 | |
| Location | Metro Manila (Official) Philippines-wide (Informally) |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Manila Film Festival (1966−1975) |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Awards | Gabi ng Parangal (lit. 'Awards Night') |
| No. of films | 8 (per edition) |
| Language | Primarily Filipino |
| Website | mmff |
The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is an annual film festival organized by the Metro Manila Development Authority[1] and held nationwide in the Philippines. The festival, which runs from Christmas Day through New Year's Day and into first weekend of January in the following year, focuses on Filipino produced films. During the course of the festival, movie theaters show only films that are approved by its jurors and exclude foreign films except in 3D theaters and IMAX theaters. It is one of the two Filipino major film festivals to exclude foreign films in a week-long period, the other being the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino happening during August.
The annual event began with the 1975 Metro Manila Film Festival, during which Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa ("Water the Thirsty Earth with Dew") directed by Augusto Buenaventura won the best film award.[2] For the 28th edition in 2002, the festival was expanded to be nationwide in scope instead of simply being held in Metro Manila.[3]
One of the festival highlights is the parade of floats at the opening of the festival. The floats, each one representing a movie entry with their respective stars, parade down usually Roxas Boulevard, as was the case in many of the previous awards. Beginning in 2017, however, the float parade is now usually hosted by each of the 17 local governments of the capital region. On the awards night, a Best Float award is also announced along with the major acting awards.
A sister festival which is a spin-off of the MMFF, the Summer Metro Manila Film Festival, was supposed to have its first edition in April 2020. but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic;[4] its inaugural edition was instead launched in April 2023.[5]
- ^ Red, Isah V. (July 26, 1999). "No romance blossomed between Bong and Ara". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 19. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Metro Manila Film Festival:1975". IMDB. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
- ^ Salterio, Leah (December 12, 2002). "Fernando Poe Jr. up against Dolphy for the first time". Philippine Daily Inquirer. The Philippine Daily Inquirer, Inc. p. A25. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
- ^ "Summer MMFF 2020 postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic". Pep.ph. March 13, 2020.
- ^ "After 3-year delay, MMFF to launch summer festival in April". Rappler. January 10, 2023.