By ATRIA PACAÑA
The complete list of entries to the 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) was announced by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Facebook, Tuesday, Oct. 17.
These include “When I Met You in Tokyo” (romance, directed by Conrado Peru, Rommel Peneza, and Christopher De Leon); “Becky and Badette” (comedy, directed by Jun Robles Lana); “Mallari” (horror, directed by Derick Cabrido); “Firefly” (fantasy, directed by Zig Dulay); “Broken Hearts Trip” (comedy, directed by Lemuel C. Lorca); and “Gomburza” (historical, directed by Pepe Diokno).
They will join the first four films announced last July: “A Mother and Son’s Story” by Nuel Naval, “K(ampon)” by King Palisoc, “Penduko” by Jason Paul Laxamana, and “Rewind” by Mae Cruz-Alviar.
The members of the MMFF Selection Committee picked the entries from 26 script submissions from 32 production companies as based on the following criteria: (1) artistic excellence, (2) commercial appeal, (3) Filipino cultural sensibility, and (4) global appeal.
Other notable submissions that didn’t make it to the final list are: Regal Films’ “Shake, Rattle and Roll Xtreme,” Viva Films’ “Nokturno,” Saranggola Production’s “Loyalista: The Untold Story of Imelda Papin,” and BC Entertainment Productions’ “Mananambal.”
