The Metro Manila Film Festival's (MMFF) first summer edition proved to be a remarkable success, with "About Us But Not About Us" emerging as the big winner, securing the highly-coveted Best Picture award, as well as several other honors, including Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Musical Score.
The film, a psychological drama thriller, also garnered individual recognition for its director, Jun Robles Lana, who received the Best Director award, and its cast members Romnick Sarmenta, who was named Best Actor, and Elijah Canlas, who was given a Special Jury Prize for his exceptional acting skills.
"About Us But Not About Us" revolves around a literature professor and his student as they uncover secrets and lies throughout a meal.
JP Habac's "Love You Long Time" won the second Best Picture award and featured the Best Float, while Chris Martinez's "Here Comes the Groom" claimed the third Best Picture award, with Keempee de Leon receiving the Best Supporting Actor recognition, and KaladKaren making history as the first trans woman to be named Best Supporting Actress.
Here is the list of winners:
- Best Picture: About Us But Not About Us
- Second Best Picture: Love You Long Time
- Third Best Picture: Here Comes the Groom
- Best Director: Jun Robles Lana, About Us But Not About Us
- Best Actor in a Leading Role: Romnick Sarmenta, About Us But Not About Us
- Best Actress in a Leading Role: Gladys Reyes, Apag
- Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Keempee de Leon, Here Comes the Groom
- Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Kaladkaren, Here Comes The Groom
- Best Screenplay: Jun Robles Lana, About Us But Not About Us
- Best Cinematography: Neil Daza, About Us But Not About Us
- Best Editing: Lawrence Ang, About Us But Not About Us
- Best Sound: Armand de Guzman, About Us But Not About Us
- Best Musical Score: Teresa Barrozo, About Us But Not About Us
- Best Original Theme Song: “Paralaya” by Andy Alviz, Apag
- Best Production Design: Marxie Maolen Fadul, About Us But Not About Us
- Special Jury Prize: Here Comes the Groom and Elijah Canlas
The MMFF's inaugural summer edition commenced on April 8 and will continue to run in theaters until April 18, providing audiences with exciting and compelling entertainment.
