Making History

Captivating chats with the Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Cinematographer in the record-breaking Metro Manila Film Festival.

Words Pocholo Concepcion
March 1, 2024

Pepe Diokno with the crew of 49th Metro Manila Film Festival big winner, ‘Gomburza.’ Photo credit Pepe Diokno

This is an excerpt from Art+ Magazine Issue 89. To read the full story, get the latest issue available on collectibles by artplus, Shopee, and on select stores of National Bookstore and Fully Booked.

The 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), held in December 2023 in 800 cinemas, made history as the highest grossing edition of the annual all-Filipino movies event—earning P1.069 billion as of Jan. 7, 2024, according to organizer Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Last year’s fest was also a milestone with the participation of Gomburza—a left-field entry which swept the MMFF Awards Night with seven wins including Best Director (Pepe Diokno), Best Actor (Cedrick Juan), Best Cinematographer (Carlo Canlas Mendoza), and the Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award.

Gomburza’s major triumph was significant since its subject deals with a little-known facet of Philippine history—how the martyrdom of three Filipino priests influenced Jose Rizal to write his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, which were instruments that ultimately led to the Philippine Revolution.

Art+ engaged Diokno, Juan, and Mendoza in chats that revealed their enthusiasm in making a groundbreaking film.