MMFF, film producers to run after movie pirates

The Metro Manila Film Festival committee said that it would run after those who have been pirating the movies from the ongoing festival.

“Charges will be lodged anytime now,” Noel Ferrer, MM FF spokesperson told Rappler in a text message Tuesday, December 29.

Ferrer said that he has yet to get other details.

On Monday, December 28, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) general manager Jojo Garcia warned they would take action against those who continued to pirate films.

“Magsasampa tayo ng kaso kung sino man ang mahuli at mapatunayan na gumagawa nito,” he said in a report aired on TV Patrol.

(We will file complaints against those who are caught and proven doing this.)

Among the movies that have fallen victim to piracy were this year’s best picture winner Fan Girl and Viva Films’ Pakboys Takusa.

In a statement on its social media accounts Sunday, December 27, Viva Films said that it continues to monitor and take down those which have been illegally posting links and downloading the films.

Fan Girl director Antoinette Jadaone, the best director winner, said on Monday that all film producers have been talking with the MMFF committee and Upstream, saying that they’ll be busy.

“Definitely there will be very real consequences for pirates and those who support pirated links,” she said.

In an interview with ABS-CBN on Saturday, December 26, Dondon Monteverde, head of Upstream, the media partner of the festival said that they’ve been working hard to stop the piracy.

“We are all working on the prosecution of the illegal copying of the entries with the producers and their lawyers, the NBI, and the Intellectual Property Commission (IPC),” he said.

“Since Christmas Day, the start of the filmfest showing, we have been working double-time to identify the suspects,” Monteverde added. – Rappler.com