Ex-domestic helper in HK among 'stars' to grace MMFF parade

A former OFW from Hong Kong will be among the "stars" who will join the parade for the 42nd Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) — an event that formerly featured big-time celebrities — this coming Friday, a television report said Wednesday.

Mylene Jacobo is featured in "Sunday Beauty Queen," a documentary on Filipina domestic helpers in Hong Kong and one of the entries for this year's MMFF.

In a report on "24 Oras," director Baby Ruth Villarama told GMA News' Lhar Santiago that the documentary, which was featured in Busan Film Festival, honors the sacrifices of Filipinos working abroad and the love they put in their work to support their family.

"Para po sa kanila itong pelikula na ito, especially yung mga anak ng mga OFW na sabi ko nga, if parents would like their children to learn what unconditional love is, this is the perfect film to show to them," Villarama said.

"Sabi nila walang artistang malaki, pero sa pelikulang ito, buong sambayanang Pilipino ang bida," she added.

The report said Jacobo, who has since come home to the Philippines, is hoping that the documentary will somehow lead to assistance being extended to Filipino migrant workers.

A report on Variety said Jacobo's strong bonds with her employer and entertainment mogul Jack Soo provided "Sunday Beauty Queen" with "unexpected developments that furnish the film with its most heart-tugging dramatic arc."

"Sunday Beauty Queen" follows the lives of five domestic helpers in Hong Kong and how beauty pageants give them a brief respite from their daily life.

Among Jacobo's co-stars are Leo Selomenio, an organizer of pageants and one of the few foreign workers allowed to rent their own apartments, and Cherrie Mae Bretana, who takes care of her young charge more than his own parents do. Hazel Perdido and Rudelyn Acosta complete cast. —Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News