With the reopening of the cinemas in Metro Manila and alert levels lowered, this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) will also be returning to the big screen.

Last year, 10 films were chosen for the festival that was held entirely online. The films were made available to stream on Upstream and GMovies while the 46th MMFF’s Gabi ng Parangal was done via Zoom. Big winners of last year’s awards night were Christian Acuña’s Magikland and Antoinette Jadaone’s Fan Girl.

[Source: FULL LIST: Winners, MMFF 2020 Gabi ng Parangal]

As for this year’s MMFF, only 8 films were selected among the 19 submissions. The list of official entries was made public by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) last November 12. These films are said to be relevant and reflective of current circumstances. They were selected according to the following criteria: 40% each for artistic excellence and commercial appeal then 10% each for Filipino sensibility and global appeal.

[Source: Official entries for MMFF 2021 revealed | GMA Entertainment]

The 8 entries are Law Fajardo’s A Hard Day, Jun Robles Lana’s Big Night!, Cathy Garcia-Molina’s Love at First Stream, Carlo Francisco Manatad’s Kun Maupay Man It Panahon, Lester Dimaranan’s Nelia, Adolf Alix Jr.’s Huwag Kang Lalabas, Fifth Solomon’s The Exorsis, and Louie Ignacio’s Huling Ulan Sa Tag-Araw.

From December 25 to January 8, these films will be shown in theatres nationwide or at least where alert levels are low enough for cinemas to be open. These theatres must also follow the health protocols declared by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP).

The Gabi ng Parangal for the 47th MMFF will be held on the 27th of December. Plans for the Parade of the Stars, which was done virtually last year, are still being finalized by the organizers of the festival.

[Source: ‘A good mix’: Boots Anson-Rodrigo on 8 MMFF 2021 official entries]