Vic Sotto, Vice Ganda starrers back in Metro Manila Film Fest

This year marks another shakeup at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

The MMFF Executive Committee on Friday released the first four films selected as official entries.

"Ang Panday", "Almost is Not Enough", "The Revengers", and "Love Traps #Family Goals" were selected from among 26 entries. Four more entries will be chosen from this pool of finished films to complete the final list.

Kapuso stars Vic Sotto and Jennylyn Mercado lead the films "Love Traps #Family Goals" and "Almost is Not Enough."

This year's selection was in part affected by the changes effected last year, which were met with both cheers and jeers.

Filmmakers and cinephiles lauded the MMFF's decision to diversify, with its inclusion of a documentary, an LGBT-centric story, and movies with evident political themes alongside romantic comedies.

Another group, however, felt like "family-friendly films" and those promoting "Filipino values" were left out from the selection.

"Rinerespeto ko yung panlasa ng naging screening committee... Ang masakit lang para sa akin, hindi nila rinespeto yung panlasa ng manonood ng pelikulang Pilipino," Vic Sotto was quoted saying during a press conference for his film, which failed to make the cut in 2016.

Actors like TJ Trinidad, meanwhile, said that it's time to "give smaller films a chance." Superstar Nora Aunor also welcomed the return of "quality films" to MMFF.

MMFF 2017 Executive Committee Chairman Tim Orbos assured the public that "no discrimination was made in choosing the official entries from  among commercial and 'indie' films."

“Our selection committee had a difficult time selecting the qualifiers given the quality of the films. We have to thank them for their exhaustive and thorough deliberation,” Orbos said in a press statement. —NB/KVD, GMA News