- Film director Erik Matti had also made his reaction on the controversial screening process of this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival [MMFF].
- He’s totally dismayed at the committee’s decision to include the four commercially viable films for this year’s festival but he clarified that he had nothing against the four films which made it to the official MMFF selection.
- His goal as a film director is to do quality commercial films which will satisfy the moviegoers and wouldn’t be some dumb commercial films.
Director Erik Matti recently posted on his Facebook wall about his sentiments in relation to the recent announcement of the first four films who made it to the official cut for this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival which eventually resulted to three committee members tendering their resignation simultaneously.
He said that he’s heard it was difficult for the members of the said committee because it was as if their voices were not heard. “I think it was Liza Dino lang who kept encouraging them to stay on. And then it happened na nga but no one was talking about it. So I used my social media account to make the others aware and make it known publicly na may ganung pangyayari.”
“I just wanted it to be talked about. That’s all my intention kasi garapalan na eh.Hindi na makatwiran.”
But Matti emphasized that he’s got no problems with MMFF as a festival. The problem is how the MMFF is being run. “Bakit hinati pa sa apat na script yung apat na movies na finished films? Kahit sinong tanungin mo sa loob, di nila maipapaliwanag iyan. Yung apat na mapipili sa dulo kasi magiging kawawa. We all know that MMFF is only ruled by two frontrunners each time. Anyone else under that wala nang magiging kita,” he explained.
The director was so dismayed at MMFF committee’s decision to include four of the most commercially viable films for this year’s festival. According to him, last year’s MMFF they were able to make a big change of how the films were selected. Now he thinks everything’s back again to the old ways as oppose to last year’s successful run of the MMFF.
Again, Matti reiterates he has no problem with having a film festival that’s for commercial purposes but he believes they have to change their criteria too. “If the committee would change their criteria into something like, ‘We only want movies that are commercial,’ wala na tayong pag-uusapan. Maganda na ‘yung malinaw. But to hide behind the vision which is artistic excellence and to push for cultural and global appeal, medyo garapal,’ he said.
His Facebook post was his way of voicing out and letting the whole industry know and acknowledge that there is a problem. He wants things in the industry to change for the better.
“Yung ginawa ko na pag-post sa Facebook, maliit na bagay lang ‘yun. I stopped doing films back in 2005 and when I came back, I promised myself, ‘I will do quality commercial films.’ I want to do commercial films na hindi ‘yung parang tinapon mo lang yung pera ng moviegoers. Gusto ko paglabas nila ng sinehan, nakangiti sila at nag-enjoy sa movie mo kasi na entertain sila.”
