Metro Manila Film Festival publicizes the ten movies for its fiftieth anniversary lineup

THE TEN-FILM roster of the 50^th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) competition is now complete.

The primary five movies within the lineup were announced last July. The ultimate five which complete 10 festival movies are:

• Crisanto Aquino’s romance My Future You (Regal Entertainment), starring Francine Diaz and Seth Fedelin;

• Dan Villegas’ thriller Uninvited (Mentorque Productions), starring Vilma Santos, Nadine Lustre, and Aga Muhlach;

• Richard Somes’ thriller Topakk (Nathan Studios), starring Arjo Atayde and Julia Montes;

• Jason Paul Laxamana’s romance Hold Me Close (Viva Movies), starring Carlo Aquino and Julia Barretto; and,

• Chito Roño’s horror movie Espantaho (Quantum Movies), starring Judy Ann Santos and Lorna Tolentino.

They join the primary five official entries:

• Zig Dulay’s drama Green Bones (GMA Pictures), starring Dennis Trillo, Ruru Madrid, and Sofia Pablo;

• Jun Robles Lana’s comedy-drama And the Breadwinner Is (Star Cinema and The IdeaFirst Company), starring Vice Ganda and Eugene Domingo;

• Kerwin Go’s Strange Frequencies: Haunted Hospital (Reality MM Studios), starring Jane de Leon and Enrique Gil;

• Pepe Diokno’s musical adaptation Himala: Isang Musikal (Kapitol Movies and UxS), starring Aicelle Santos and Bituin Escalante; and,

• Mike Tuviera’s motion drama The Kingdom (APT Entertainment, M-Zet TV Productions and MQuest Ventures), starring Vic Sotto and Piolo Pascual.

The movies were chosen from a record variety of 70 submissions.

The MMFF Selection Committee is headed by producer Jessie Ejercito.

The movies were chosen based on the next criteria: artistic excellence (40%), business appeal (40%), Filipino cultural values (10%), and global appeal (10%).

The MMFF’s 50^th yr “signifies the unwavering passion of the film industry despite the numerous challenges it continues to face,” said Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chief and MMFF chairman Ronaldo “Don” Artes in an announcement. The film festival is run by the MMDA.

The 50^th edition of the MMFF will run from Dec. 25 to Jan. 7, 2025 in theaters nationwide.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/mmffofficial. — Brontë H. Lacsamana