'Honor Thy Father' producer calls for probe on MMFF ExeCom's 'disqualification' ruling

People behind "Honor Thy Father" have called for an investigation on the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Executive Committee's decision to disqualify the movie from the Best Picture nomination.

"“Together with my director Erik Matti, co-executive producer and actor John Lloyd Cruz, and everyone behind Honor Thy Father, I demand answers. We demand an investigation," film producer Dondon Monteverde of Reality Entertainment Inc. said in a statement posted on the movie's Facebook account on Saturday night. 

Monteverde issued the statement hours after receiving a letter from the MMFF that Honor Thy Father has been disqualified from the Best Picture nomination.

The letter read: "...due to your non-disclosure of your participation to the Cinema One Originals Festival 2015 as the opening film and after careful and thorough deliberation, the Metro Manila Film Festival Executive Committee has disqualified your entry, Honor Thy Father, from the selection of the Best Picutre Category of the MMFF 2015 Awards."

It was signed by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Emerson Carlos, the concurrent overall chairman of the MMFF.

In the Facebook post, Monteverde included screengrabs of two emails that Cinema One sent to inform the MMFF that the movie is included in its film festival, which kicked off in the first week of November.

The film producer also shared a November 5 letter from Cinema One informing the MMFF Executive Committee that its film festival was "non-revenue generating."

“If you will recall, Honor Thy Father was a late addition to the MMFF 2015 lineup. It had been rejected by their selection committee when the lineup was announced in June. On October 23 our film was officially offered a slot after an entry pulled out. By then we had already accepted CinemaOne’s invitation to screen as Opening Film. We informed the MMFF Secretariat, both by email and by phone, about this. We complied with their request for a letter from CinemaOne head Ronald Arguelles attesting that the screening was non-revenue generating and by invitation only. We have all of this on record," Monteverde said.

Monteverde's post included a screengrab of Section 4 of the MMFF rules, which says that a movie entry may be disqualified if it has been "shown in any regular, advance or preview screening for valuable consideration..."

It adds that movies shown in non-revenue advance or preview screening "shall not be disqualified as long as the producer shall submit at the time of applying as an entry for the film festival a sworn statement attesting to the non-revenue and promotional nature of the said exhibition."

In an interview over radio dzBB, Carlos reiterated that the movie was disqualified from the selection for the Best Picture award for its producers' failure to inform the MMFF that it was joining the Cinema One film festival.

“Umabot sa aming atensiyon na ang 'Honor Thy Father' ay ipinalabas sa isang festival after siya matanggap as an official entry sa MMFF. Ito pong pagpapalabas na ito ay hindi nasabi at hindi naipaalam sa executive committee. Even sa MMFF at ito po ay violation ng rules kasi ang lalabas ay hindi na bago ang pelikula,” Carlos said.

“Ang hingi po namin, na itong pelikulang ito ay hindi ipinalabas o ipapalabas sa ibang festival para mapanatili ang integrity ng film festival (MMFF)... Dahil po dito, nag-decide ang ExeCom, through the recommendation of the Rules Committee ng MMFF, na i-disqualify ang 'Honor Thy Father' sa category na Best Picture,” he added.

Carlos, meanwhile, clarified that the movie is not disqualified from the other MMFF awards nominations.

“Ang tingin po namin, hindi naman kasalanan ng mga artist at talents ang kanilang pagsali sa ibang festival. Ang desisyon lang ay tanggalin sa Best Picture ang 'Honor Thy Father,'” he explained. —ALG, GMA News