“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” This famous quote from the writer-philosopher George Santayana is a fitting introduction to my story about this year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry from Mentorque Productions. What makes it even more interesting is that this film creates history in both the MMFF and the Philippine film industry. In essence, this film is a historical journey in every aspect of its MMFF entry.

 

Pelikulove, a multi-arts portal which aims to provide arts education and a platform for artistic and socially-relevant content, is launching the first-of-its-kind “Shout Out Festival (Maghayag at Lumikha)” Online Festival from September 19 to 25, 2022.

In cooperation with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts, the “Shout Out Festival” is a seven-day online festival of short films and stage plays, a culminating activity of the enrollees of the Pelikulove master classes of National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee, and Palanca Hall of Fame awardee Rody Vera. The works are produced in cooperation with regional theater and film organizations and can be viewed for free at pelikulove.com beginning September 19.

There are three sets of works to be showcased; each set is composed of three productions.

Set A features the short films “Libro for Ransom” tackling the theft of Jose Rizal’s masterpieces written by Ralph Morales and directed by Arjanmar Rebeta, “Cooking with Love” written by Viva Andrada O’Flynn and directed by Delfin Castillo, and “When a Manananggal Loves a Man” by Raymund T. Barcelon and directed by Neil Azcuna of Integrated Performing Arts Group off MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology.

One of the competing entries in the QCinema International Film Festival, "Babae at Baril" is produced by Cignal Entertainment in partnership with Epicmedia takes on a story about a girl, a gun, and the desperation of after being pushed to the edge of her life. Then, discovers that owning a gun gives her so much power. An event that will change how she looks at life.


Janine Gutierrez stars in this film and plays the role of a saleslady in a local department store, where her everyday life is composed of an exhausting commute home and add up a manager who always seems to have something to say about her physical state. When she finally gets home, there's no one there but her roommate who couldn't care less about her. A life that is common in the working class.


Her life changes when she finds a peculiar looking gun right on her doorstep. She felt a surge of power holding and carrying the gun. Giving her a boost that she can do anything she wants, talk back to whomever she wants, and even hurt anyone she wants.

Babae at Baril is your typical and common story in the lower class of the society where every individual works hard to survive. The story of the film is the usual but it delivers a more powerful voice to its audience, women or any individual whenever empower can do things beyond what they are capable of but let us not forget that too much power is sometimes poison. The oppressed sometimes takes control and turns to be the oppressor.            

Aside from Janine Gutierrez, other casts are Felix Rocco, Elijah Canlas, JC Santos, and Sky Teotico with the special participation of Ruby Ruiz, Allan Paule, and Archie Adamos and will be shown in selected cinemas from October 15 to 22, 2019.

How great is your love? Well, we all want that great one in our life and we're all wishing to have it at the right time. A great love in this lifetime with whom we hope to spend the rest of our lives with.

But are we willing to make the sacrifices and go through all the pain to attain it and keep it?

Is our One Great Love provided by destiny or do we get to choose?

This is the premise of the upcoming movie One Great Love, produced by Regal Entertainment, Inc. and an official entry to the upcoming 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival.

Every year, Regal Entertainment, Inc., creates an entry/entries to the annual film festival to adhere to its commitment in bringing quality entertainment for moviegoers.

This Christmas, the film production outfit is bringing together a stellar cast from two major TV networks to breathe life to one great movie, entitled One Great Love.

Top-billed by celebrity A-listers Dennis Trillo, JC de Vera, and Kim Chiu, the romance drama film, a hugot - bangon film that tackles a subject that everybody is highly familiar with and which we can all relate to: love and relationships.


The story tackles about love, which remains to be one of the greatest mysteries up to this day. Falling in love with someone is one thing, but staying in love with that person is another story. Kim shows a different side of her in this movie. Mainly known for tackling romantic-comedy roles in movies, Kim goes out of her comfort zone and portrays another mature character. The bubbly bungisngis Kim Chiu will not be seen in Zyra, her character in the movie. She is expected to have love scenes in this film.

ABS-CBN premier artist Kim Chiu portrays the role of Zyra Paez, a woman fortunate enough to know and be with her one great love.

JC portrays the role of Carl Mauricio. Carl’s turbulent past has left a scarred, and in the process, keeps hurting the woman who did nothing but love him over anything else.



Kapuso dramatic actor Dennis is Dr. Ian Arcano, a heart doctor who firmly believes in the sanctity of family and keeping it that way. Ian is a dependable friend to Zyra, but then eventually falls in love with her.

