The Metro Manila Film Festival has revealed the first four of eight official film entries for this year’s edition.
The titles and creative teams were unveiled during a launch event at a mall in San Juan City.
Nuel Crisostomo Naval’s 2nd Miracle in Cell No. 7 stars Aga Muhlach and serves as a prequel to the 2019 festival drama. The new film explores the backstory of Muhlach’s character Lito and his eventual cellmates.
Zig Dulay’s Amir is a fantasy drama featuring Argus Aspiras, Dennis Trillo, Will Ashley, and Glaiza de Castro. It follows a boy who can see mythical creatures and his father’s struggle to protect their village from darkness.
Joey de Guzman’s Haunted Carnival stars James Reid, Fyang Smith, Julia Barretto, John Arcilla, and Maricel Soriano. The horror entry centers on amateur ghost hunters who enter a mysterious 1980s-era carnival.
Jun Robles Lana’s The grEATest SHOWdown stars Vic Sotto and Vice Ganda as rival television hosts forced to collaborate. The comedy-drama pairs the two as antagonistic figures who must set aside sabotage to work together.
The remaining four films will be announced at a later date.
This year’s 52nd festival will be hosted by San Juan and Mandaluyong, with an expanded presence in Bacolod.
Tickets in theaters nationwide will be capped at P299 throughout the festival period.
The Metro Manila Development Authority chairman confirmed the cap was set in response to audience demand. He noted that regional pricing will likely fall between P200 and P250 during the event.
The student short film category returns this year with five-minute submissions from high school and college students.
Winning entries will receive P100,000, plus P20,000 for development and P50,000 for production from national film bodies. Each finalist will screen before a full-length festival feature.
The Parade of Stars will take place twice, on Dec. 11 in Bacolod and on Dec. 18 in San Juan and Mandaluyong.
The festival opens on Dec. 25 and runs for two weeks, during which no foreign films are shown in participating theaters.
