Metro Manila Film Festival 2016 Ranking and Awards

I grew up watching MMFF films back when Mama still pays for my cinema tickets. She, of course, had the final say on what films we should watch so I remember watching the heavy drama ones like Mano Po 1 to 3, Jose Rizal, Tanging Yaman, Dekada '70, Bagong Buwan, etc. These are actually great films so I never really considered MMFF to be a "bad" festival.

I think it only started to dwindle a bit when then MMFF Chairman Bayani Fernando said in an interview that the three films to win first, second and third Best Picture will be based from the movies' box office numbers and even before that, award winners were deemed questionable and controversial. Star Cinema for one always had great entries, until they skipped a year or two after their films Bagong Buwan and Dekada '70 failed to win the big categories as expected.

I'm not really sure about the timeline but I remember MMFF being problematic even before despite having quality films. I think it was until mid to late 2000s when studios started to pass movies with more "commercial appeal". Thus, we were left with sequels after sequels and even combination of movies we have seen before.

That's why I think this year MMFF did not really change, instead I think it is back to its true form perhaps with better chair and jury. I thoroughly enjoyed this year's selections, and I'm happy to see that a lot of people do too. And since I've already seen all eight entries.. here comes the fun part, my personal ranking and awards:

RANKING

1. Sunday Beauty Queen

2. Die Beautiful

3. Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2 #ForeverIsNotEnough

4. Oro

5. Saving Sally

6. Seklusyon

7. Vince and Kath and James

8. Kabisera

Director: Baby Ruth Villarama, Sunday Beauty Queen

Runner up: Jun Robles Lana, Die Beautiful

Ensemble: Oro

Runner up: Die Beautiful

Actor: Paolo Ballesteros, Die Beautiful

Actress: Eugene Domingo, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2 #ForeverIsNotEnough

Runner up: Irma Adlawan, Oro

Supporting Actor: Christian Bables, Die Beautiful

Runner up: Lou Veloso, Die Beautiful

Supporting Actress: Mercedes Cabral, Oro

Runner up: Rhed Bustamante, Seklusyon

Screenplay: Die Beautiful

Editing: Seklusyon

Cinematography: Seklusyon

Score: Seklusyon

Sound: Seklusyon

Production Design: Seklusyon

23rd Screen Actors Guild Nominations Predictoions - Film

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD FILM NOMINATIONS

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

01. La La Land

02. Moonlight

03. Manchester by the Sea

04. Fences

05. Hell or High Water

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

01. Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea

02. Denzel Washington, Fences

03. Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge

04. Ryan Gosling, La La Land

05. Tom Hanks, Sully

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

01. Emma Stone, La La Land

02. Natalie Portman, Jackie

03. Isabelle Huppert, Elle

04. Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

05. Annette Bening, 20th Century Women

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

01. Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

02. Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water

03. Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea

04. Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins

05. Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role 

01. Viola Davis, Fences

02. Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea

03. Naomie Harris, Moonlight

04. Nicole Kidman, Lion

05. Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures

74th Golden Globe Nomination Predictions - Film

Best Motion Picture - Drama
Fences
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Lion
Silence

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Andrew Garfield, Silence
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Denzel Washington, Fences
Joel Edgerton, Loving
Tom Hanks, Sully

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Amy Adams, Arrival
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Jessica Chastain, Miss Sloane
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Ruth Negga, Loving

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
20th Century Women
Florence Foster Jenkins
La La Land
Love and Friendship
Sing Street

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Colin Farell, The Lobster
George Clooney, Hail, Ceasar!
Hugh Grant, Florence Foster Jenkins
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Warren Beatty, Rules Don't Apply

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Annette Bening, 20th Century Women
Emma Stone, La La Land
Hailee Steinfeld, The Edge of Seventeen
Kate Beckinsale, Love and Friendship
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Dev Patel, Lion
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Liam Neeson, Silence
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Greta Gerwig, 20th Century Women
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Viola Davis, Fences

Best Director
Barry Jenkins, Moonlight
Damien Chazelle, La La Land
Denzel Washington, Fences
Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea
Martin Scorsese, Silence

Best Screenplay
Fences
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight

Best Foreign Language Film
The Handmaiden (South Korea)
Elle (France)
Neruda (Chile)
The Salesman (Iran)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)

Best Animated Feature Film
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
The Red Turtle
Your Name
Zootopia

Best Original Song
Audition (The Fools who Dream), La La Land
City of Stars, La La Land
Drive It Like You Stole It, Sing Street
Faith, Sing
How Far I'll Go, Moana

Best Original Score
Johann Johansson, Arrival
Mica Levi, Jackie
Justin Hurwitz, La La Land
Nicholas Britell, Moonlight
Kim Allen Kluge and Kathryn Kluge, Silence