By Brian Jules Campued
Fresh from its successful Manila run, the 10 film entries of the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) finally started screening on Monday at the TCL Chinese Theaters on Hollywood Boulevard in California, as part of the inaugural Manila International Film Festival (MIFF).
The movies to be screened in America until Feb. 2 are: “Becky and Badette”, “Broken Heart’s Trip”, “Family of Two (A Mother and Son Story)”, “Firefly”, “GomBurZa”, “(K)Ampon”, “Mallari”, “Penduko”, “Rewind”, and “When I Met You in Tokyo”.
“These films will likewise be given awards that are separate and independent from the MMFF awards given last December 2023,” the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said in a statement released Tuesday.
Accolades will be presented during a gala at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) on Sunset Boulevard and will include a Best Picture award that will come with a total of US$100,000 worth of camera rental equipment and the support of other industry vendors.
“The package is valued overall at US$200,000 with the support of industry partners Atlas Lens Co., BlackOps Studios Asia, CMB Film Services, Inc., and Myriad Entertainment USA,” the MMDA added.
The Best Picture winner will also be given an opportunity to create a US-based film which will be co-produced by Birns & Sawyer, a Los Angeles-based company focused on production equipment and camera rentals for professional filmmakers.
Additionally, the winners of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay will each receive the latest version of film editing software, Final Draft, valued at US$250 through Birns & Sawyer.
Other recognitions include an Audience Award to be voted by MIFF moviegoers and the Special Jury Prize.
Meanwhile, actress Hilda Koronel will be honored with the Monty Manibog Lifetime Achievement Award.
Accomplished Filipino Americans will serve as members of the jury to be headed by Marie Jamora, one of the first Filipinos in the DGA.
Other esteemed jury members are Mari Acevedo, CEO of Birns & Sawyer; Leah Anova, a director of photography; Reggie Lee, a television, film, and Broadway actor; David Maquiling, Academic and Artistic Director of the School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) Summer Program at University of Southern California; and Sumalee Montano, a film and television actress.
MMFF overall chair and MMDA acting chair Romando Artes expressed confidence that the success of the MMFF last December can be replicated with the support of the Filipino community in Los Angeles as well as the foreign audience.
“I believe this MIFF will further validate the fact that Filipino films are truly exceptional and world class,” he said. – avds