Metro Manila Film Festival 2017: Same old, same old?

Allow me to crow as having been part of a charmed life the all-too-recent memory of participation in the selection committee for what had been a groundbreaking Metro Manila Film Festival — last year’s, specifically, when true cineastes reveled in a windfall celebration of outstanding Filipino films.

Oh, it had its last-minute glitch, too, no thanks to a controversial animal-slaughter scene that drew repercussions. But for the most part, enthusiastic crowds gave their thumbs-up to most of the eight films chosen on the basis of aesthetic merits alone — for the first time in ages — and not on account of star power and commercial viability.

We of the 2016 MMFF selection committee simply became lucky. We had nothing at all to do with the rules set in place behind a bold new vision that had sought to bring back the glory days of the yearend festival. The revamped executive committee that had sought to expunge the unpleasantness of the 2015 festival profited from the inspired inclusion of a dynamic tag team in the persons of Ed Cabagnot and Moira Lang, true-blue cinephiles who proposed significant new directions.

Surprisingly, most of the leftover exe-com members agreed to the proposals. It was also to the exe-com’s benefit that its chair, the freshly settled MMDA OIC, Tim Orbos, backed the collegial decisions all the way, with the unstinting support of Mowelfund stalwart Boots Anson Rodrigo, Wilson Tieng and Jesse Ejercito, among others.

Thus it was that our selection committee — our chosen chair Dr. Nic Tiongson, QC Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, Mae Paner, Lawrence Fajardo, Ping Medina, Alan Allanigue, Crispina Martinez Belen and this writer — only had to abide by the given criteria. We chose what we deemed to be the best films in terms of artistic and technical merits — without considering what might delight the yearend movie audience or earn more at the tills.

Approval from a suddenly non-traditional audience quickly towed in the expected fallout — from some sectors of the mainstream movie industry: that the gross take had dipped from the usual numbers.

Defenders of the new format pointed out less than enthusiastic cooperation from theater owners, as well as pre-festival undermining by the blockbuster also-rans that showed their usual fare ahead, and took over provincial theaters.

A senator filed a resolution, a Senate hearing was held, and the result has been a reversion to what may now be said as the same old, same old compromise — at best, between expected blockbusters whose scripts have already won acceptance, and possibly a few so-called indies that might yet get in through the second phase of finished-film entries.

Honestly, I’m surprised at the resignation of some members of the reconstituted exe-com — that had became 23-strong, with comebacking representation from what was thought to have been certain discredited parties. Surely whatever level of naiveté or idealism that attended initial discussions would’ve been frittered away with the evident directions taken — inclusive of the two-phase format for entries.

What aren’t surprising are results of the supposed script phase. Vic Sotto, Vice Ganda, Coco Martin… But of course! Yes, we can suppose that these were the best scripts submitted. Or foreordained. Which is why there’s grumbling among also-rans, reportedly of the likes of notable directors such as Erik Matti, the comebacking Mike de Leon, and Raya Martin with a Palanca-winning bestseller as seed story.

The question now is whether these films can still make the second cut, since the layered rules don’t appear to disqualify a first-phase entrant from trying it again as a finished film. Meanwhile, the winning scripts are assured of outright inclusion, no matter if they stumble through production and final execution.

But that’s all right, since Vic & Vice & Coco will bring in the holiday crowd, with entire families to boot, and assure the festival of big bucks, just like old times.

Now don’t get me wrong. While idealism behooves me to continue to celebrate the Camelot that prevailed all-too-briefly last year, realities won’t have me shut the door on the business aspects of the local movie industry.

The MMFF has always been bipolar. It’s ironic yet fitting that this year an awkward compromise has seemingly been fashioned (oh how ingeniously!) with the two-phase entry rule — a way of quickly ascertaining seeded entries, while allowing possibly meritorious films another chance at raising pennants for films we can be proud of.

Two of my former colleagues at the MTRCB offer valid and salient views. Director Joey Romero weighs in:

“It’s a business! A movie, good or bad, from whoever’s perspective becomes just a commodity when it reaches the market. Consumer appeal, packaging and marketing determine the sale of the product. Just like in supermarkets, if a product doesn’t sell, it’s taken off the shelf. It cannot be forced on the seller or the buyer.

“Festivals like Cinemalaya, QCinema, Tofarm and Cinematheque all aim to promote artistic cinema and develop talents. That’s good and no one complains. Unlike those festivals, the MMFF which enjoys the most lucrative playdate of the year needs to raise funds for the industry. For many years the only life left of the industry was the MMFF in December. If we lose the audiences, it will simply revert to Hollywood blockbusters.”

Former MTRCB chair Toto Villareal, who was part of the MMFF exe-com last year, says that “A balancing act is always due to GATT and the absence of a film quota law; under GATT if Pinoy films don’t make big bucks, then the Hollywood blockbusters come in legit, consistent with what Direk Joey says.”

These are well-studied views. Now if only the matter of transparency is also addressed. For years now, eyebrows have also been raised over the way the proceeds from the festival have been handled. Recent reports raise comparative figures for the last two festivals, to wit: that while the 2015 edition grossed P1.5 billion, only P14 million went to the beneficiaries, while last year’s P550 million bestowed the beneficiaries a total of P12 million.

The point is raised: now where did all that money go these past years? Something fishy is suggested, which should merit an investigation. Maybe another Senate hearing can lead to uncovering darker truths behind the MMFF.