The organizer of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) on Tuesday reported a record-breaking gross receipt of P1.069 billion for its 10 film entries, breaking the previous record set by the festival in 2018.
Despite only having 800 cinemas open, the figures are a significant increase from the 1,200 cinemas opened in 2018, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
MMDA chief and MMFF concurrent chairman Romando Artes said factors that contributed to the success of the 2023 MMFF are the quality of the films offered and the new audience, citing that during the previous MMFF only the “CDE” markets of the moviegoers were targeted, but now, “ABC” market was included.
“We received reports that moviegoers watched multiple films while others watched films repeatedly. Hopefully, we can sustain this beyond the festival so that our film producers can offer quality movies all year round. We also encourage filmmakers to create better films for
the MMFF’s 50th edition,” said Artes, during a press conference on Tuesday, with MMFF Spokesperson Noel Ferrer.
After the 49th MMFF edition, the MMFF Committee is beefing up its efforts for the maiden Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) which will screen the 10 2023 film festival entries in Los Angeles
California, USA, from January 29 to February 2.
Further, activities leading to the 50th MMFF are the student short film caravan, the short film festival, publishing a coffee-table book, and “Cine 50,” where the top 50 MMFF films for the last 49 years will
be screened in selected theaters for only P50.
“We are expecting to feature bigger and better films for our 50th edition as we celebrate the cinema-goers return to theaters and patronize local movies,” said Atty. Artes.
Meanwhile, Winston Emano, MIFF Consultant, and Spokesperson, congratulated the successful and record-breaking MMFF 2023, clearly setting the bar very high for the film industry.
“We at the MIFF intend to continue the wonderful momentum that was built up by MMFF, with the similar goal of uplifting and giving a bigger spotlight to Filipino cinema worldwide,” said Emano.
Under MIFF, there will be a series of gatherings and dialogues of Filipino celebrities, filmmakers, scriptwriters, and their American counterparts.
“There will be an exchange of ideas and knowledge sharing. We hope to bridge the gap and connect the Philippine entertainment industry with that of Hollywood and the international stage,” said Atty. Artes.
A separate awards night with a different set of judges will also take place. Results may or may not be the same as the recently concluded MMFF’s Gabi ng Parangal last December.
Meanwhile, Artes said they are now coordinating with concerned agencies and film producers after receiving reports that MMFF’s film entry “Rewind” has leaked, been illegally streamed, and been distributed online.
“We are coordinating with authorities so that the illegally streamed films will be taken down immediately,” said Artes.
He also urged the public not to engage in movie piracy, which is a crime, and discredit the Filipino filmmakers’ hard work, talent, and resources put into their projects.