The MMFF brouhaha

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Editor GUILLERMO TEJIDA III Desk Editor NANETTE L. GUADALQUIVER Busines Editor CEDELF P. TUPAS Sports Editor RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete MAJA P. DELY Advertising Coordinator

CARLOS ANTONIO L. LEONARDIA Administrative Officer

Almost as heated as the ongoing controversy over the spiriting away and sudden transfer of the American prisoner, Daniel Smith, to United States Embassy custody from the Makati City jail, is the backlash from the judging of the movies entered in the recent Metro Manila Film Festival.

Although the awards and the trophies had been handed out almost a week ago already, angry reactions from both winners and non-winners, and even from mere onlookers still continue to pour out, with some predicting the end of the MMFF before the year ends.

Of course there has hardly been an MMFF awarding that has not been rife with controversy and protests. Probably the most deplorable one was that which took place a few years ago that was marked with such blatant cheating that it led to the filing of charges by no less than the mayor of Manila himself. Up to now, people still remember that incident deprecatingly tagged as "The Envelop Affair" wherein some big names in the movie industry were involved in the handing out of the envelops supposed to contain the names of the winners that had turned out to have been switched.

We do not know what happened to all those charges, but the recent judging, while not tainted with such dishonesty, has also been excoriated by people in the industry themselves. This was because they did not agree with the decision of the board of judges giving the top award to a fantasy movie, "Enteng Kabisote".

But the judges, led by Metro Manila Development Authority Administrator Bayani Fernando, pointed out that they had gone by the criteria set by the MMFF itself which allotted 40 percent to commercial viability, 40 percent to universal or global appeal, and only 20 percent to Filipino cultural or historical value. At first glance, one can see what a hard time the judges had. Even if they felt that one movie had more cultural value than the others, they could give it all the 20 percent, but what about the 80 so clearly stating what it was for?

This should give a lesson to those holding contests and the way they set their criteria. Remember that the judges can go no farther than the guidelines they are given. As for the MMFF, let's wait and see how it will do next year. Perhaps they would do better by leaving the judging to texters.*