Celebrities starring in the eight official entries wave to fans during the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2022 Parade of Stars on December 21, 2022. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/FILE
MANILA – The upcoming first-ever summer edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) received overwhelming support as 33 films submitted their application, hoping to join the April event.
According to the MMFF, 23 of the 33 submissions were new movies while the other 10 were resubmissions from the December 2022 MMFF.
MMDA Acting Chairman and MMFF overall Chair Atty. Don Artes described the first Summer MMFF as "historic" as it received the highest number of film submissions since the MMFF started.
"With the record-breaking number of films that have been submitted to us, we can say that our local movie industry is back in their game and is starting to create more quality films again for us to enjoy in the first-ever Summer MMFF," Artes said.
"The MMDA and the film industry are both excited and looking forward to the success of the summer film fest which is another avenue to showcase local talent in making world-class Filipino films," he added.
"The MMFF's victory is the victory of the whole Philippine film industry."
The eight official entries to be included in the film festival will be announced on February 24. They will be selected based on the following criteria: artistic excellence (40%), commercial appeal (40%), Filipino cultural sensibility (10%), and global appeal (10%).
The first Summer MMFF will run in all cinemas nationwide from April 8 to 18, with the Parade of Stars scheduled to be held in Quezon City on April 1 and the Awards Night will take place on April 11.
RELATED VIDEO: