MUKHANG mababago na ang superstitious mumbo-jumbo ng marami sa atin. Hindi na ang petsang Friday the 13th ang pinaniniwalaang maghahatid ng malas o disgrasya kundi ang Friday the 18th!
Nitong nakaraang Biyernes —dubbed as a historic day both in politics and in showbiz—in fairness ay may minalas pero meron din namang sinuwerte.
Araw ‘yon ng libing (finally) ni dating Presidente Ferdinand Marcos sa himlayan ayon sa kanyang kahilingan. Maituturing na hindi kakampi ng mga anti-Marcos ang kapalaran (but we won’t dwell on this any further).
Sa petsa ring ‘yon inanunsiyo ang inabangan—with bated breath—na pagsasapubliko ng MMFF ng eight official entries. Suwerteng matatawag ‘yon sa mga napili which—at one quick look—beckoned the triumph of independent films wanting to penetrate the mainstream.
Pero malas ding mailalarawan ‘yon on the part of established film companies—mostly consistent festival participants—kung saan malalaking mga artista rin ang bumabandera sa kanilang mga pelikula.
Pardon the condescension, pero sa walong pelikulang nakalusot ay mukhang si Eugene Domingo lang ang matunog as well as the sequel to her “foul-smelling” movie. The rest ay mga certified da who, sinex films, sinechiwa, Simeon at Cynthia (read: sino yun?).
This is obviously in stark contrast sa nakasanayan nang MMFF ng tao taun-taon where the never-ending saga of “Enteng Kabisote: seems like a festival staple, where the “Mano Po” family drama can be compared to a fertile woman na walang alam kundi mag-anak nang mag-anak, etcetera.
Lagi nating sinasabi that Christmas is for the kids. Like their favorite playthings, chocolates, carnival rides and fancy clothes, ang taunang festival ay para rin sa kanila. With more than 20 whittled down to eight, aber, can somebody please tell us kung alin dito ang puwede kina totoy at neneng?
If we may ask: ano bang selection process ang pinairal ng kasalukuyang pamunuan ng komite? Layunin din bang iangat o tulungan nito ang maliliit na prodyuser via their equally well-made indie or digital films, but which can hold a separate festival of their own at hindi ang mala-king MMFF?
Hay, gusto na lang naming sariwain ang MMFF back in its glory years. Time was when it carried themes of social relevance kung saan de-kalidad ang mga pelikula starred in by the country’s acting stalwarts.
Gone are the MMFF’s who’s who in competition…mga da who na ang pumalit!
q q q
Biases set aside, kung kami ang nakaupo sa selection committee, we would have put more weight on would-be entries which had stuck to the guidelines.
We all knew that the clock was ticking so fast kaya nagkumahog ang mga lalahok to beat the deadline. But the first to meet was CineKo Productions with its hopeful entry “Mang Kepweng Returns” starring Vhong Navarro.
Nanghihinayang lang kami that the selection committee snubbed its efforts na tapusin ang produkto bago pa man ang itinakdang palugit yet the film—according to people in the know—didn’t turn out half-baked but rather a comedic masterpiece by direk GM Sampedro.
Since no “herbal remedy” can cure the movie para masali pa ito sa MMFF, the group of young producers has no other recourse but to choose an early 2017 playdate para naman ang kanilang “Mang Kepweng Returns” ay magkaroon ng returns on their investment.