‘4 na pelikula lang ang panonoorin namin sa MMFF kung…’

AS FAR as the calendar of events of this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival is concerned, kung tutuusi’y opisyal na itong nagsimula kahapon via the traditional parade of all eight floats ng participating entries.

This year, ang mga mamamayan naman ng Taguig City ang nagkaroon ng pagkakataong masilayan ang mga malalaking bituin in the flesh as the latter waved past scattered cheery crowds.

Why the eastern part of the city ay dahil ang MMFF ay nasa ilalim ng pamumuno ng MMDA with the cities and one municipality (Pateros) taking annual turns sa kung saan idaraos ang parade.

Break a leg muna ang mga artistang kalahok sa MMFF until the opening day sa mismong araw ng Pasko, but with such big stars doing the theatre rounds in the afternoon to check kung kumusta ang pasok ng mga manonood.

After which ay bale isang araw lang makakahinga ang mga ito as the stars prep up for the Gabi ng Parangal slated on the 27th. It will be premature then to identify which movies are doing incredibly well at the box-office save for the trending which may not always be consistent until the 10-day run is over.

We’d say that the awards night is one crucial event which determines the fate of other entries na hindi gaanong maganda ang sipa sa takilya.

Proven na that an entry which gets the most number of awards—both acting and technical—pero napaghuhuli in terms of box-office receipts stands a fair chance para mapangiti nito ang kanilang producer.

The “curiosity factor” is too intense that awards tend to lure in droves of eager theatregoers, well, at least for the adult audience.

Honestly, para sa taong ito’y walang itulak-kabigin sa eight entries. Apart from Vic Sotto’s, Coco Martin’s and Vice Ganda’s respective entries, the other five are formidable picks na alinman sa kanila’y gusto mong mapanood.

Pero siyempre, we’re also dealing here with law of economics. Ang tao who knows how to spend his money wisely will settle for a movie worth his penny. Sa mahal ba naman ng bayad ngayon sa sinehan, ‘di ba?

Personally, if I cannot afford to watch all eight films kundi apat lang ang kasya sa budget ko ay eto ang pagkakagastusan ko: to stir the nationalistic spirit in me, “Mindanao”; to get a hair-raising feel, “Sunod”; to check its cinematic take from an original Korean movie, “Miracle in Cell No. 7”; to make me experience what it’s like to love and be loved again (at my age), “Write About Love.”