An official from the prestigious Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) said the judgment for the winners was fair and sound, despite questions raised about the results.
“You may agree or disagree with their choices but the integrity of each and every members of the jury since we took charge in 2016, especially on this 50th edition of the MMFF cannot be assailed….No leaks, definitely no cooking show,” MMFF spokesperson Noel Ferrer said in an Instagram post on Saturday, Dec. 28.
A number of netizens have questioned the exclusion of veteran artists Aga Muhlach and Eugene Domingo from the best actor and best supporting actress nominees, respectively, during the “Gabi Ng Parangal” held on Friday, Dec. 27. Muhlach headlines the mystery-thriller Uninvited, while Domingo is part of family dramedy And the Breadwinner Is… starring Vice Ganda.
During his acceptance speech for the “Special Jury Citation” award, Vice said he shares the recognition with Domingo whom he believes must be nominated for the acting category.
Some netizens also asked why Zig Dulay did not win best director, despite his film Green Bones bagging major technical and acting awards. Crisanto Aquino for My Future You and Michael Tuveria for The Kingdom were tied for the recognition.
Ferrer said the MMFF jurors “exhaustively deliberated and decided on the nominees and the winners” for over seven hours.
The MMFF judges were composed of film actors and writers, journalists, and government officials headed by budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Film Development Council of the Philippines co-chairperson Jose Javier Reyes, and film and theater critic Nicanor Tiongson.
“Only the jury chair and the MMFF executive director knew the results, not even I or any member of the Execom,” said Ferrer.
See the full list of winners here: ‘Green Bones’ wins big at MMFF ‘Gabi ng Parangal’
