Grace Poe, Vilma Santos appointed MMFF ExeCom members

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe and Batangas 6th District Representative Vilma Santos-Recto are now part of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Executive Committee (ExeCom).

MMFF chairman Tim Orbos announced this on Tuesday, March 7, at the official launch of the 2017 film festival, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said in a press statement. The MMFF is a project of the MMDA.

The MMFF ExeCom is in charge of planning the film festival, and is split into the MMFF’s subcommittees. It is made up of members of the film industry, the academe, the government, media, and the private sector.

Poe was former head of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, while Santos is a multi-awarded actress.

Including the two, this year’s ExeCom is composed of the following:

• Grace Poe-Llamanzares (senator)
• Vilma Santos-Recto (Batangas congresswoman)
• Laarni Cayetano (Taguig City mayor)
• Oscar Albayalde (Philippine National Police – National Capital Region chief)
• Rachel Arenas (Movie, Television Review and Classification Board chairperson)
• Mary Liza Diño (Film Development Council of the Philippines chairperson)
• Wilson Tieng (Movie Producers and Distributors Association of the Philippines
• Jun Romana (Bureau of Broadcast Services president)
• Jesse Ejercito (Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association)
• Marichu Maceda (Mowelfund chairperson)
• Boots Anson-Rodrigo (actress)
• Victor Villegas (film distributor)
• Edgar Tejerero (SM Lifestyle Inc. president)
• Rolando Duenas (Ayala Cinemas assistant general manager)
• Christina Caparas (Vista Mall Cinemas general manager)
• Evylene Advincula (Robinsons Movieworld operations manager)
• Jose Romero IV 
• Mel Chionglo (movie director)
• Rolando Tolentino (University of the Philippines Film Institute professor)
• Ed Lejano (Quezon City Film Development Commission executive director) 
• Ricky Lee (scriptwriter)
• Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala (journalist and documentary producer)
• Noel Ferrer (professor and multimedia practitioner)
• Anselmo Adriano (Optical Media Board chairman)

Among those who are no longer in the ExeCom this year are independent film supporters Moira Lang and Edward Cabagnot. 

On being removed from the ExeCom, Edward told ABS-CBN: “I am supremely grateful and honored to have been part of the change edition of this yearly celebration of Pinoy artistic excellence in cinema. Moira and myself shall continue to monitor the evolution of the festival from the outside and make sure that this year’s edition shall build on last year’s revolutionary changes.”

The 2016 MMFF introduced a number of changes to the festival, including changes to the selection criteria. As a result, many festival favorites and the usual high-grossing films did not make the cut.

Orbos said at the 2017 film festival launch that practices from last year will be continued and improved upon.

“After the success of the 2016 MMFF where artistic quality became the main focus, this year’s MMFF would want to move forward with a crop of entries that would combine quality and box office potential,” he said in the MMDA statement.

“We will never abandon the artistic gains we had last year but we need to push forward in this direction,” he added. – Rappler.com