The lives of Zyra, Carl, and Ian are intertwined with one another in a story that reveals to us that like every human being, we all seek for love, but our views about it differ. "Magagaling lahat dito umarte. Baka makakuha sila ng awards. Totoong magagaling. Maganda ang pelikula para sa pasko. One Great Movie to watch out for," says matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde.

The movie helps us understand ourselves through the characters: are you the type to cling to someone you love no matter what or are you willing to let it go for someone you love?

The film also stars Eric Quizon portraying Dante Paez, Zyra’s loving father, who never got over of his One Great Love, discovers that he deserves a second chance at love. Nina Dolino as Annie Paez, Dante’s second wife, who is a firm believer that One Great Love exists.

Miles Ocampo is Jemi Paez, sister of Zyra and who is mature for her age. She is a practical thinker, who challenges Zyra’s view about love.

Marlo Mortel is Bryan Gomez, a loving free-spirited guy who falls in love with Jemi.

Directed by Eric Quizon, One Great Love opens in cinemas on December 25. For more updates, follow Regal Entertainment Inc on Facebook and Youtube, @RegalFilms on Twitter, @RegalFilms50 on Instagram.

ONE GRAT LOVE
PRODUCER: REGAL ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

The Adam Levine, Kiera Knightley and Mark Ruffalo starrer BEGIN AGAIN has been selected to close the 13th Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2014.

From writer-director John Carney (Once), the movie originally titled Can A Song Save Your Life? is a soul-stirring comedy about what happens when lost souls meet and make beautiful music together.

It's another great year for the film makers to showcase their skills and unique in making a film.  The Metro Manila Film Festival 2013 got plenty of entries that movie goers will sure get a hard time in choosing which movie to watch first.

STRANGERS in a strange place with strange people.  That's what is the simplest description about this movie.  This coming December 25, as one of the entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival this movie will bring strange feeling and more than a goosebumps.

The story of The Strangers focuses mainly on a Family of Five that tries to put aside their differences on the eve of their kids 18th birthday.  Fraternal twins Pat (Julia Montes) and Max (Enrique Gil) prepare to go on their annual out of town trip. Accompanied by their parents Roy and Evelyn (played by Johnny Revilla and Cherry Pie Picache, respectively) their grandfather Pete (Jaime Fabregas) and his temporary caretaker Paloma (Janice De Belen) as well as their newly hired driver Toning (Nico Antonio), they set for the far flung town of Murcia.

During the press con, "Ako ang mgbibigay ng kapahamakan sa kanila" according to Nico Antonio, the driver.

Whatever problems they had with each other fade away as they head for Murcia. But their happiness comes to a screeching halt when their van hits an old lady, presumably killing her. Shaken, they get out of the van to see if they can help her-and find that her body has vanished into thin air When night sets in, Toning is attached by a mysterious creature, Roy and Lolo Pete go missing and Evelyn, Pat , Max and Paloma are left stranded in the middle of nowhere.


They eventually find their way to a village, where they are besieged by a series of aswang attacks. Pat finds an ally in one of the villagers, a young man named Dolfo (Enchong Dee). THey  realize the only way to survive is to band together against the aswang terrorizing the village.

Whether or not they will survive is something moviegoers will find out when The Strangers hits theaters as part of the Metro Manila Film Festival on December 25.

The movie is very challenging to all the cast, as well as the directors. Enchong needs to immerse himself as a dirty man, in order to him to portray it properly. "Masaya and Tiring ang paggawa ng movie na'to", according to Enchong.

The Strangers is directed by Lawrence Anthony Fajardo, whose recent work as a director includes Posas - which won Best Film in the Director's Showcase division of this year's Cinemalaya. and again at the Hanoi Film Festival in Vietnam - and Amok, which bagged a whopping 11 nominations for this year's Gawad Urian, as well as the top prize at the Detective Fest in Moscow last April.


The Strangers is produce by Quantum and MJM Productions that will give movie enthusiasts a different horror experience by taking into a world where nothing is ever what it seems: the world of The Strangers.

Movie fanatics and horror enthusiasts people, this is for you.  If you want to have a thrilling Christmas watch this movie.  A horror movie that will tackles family in different scenario, that will trigger the family that they need to be bonded in times of problem.

Head on to cinemas this coming December 25 for "The Strangers".

Kids and kids-at-heart are always looking forward for this happiest day of the year.  Not only that they'll be receiving gifts but everyone will have a chance to go on a bonding moment with family while watching movies and December 25 is the Metro Manila Film Festival so everyone will have lots of movies to enjoy. 

Here's one of the much anticipated comedy treat from Star Cinema, the "Sisterakas".