Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III filed a Senate resolution on Thursday (January 5) “Recommending the MMDA to Establish a Film Festival Exclusively for the Independent Films During the Long Semestral Break.”
The resolution is seen as an offshoot of the just concluded 42nd MMFF, which introduced sweeping reforms that prized artistic merit over commercial viability and resulted in a line-up dominated by independent films.
The actor-sentor reasoned out that the MMFF’s main purpose is to primarily to raise funds for its beneficiaries. A portion of the MMFF proceeds go to beneficiaries that include Mowel Fund, Anti-Film Piracy, Film Academy of the Philippines and the Film Development Board.
This resolution made actress and MMFF selection committee member Mae Paner to react and called Sotto’s resolution a divisive move.
“Senator Sotto,” she appealed to him in a Facebook post, “di po biro ang effort ng buong MMFF team na alisin ang divide between indie and mainstream movies. In fact, sana po, National Film Festival na ang MMMF next year para di maiwan ang mga probinsya. Ang love po minumultiply, hindi dinidivide! Kindly rethink your move! Please! At salamat sa pakikinig!”
