Unless they rise to the challenge of producing quality films, traditional movie outfits might find themselves as mere spectators again in future Metro Manila Film Festivals.
House Committee on Metro Manila Development chairman and Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said quality films similar to the batch shown during the recent MMFF could become permanent fixtures in the next holding of the annual Yuletide film contest.
However, Castelo has challenged traditional movie outfits to produce quality films for them to regain their supposed turf that is the MMFF.
“The recent MMFF is not a festival of indies. It just so happens the Selection Committee did not see the traditional entries fulfilling the criteria,” said Castelo.
Among those who failed to make the cut in the MMFF is Castelo’s cousin, popular comedian Vic Sotto whose Enteng Kabisote series was rejected by the MMFF selection committee.
Producers of Enteng Kabisote and Vice Ganda series, together with Regal and Viva used to lord over the MMFF until organizers decided to restrict the entries to artistic, relevant and quality films. Rejected were movie productions that appeal only to the tills.
“The present MMFF promotes the welfare of the entire Philippine movie industry. Improvements were made to pursue quality films whether mainstream or independent,” Castelo said.
The lawmaker, who described last year’s successful holding of the MMFF as the birth of a new era in Philippine motion picture industry, lauded the selection committee for its efforts in choosing the ‘cream of the crop’ among the entries. (Ben R. Rosario)