THE 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival executive committee is investigating the complaint that four of the final eight movies in the lineup of the December festival are produced by Lily Monteverde.
"You can rest assured that this issue will be decided judiciously and fairly by the Execom at the soonest possible time," Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando, who is also chair of the festival's executive committee, said in a letter to MLR Films producer Jojie Alonso.
Fernando said the committee has written Monteverde about the investigation and has asked for a reply.
Alonso had said four of the movies in the final festival lineup-"Mano Po 3," "Aicrape Imasu 1941," "Que Sera Sera," "Sigaw"-are "productions of the Monteverde group." "Que Sera Sera" was identified as a production of Regal Entertainment and "Sigaw" of MegaVision.
The other finalists are Viva's "Lastikman," OctoArts' "Enteng Kabisote," "Bulong" from OctoArts satellite company Canary Films, and Cesar Montano's "Panaghoy sa Suba."
'Unwise, impractical'
Alonso last week filed a complaint with the MMDA, saying the members of the MMFF executive committee "appear" to have adjusted rules and regulations "to favor certain producers over others." She cited what she called violations of the rules on deadline and casting, among others.
MLR Films had submitted "Minsan Pa," starring Jomari Yllana and Ara Mina, which did not qualify for the year-end festival.
Alonso said, "We still hope that Chairman Fernando will take action and nullify the entire selection process so as not to make the MMDA a party to this injustice."
In his letter to Alonso, Fernando pointed out that more movie producers couldn't have submitted entries to the film festival if the deadline had not been extended from the original July 1 to July 10, then to July
25.
Fernando said "it would have been unwise and impractical not to" move the deadline because, after the second deadline extension, "there were only 10 screenplays from which we could choose eight best screenplays."
'Hypocrisy'
Only three screenplays ("Minsan Pa," "Sa Pagkagat ng Dilim" and "Panaghoy sa Suba") had been submitted by July 1, according to the executive committee.
This prompted the committee to move the deadline to July 10, on which seven other entries were submitted.
But the deadline was moved again, this time to July 23. A final total of 27 screenplays were gathered.
MLR Films submitted its entry last June 23.
Fernando said in his letter that keeping other movie companies from presenting their screenplays "could have negated one of the main purposes of the festival, which is to encourage as many producers as possible to submit their film projects."
Alonso called Fernando's explanation "hypocrisy of the highest order."
"Not only is it an affront to the intelligence of the viewing public," Alonso said in a statement sent to Inquirer Entertainment, "it tramples, insults and downgrades the work(s) of the writer(s) of the 10 submitted screenplays."
Juday cleared
In his letter, Fernando also cleared Judy Ann Santos of violating festival rules and regulation for appearing in two entries-MAQ Films' "Mano Po 3" and BasFilm Productions' "Aicrape Imasu 1941."
Fernando explained that the festival rules allow an actor who is the lead star in one festival entry to appear in another entry in a supporting role.
"Please be informed that the lead actress of 'Mano Po 3' is Vilma Santos, and therefore all other actresses therein are considered supporting stars," Fernando pointed out in his letter.
"If Judy Ann Santos was mentioned as a lead star of 'Mano Po 3' it could have been an honest mistake by the production company."
MLR Films' "Minsan Pa," written by award-winning scriptwriter Armando "Bing" Lao, also features Marianne de la Riva, Tirso Cruz III, and Christian Vasquez.
In an interview with Inquirer Entertainment on the set of "Minsan Pa" at the Basilica de Sto. Ni?o in Cebu City last Friday, Alonso said she is carefully studying the points that Fernando raised in his letter.
"I asked Bing (Lao) to do research and explain to me the responsibilities of a lead actress as opposed to a supporting actress," said Alonso. "He gave me a rundown.
"Because I am a lawyer, I want to fully understand my case," Alonso added. "I don't want to come out as someone who is merely sour-grapping."
Perpetuating irregularities
Alonso said "the MMDA executive committee has miserably failed to address the scarred integrity of the selection process. To simply continue as if everything was in order, without resolving the problem, is tantamount to perpetuating the irregularities, wittingly or unwittingly."
Alonso filed her complaint after movie producers Vic del Rosario, Violet Sevilla, Tony Gloria and director Joey Javier Reyes aired their disappointment over the film festival executive committee's selection of the final eight movies.
"I'm not in a position to criticize the executive committee," Reyes had told Inquirer Entertainment in an earlier interview. "I don't exactly know how they choose the Magic 8. What I feel sad about is that it's as if the film fest is veering away from its goal of saving the dying local movie industry.
"She cannot deny that she has four entries," Del Rosario had said of Monteverde. "The whole industry knows she has four film festival entries, and that's very unfair to the other producers."
