann Santos, Allen Dizon | Centre Stage Productions, Solar Pictures | Brillante Mendoza | Drama, Animation |
| Write About Love | Miles Ocampo, Rocco Nacino, Joem Bascon, Yeng Constantino | TBA Studios | Crisanto B. Aquino | Romance |
Short films
A short film competition for students was organized as part of the film festival. A total of 16 short films were considered as semi-finalists with eight of them selected as the final entries. Each short film has a running time of 3–5 minutes and showcase the theme "Philippine Mythology and Regional Stories (Myths, Legends, & Folktales)". The eight selected short films were screened alongside the official eight full-length films during the whole official run of the film festival.
| Title | School | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze, Silver, Gold at Anting-anting | De La Salle University - Integrated School Manila | Angelique Veridiano |
| Dating App | University of Makati | Thomas Balilla |
| Hipos | Sagay National High School - Negros Occidental | Cyrus Carano-o |
| Huling Kembot ni Fernando | Centro Escolar University - Manila | Jon Diez |
| Manggagalaw | Centro Escolar University - Manila | John Bolivar |
| Pamana ni Lola | Polytechnic University of the Philippines - Sta. Mesa | Regin de Guzman and Bradley Pantajo |
| Tabako | University of Saint La Salle - Bacolod | Alfredo Bayon-on |
| The Lost Sitty | Adamson University | Julius Custodio |
Parade of Stars
The traditional Parade of Stars which featured floats of the film festival's eight entries took place on December 22, 2019, in Taguig.[1]
The route of the parade, the longest in the history of the film festival at 12.5 kilometers (7.8 mi),[5] began at the Taguig Lakeshore Park and ended at the McKinley West Open Ground. The route passed through the M. L. Quezon Avenue, MRT Avenue, C5 Road before entering the McKinley Hill through Upper McKinley Road. Then the parade passed through McKinley Parkway, 32nd Street, 7th Avenue, 28th Avenue, 5th Avenue, Lawton Avenue, LeGrand Avenue and Chateau Road. The Best Float accolade is awarded in the same day of the parade.[6] Temporary closures were implemented on select roads at the day of the parade from noon to 7 p.m.[7] 700 to 1000 police officers were also deployed by the National Capital Region Police Office[8] and 1,250 personnel by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to secure the parade.[5]
Vice Ganda arrived late to the parade for the float of The Mall, The Merrier due to live guesting conflict with ASAP Natin 'To at ABS-CBN Broadcasting Center in Quezon City.
Awards
| 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival Gabi ng Parangal | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 27, 2019 |
| Site | New Frontier Theater, Quezon City |
| Hosted by | Marco Gumabao and Bela Padilla |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | Mindanao |
| Best Direction | Brillante Mendoza (Mindanao) |
| Best Actor | Allen Dizon (Mindanao) |
| Best Actress | Judy Ann Santos (Mindanao) |
| Most awards | Mindanao (11) |
| Television coverage | |
| Network | 5 |
The Gabi ng Parangal (transl. Awards Night) of the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival was held on December 27, 2019 [9] at the New Frontier Theater in Quezon City.[10] The awards night was hosted by Marco Gumabao and Bela Padilla.[11]
The Board of Jurors in this year's edition consisted of Chairman Karlo Alexi Nograles, Co-chairman Senator Bong Go, Vice-chairman Arsenio Lizaso, plus Jury Members Vilma Santos-Recto, Rachel Arenas, Joel Lamangan, Joey Javier Reyes, Christopher de Leon, Belinda Enriquez, Dr. Corazon Bautista-Cruz, Romy Vitug, Nonong Buencamino and Fr. Larry Faraon.[12] The MMFF Hall of Fame Awards were also held as part of the larger Gabi ng Parangal that gave recognition to past award recipients who have been awarded three or more times in the same category in the past editions of the Gabi ng Parangal.[5]
Major awards
Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡). Nominations are also listed if applicable.[13]
| Best Picture | Best Director |
|---|---|
|
|
| Best Actor | Best Actress |
| |
| Best Supporting Actor | Best Supporting Actress |
|
|
| Best Child Performer | Best Screenplay |
|
|
| Best Cinematography | Best Production Design |
|
|
| Best Editing | Best Sound |
|
|
| Best Original Theme Song | Best Musical Score |
|
|
| Best Visual Effects | Best Float |
|
|
| Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award | Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence |
| Special Jury Prize | Gender Sensitivity Award |
|
|
Metro Manila Film Festival Stalwarts
- Marichu Perez-Maceda
- Boots Anson-Rodrigo
- Bienvenido Lumbera
- Joseph Estrada
Metro Manila Film Festival Hall of Fame
| Category | Awardees |
