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MMDA’s Orbos: MMFF also about raising revenue, not just artistic excellence


Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Tim Orbos said Thursday that the objective of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is not just to pursue artistic excellence but also to raise revenues for its beneficiaries.

"First of all, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I will respect that. But let me make it clear ang MMFF is not an ordinary festival compared to Cannes, or any festival outside. We have another mission, objective eh. Aside from pursuing artistic excellence, you're supposed to raise revenues for our sector, their sector indeed na kailangan bigyan ng benepisyo," Orbos said in an interview on News To Go.

The MMFF's beneficiaries include Mowel Fund, the Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council, the Film Academy of the Philippines, the Film Development Council of the Philippines and the Optical Media Board.

"Hindi naman pwedeng artistic excellence lang yung hinahabol natin. Kailangan kumita rin yung mga pelikulang 'yan dahil may pagbibigyan tayo and we owe it also to the mayors na kanilang binigay yung kanilang amusement tax," Orbos added.

"Having said that, kailangan ho talaga yung ipre-presenta nating mga selected films for the film festival must address those two," Orbos said.

Director Erik Matti had criticized the selection process for this year's main competition.

"Kung sinabi na lang nila mula sa simula pa na ang criteria sa pagsali sa #MMFF2017 ay 30% artista 30% producer 30% kwela at 10% brightness, e di wala na sanang problema. Nagtago pa kasi sa global appeal at artistic excellence e," Matti said on his Facebook post.

"Walang problema gumawa ng commercial movies. Walang problema sa pinili nilang apat kasi sa dulo baka maganda rin silang commercial movies (sana). Ang problema ang kung paano ang palakad nitong bagong #MMFF cartel," he added.

The MMFF Executive Committee (ExeCom) earlier announced the first four films selected as official entries to this year's festival: "Ang Panday," "Almost is Not Enough," "The Revengers," and "Love Traps #Family Goals." 

Four more entries will be chosen from a pool of 26 finished films to complete the final list.

Following the official announcement of the first four entries, acclaimed screenwriter Ricky Lee, former Dean of the University of the Philippines' College of Mass Communication Rolando Tolentino, and Journalist and documentary producer Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala resigned from the ExeCom, though they later clarified that their decision to leave "had little to do with the first four selected MMFF 2017 entries."

"We had expressed our intention to resign long before the announcement of the first four entries was made," they said, explaining that they did not agree with the emphasis on "commerce over art" in the selection process.

"Some quarters in the ExeCom insist that only big film studios can produce a blockbuster. We believe that producing a box office hit and creating a film is not exclusive to big film studios nor to independent film outfits," they added.

"All excellent Filipino films deserve all forms of support," the letter asserted.

Meanwhile, Orbos said that there are still four films left to be selected, noting that the public should give them a chance.

"Walo po yung pinipili natin eh, apat pa lang po eh. So let me just say, give us a chance, hindi pa ho tapos 'yan," he said.

He added that he does not have control over the selection process of the films.

"Unang una the committee members—the ExeCom committee members, the selection committee members, the rules committee members—hindi naman po ako ang namili niyan. Sila rin po ang namili," Orbos said.

"In fact, I don't even know the selection committee, I'm not even familiar with the rules committee," he added. — Marlly Rome C. Bondoc/BM, GMA News

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