The awards night of the 32nd Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) will be held tonight, December 29, at the Aliw Theater. The MMFF Awards Night is one of the most awaited events in Philippine entertainment, even eclipsing the awards night of the major award-giving bodies.
Although the roster of films this year is somewhat lean in terms of quality compared to the past years—with fantasy and horror films dominating the lot—the MMFF awards night is sure to be as exciting as ever.
Of course, there’s the usual fearless forecast of film critics and entertainment columnists. PEP Eye, which is technically a column although in reality is a blog, wants to join in the fray and give its own fearless forecast.
For best picture, three movies were given an A rating by the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB)—Star Cinema’s Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo, CM Films’ Ligalig, and Regal Entertainment’s ZsaZsa Zaturnnah Ze Moveeh. If the MMFF Board of Judges’ taste is the same with CEB, then it is safe to say that these three films will romp away with most of the awards, including the three best pictures at stake.
But the biggest trophy, I think, would be taken home by Kasal, Kasali Kasalo with its director, Joey Reyes, making it two-in-a-row as MMFF best director. We also predict Direk Joey to win the best screenplay award for the same movie, which actually reminds me of the director’s past work, May Minamahal starring Aga Muhlach and Aiko Melendez.
Direk Joey’s victory as best director last year for Kutob was marred by controversy when Joel Lamangan, who directed the best picture winner Blue Moon, questioned the results of the awards night. Joel, incidentally, is also the director of ZsaZsa Zaturnnah.
Judy Ann Santos is the frontrunner among the best actress contenders for her performance in the romantic comedy Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo. Other actresses who gave noteworthy performances are Zsa Zsa Padilla in ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, Iza Calzado for the “Yaya” episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 8, Angel Locsin for Mano Po 5, and Gretchen Barretto for Matakot Ka Sa Karma. But our top choice is still Juday.
In the best actor category, Cesar Montano is the man to beat for his role in Ligalig, which he also directed, written and produced. If there’s someone who can possibly edge him out, it would be Rustom Padilla in ZsaZsa Zaturnnah where he plays a gay role for the first time since he came out of the closet. Ryan Agoncillo for Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo, Richard Gutierrez for Mano Po 5, and Keempee de Leon for the “LRT-2” episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 8 also gave impressive performances.
Meanwhile, it’s a three-way fight in the best supporting actress category. The contenders: Lorna Tolentino as the manipulative mother in Mano Po 5, Pops Fernandez as the main villain in ZsaZsa Zaturnnah, and Gina Pareño for Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo. The three actresses all gave remarkable performances but our vote goes to Gina for her funny turn as Juday’s mom in Joey Reyes’s film.
Finally, for best supporting actor—believe it or not—our bet is Chokoleit for his scene-stealing role as Didi in ZsaZsa Zaturnnah. It looks like his dream of winning an acting award will finally come true with a possible victory in the MMFF awards night. His closest rival is Johnny Delgado for Ligalig.
Let’s find out if our crystal ball really works in the MMFF Awards Night.
