Which of the eight #MMFF2017 entries are worth your hard-earned money?

From its beginnings marked by an initially ingenious idea to put local films in the spotlight to its unfortunate refusal to grasp the opportunity to elevate the taste of the Filipino masses, the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has, on paper, come a long way: ever evolving and ever controversial in the process.

The annual film festival will return on Christmas Day with eight movies slated to show in cinemas nationwide until January 7. The entries this year were measured against a strict, idealistic set of criteria where “commercial viability” was deemed just as valuable as artistic excellence (which says a lot about the current state of the Filipino film industry); both these made up 40% of the criteria in the lineup’s initial vetting process. The “promotion of Filipino cultural and historic values” took up 10% and “global appeal” made up the last 10%.

The films that made the cut are “Ang Panday,” “Deadma Walking,” “Ganddarrapiddo! The Revenger Squad,” “Siargao,” “All of You,” “Haunted Forest,” “Meant to Beh,” and “Ang Larawan.” The titles alone preview a varied crop of films where there must be something for everyone. That’s the hope of MMFF Selection Committee chairperson Bienvenido Lumbera, at least. “Indie movies last year were purely for cinematic values whereas this year we involved the audience for movies that we selected,” he said. So, what will this year’s MMFF have in store for viewers? Should we enter the cinema expecting a movie to double as a lengthy commercial featuring various brands that sponsored the film? Will the festival feature the same, tired and recycled plotlines? Could this year be the year we outgrow slapstick comedy?

You can watch the complete lineup of movies to find out or save yourself the time and money and hold out only for the promising ones. Here, The Must-See Movies At The 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Siargao