What to Watch Out for in the Metro Manila Film Festival 2023
Honor Filipino film excellence this holiday season with Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2023’s ten-film lineup
by Marian Luisa Palo
Photos by Viva Artists Agency, Family of Two, Marietta Subong( Pokwang), When I Met You in Tokyo, Broken Hearts’ Trip, Star Cinema, Alessandra De Rossi, GomBurZa Film, Derek Ramsay, and Piolo Pascual (via Instagram)
December 23, 2023
Mallari Directed by Derick Cabrido
The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) commences yet another jam-packed season of films ranging from family themes, romantic comedies, historical dramas, to thrillers to close off 2023. This will be the first time that the MMFF will feature ten films instead of the traditional eight.
Following the star-studded parade last December 16 that filled CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela) with enthusiasm for Filipino excellence, the MMFF 2023 is set to run from December 25, 2023 to January 7, 2024 in theaters nationwide.
If you wish to celebrate the stretch of Christmas season to New Year binge-watching and honoring Filipino films, here’s a checklist for you!
G-rated Films
“Penduko” directed by John Paul Laxamana
Matteo Guidicelli suits up as comic legend Pedro Penduko, a young boy skilled with superpowers who will go on an adventure to battle evil forces disrupting the town.
“Family of Two” directed by Nuel Naval
This heartwarming story of a single mom and her son, played by Sharon Cuneta and Alden Richards, will revolve around the tales of single motherhood and familial life in general.
PG-rated Films
“Becky and Badette” directed by Jun Lana
Sure to have theaters burst out laughing, Pokwang and Eugene Domingo will play best friends who one day wake up to sudden fame after making stories about a batchmate.
“When I Met You in Tokyo” directed by Rommel Penesa & Conrado Peru
“When I Met You in Tokyo” is a warm reunion for acting veterans Vilma Santos-Recto and Christopher de Leon, telling a story of two elderly workers who hold different views in love.
“Broken Hearts’ Trip” directed by Lemuel Lorca
This reality show circling around LGBTQ+ stories, led by actor Christian Bables, will embark on a roundtrip where gay people give themselves a chance at love and a time to heal.
“Rewind” directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar
Real-life married couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera reunite on-screen for this film to play a husband and wife who tries to rekindle their failing marriage and make things right.
“Firefly” directed by Zig Dulay
“Firefly,” a fantasy-drama film starring Alessandra de Rossi and Euwenn Mikaell, will unfold a story of a young boy who journeys to a mythical island where his mom’s bedtime stories reside.
“GomBurZa” directed by Pepe Diokno
Ignite a sense of nationalism with “Gomburza,” retelling the history of the three martyred Catholic priests, Mariano Gomes (Dante Rivero), Jose Burgos (Cedrick Juan), and Jacinto Zamora (Enchong Dee), during the Spanish colonization.
R-rated Films
“(K)Ampon” by King Palisoc
Derek Ramsay returns to acting for the horror film “(K)Ampon” with Beauty Gonzales, which ruminates around the life of a childless couple who one day finds themselves with a strange young orphan.
“Mallari” directed by Derick Cabrido
In a thrilling spin of a real-life story of the Philippines’ first ever documented serial killer, Juan Severino Mallari, Piolo Pascual plays three characters of three disparate eras; from Spanish occupation, post-war period, to modern era.