|---|---|
| Best Actress | Nora Aunor, Maricel Soriano, Vilma Santos, Amy Austria |
| Best Actor | Christopher De Leon, Anthony Alonzo, Cesar Montano |
| Best Supporting Actress | Eugene Domingo, Cherie Gil |
| Best Director | Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Jose Javier Reyes, Joel Lamangan |
| Best Screenplay | Roy Iglesias, Ricky Lee, Jose Javier Reyes |
| Best Cinematography | Rody Lacap, Lee Meily, Carlo Mendoza, Romy Vitug |
| Best Production Design | Rodel Cruz, Joey Luna |
| Best Editing | Vito Cajili, Manet Dayrit, Jess Navarro, Edgardo Vinarao |
| Best Sound | Michael Albert Idioma, Ditoy Aguila, Rolly Ruta |
| Best Musical Score | Nonong Buencamino, Von De Guzman, Jaime Fabregas, Jessie Lasaten |
| Best Visual Effects | Road Runner Network, Inc. |
Other awards
- Scratch-it Lucky Male Star of the Night – Aga Muhlach
- Scratch-it Lucky Female Star of the Night – Carmina Villaroel
Short Film category
- Best Student Short Film – Pamana ni Lola from Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Sta. Mesa
- Special Jury Prize – Gold, Silver, Bronze at Anting-Anting from DLSU Integrated School, Manila
Multiple awards
| Awards | Film |
|---|---|
| 11 | Mindanao |
| 8 | Write About Love |
| 3 | Sunod |
Multiple nominations
| Nominations | Film |
|---|---|
| 17 | Mindanao |
| 16 | Sunod |
| 14 | Write About Love |
| 3 | Miracle in Cell No. 7 |
Box office gross
The eight entries of 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival made a combined box office gross of ₱955 million during the official run of the film festival. The MMFF Executive Committee targeted a box office gross of ₱1 billion, with the actual box office gross figure deemed "acceptable in the industry practice". The top four grossing films in no particular order was also released namely: 3pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon!, The Mall, the Merrier, Miracle in Cell No. 7,, and Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity.[14][15] The box office figures for the top four team was eventually announced.[16]
| # | Entry |
Gross Ticket Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Miracle in Cell No. 7 | ₱ 426 million |
| 2. | The Mall, The Merrier | ₱ 323 million |
| 3. | 3pol Trobol: Huli Ka Balbon! | ₱ 87 million |
| 4. | Mission Unstapabol: The Don Identity | ₱ 74 million |
| 5.–8. | Culion Mindanao Sunod Write About Love | Undisclosed |
References
- "MMFF spokesman reveals criteria for choosing this year's movies". MSN. GMA News. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- "MMFF announces first 4 official entries for 2019". Rappler. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- Chua, Zsarlene B. (12 July 2019). "Vic Sotto, Vice Ganda films among first 4 MMFF entries". BusinessWorld. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- Hallare, Katrina (4 September 2019). "'Sunod' replaces Kris Aquino's '(K)ampon' as MMFF entry". Inquirer.net.
- Dela Cruz, Raymond Carl (11 December 2019). "MMFF to celebrate 100 years of PH cinema with 'longest parade'". Philippine Canadian Inquirer. Philippine News Agency. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Nazario, Dhel (23 December 2019). "Taguig, with film-director mayor, hosts MMFF parade for the first time". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Ong, Ghio. "Taguig roads closed for MMFF parade". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- Gonzales, Cathrine (20 December 2019). "NCRPO to deploy 700 cops to secure MMFF Parade of Stars". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "MMFF 2019 awards night: Complete list of winners". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
- "'Mindanao' dominates MMFF 2019 awards night". ABS-CBN News. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- Gabinete, Jojo (28 December 2019). "Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos, Maricel Soriano, Amy Austria iniluklok sa MMFF Hall of Fame" [Nora Aunor, Vilma Santos, Maricel Soriano, Amy Austria inducted in the MMFF Hall of Fame]. PEP.ph (in Filipino). Retrieved 28 December 2019.
- "Gabi ng Parangal: LIVE". Viva Entertainment. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
- "FULL LIST: MMFF 2019 winners". Philippine Star. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
- "MMFF 2019 gross sales at P955 million in box office". Rappler. 9 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- "P955 million: MMFF 2019 releases official gross, box-office winners". ABS-CBN News. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
- Gabinete, Jojo (10 January 2020). "Miracle In Cell No. 7, mahigit P100M ang lamang sa The Mall, The Merrier" [Miracle In Cell No. 7, earned only P100M more than The Mall, The Merrier]. PEP.ph (in Filipino). Retrieved 10 January 2020.
