The box office success of the movies in competition will no longer be a criterion in determining which film will win the Best Picture award in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), the chairman of the executive committee declared.
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis N. Tolentino, concurrent chairman of the MMFF executive committee, said the film festival’s best picture award should be given "based on technical excellence, not box office success."
"We think commercial viability should not be the single biggest consideration in determining the Best Picture winner," Mr. Tolentino told reporters during the launch of this year’s film festival last Thursday at Club Filipino in San Juan. "So we are removing that [commercial viability] in the criteria in selecting the festival’s Best Picture."
BIG IN THE BOX OFFICE
Former MMDA chairman Bayani F. Fernando, who spearheaded the film festival for the past nine years, decided to change the criteria in determining the winner for the Best Picture Award since 2006.
The controversial change made "box office appeal" and "commercial viability" the biggest single criterion in determining the winner for Best Picture. In 2006, film festival organizers changed the criteria for the Best Picture award, doubling the share of "commercial viability" to 40% from the previous 20%.
The change resulted in 2006’s film fest top grosser Enteng Kabisote 3: Okay Ka Fairy Ko The Legend Goes On and On and On romping away with no other prizes except the coveted Best Picture award during the festival’s awards rites.
The increased emphasis on box office take received a lot of criticism, including claims that it would dilute the goal of the festival, which was to highlight Filipino filmmaking at its finest.
However, Mr. Fernando brushed off criticism, saying that the primary goal of the annual film festival was to raise funds for the movie industry.
In 2007, film festival organizers further increased the share of "commercial viability" in the Best Picture criteria to 50%, making the movie’s box office appeal the single biggest consideration in deciding which among the participating movies was "the best."
The movie’s "artistry, technical excellence and thematic value" still made up 40% of the criteria, while the criterion "Filipino cultural and historical value" was reduced in 2007 to just 10%.
Mr. Tolentino, who took over the reigns of the MMDA and the MMFF executive committee last July, said the criteria that will be used for selecting the Best Picture this year is: "artistry, creativity and technical excellence, thematic value and global appeal" - 70%; and "Filipino cultural and/or historical value" - 30%.
THIS YEAR’S ENTRIES SO FAR
The seven official entries for this year’s film festival are: Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote (produced by APT Int’l., Inc., GMA Films, Inc., Imus Productions, Inc., M-ZET TV Productions, Inc., and OctoArts Films) starring Bong Revilla and Vic Sotto; Ang Tanging Ina Mo Rin (Last Na ’To), (produced by ABS-CBN Productions, Inc.) starring Ai Ai delas Alas and Eugene Domingo; Dalaw (Cine Media/Star Cinema) starring Kris Aquino and Diether Ocampo; Father Jejemon (RVQ Productions, Inc.) starring Dolphy; Rosario (Cinemabuhay International, Inc.); RPG(ABS-CBN Production/Ambient Media) starring Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo; Shake, Rattle & Roll XII (Regal Entertainment, Inc.) starring Carla Abellana; and Super Inday and the Golden Bibe (Regal Entertainment, Inc.) starring Marian Rivera and Pokwang.
Now on its 36th year, the Metro Manila Film Festival opens Christmas Day, and will run until Jan. 7 next year.
Mr. Tolentino said the festival hopes to generate P500 million in gross revenues this year.
INDIE FILMS
Aside from the changes in the Best Picture criteria, this year’s film festival marks the beginning of an independent movie competition that will run a week ahead of the annual movie event.
"This is our way of helping new filmmakers to showcase their movies and to increase public awareness of this kind of films which are not commercially shown in local theaters but are internationally acclaimed in foreign film festivals," Mr. Tolentino said.
The five independently-produced movies that were selected to be part of the film festival are: Senior Year by Jerrold Tarog; Nasaan si Hefteby Jonnah Lim; Presa by Adolf Alix, Jr.; Slow Fade by Rommel Sales; and Rindido by Noriel Jarito.
These movies will be shown at the SM Megamall Digital Theater in Ortigas Center, Pasig City between 7 and 8 p.m., from Dec. 16 to 21.
Preselling of tickets will be done to maximize viewership, Mr. Tolentino said.
He added that the MMDA will help in the advertisement and promotion of the independent films by installing tarpaulins in the agency’s Pahayagan ng Bayan along the major thoroughfares of Metro Manila.
He said one segment of the Awards Night Program slated on Dec. 26 shall be devoted to the independent filmmakers in order to highlight their participation in the MMFF.
"At least one entry will be given the award for Achievement in Technical Excellence and shall receive a sponsorship from Fuji Film to convert the film into 35-millimeter format for showing in regular commercial runs after Jan. 7, 2011," Mr. Tolentino said.
