2025 Metro Manila Film Festival
51st edition of annual Philippine festival
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The 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival was the 51st edition of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival which started on December 25, 2025, and ended on January 14, 2026.[1] During the festival, no foreign films are shown in Philippine theaters (excluding IMAX, 4DX, and ScreenX).
| |
| No. of films | 8 |
|---|---|
| Festival date | December 25, 2025 to January 14, 2026 |
Entries
Feature films
The first four official entries were announced on July 8, 2025, at the Glorietta in Makati, selected from 23 scripts submitted by production companies. This marks the first time that Makati is the designated host city of the MMFF which has the theme "A New Era for Philippine Cinema".[2][3]
The next four entries was announced on October 10, 2025 at the University of Makati Performing Arts Theater.[4][5] They were feature films which were submitted as finished works on or before September 30, 2025. The original deadline was September 15, 2025, but was later extended.[3][6][7] The committee selected four finished films among more than twenty entries.[8]
The MMFF selection committee is headed by Boots Anson-Rodrigo. The entries were selected based on the following criteria: artistic excellence, commercial appeal, Filipino cultural sensibility, and global appeal.[6]
Most of the entries were given the Parental Guidance rating by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board; I'mPerfect was deemed suitable for a general audience, while Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins received an R-13 rating.[9]
Parade of Stars
Makati hosted the customary Parade of the Stars float motorcade for the first time in MMFF history.[3] It was held on December 19, 2025, with the parade starting from the World Trade Center Manila in Pasay and ended in Circuit Makati. The route is 8.4 kilometers (5.2 mi) long. The event culminated with a musical festival.[11][12]
Awards
| 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival Gabi ng Parangal | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 27, 2025 |
| Site | Dusit Thani Manila, Makati |
| Hosted by | Enchong Dee, KaladKaren, Michael Sager |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | I'mPerfect |
| Best Director | Jeffrey Jeturian Unmarry |
| Best Actor | Vice Ganda Call Me Mother |
| Best Actress | Krystel Go I'mPerfect |
| Most awards | Manila's Finest (8) |
| Most nominations | Manila's Finest (14) |
| Television coverage | |
| Network | TV5 |
The Gabi ng Parangal (transl. Awards Night) of the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival was held on December 27, 2025,[13] at the Dusit Thani Manila in Makati and was streamed live on TV5's Facebook page and had a delayed broadcast in its terrestrial channel.[14][15] Enchong Dee, KaladKaren, and Michael Sager served as hosts of the event.[16]
Manila's Finest garnered the most awards. Vice Ganda became the first openly-queer individual to win the Best Actor award while Krystel Go became the first person with Down syndrome to win the Best Actress award.[17]
Other awards
- Male Star of the Night – Dustin Yu and Will Ashley
- Female Star of the Night – Bianca de Vera
- Special Jury Prize for Best Breakthrough Performance – Zack Sibug (Unmarry)
- Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble – I'mPerfect
Multiple awards
| Awards | Film |
|---|---|
| 8 | Manila's Finest |
| 7 | Unmarry |
| 4 | Call Me Mother |
| 3 | I'mPerfect |
| 2 | Bar Boys: After School |
Multiple nominations
| Awards | Film |
|---|---|
| 14 | Manila's Finest |
| 12 | Unmarry |
| 11 | Call Me Mother |
| 10 | I'mPerfect |
| 9 | Love You So Bad |
| Bar Boys: After School | |
| 7 | Shake, Rattle & Roll Evil Origins |
| 5 | Rekonek |
Box office gross
According to Butch Francisco, a commentator on the entertainment industry, the combined box office of the festival's entries declined from the previous edition of the MMFF, with none of the eight films earning a profit.[18][19] The decline was also noted by PEP, with Call Me Mother being cited as the highest-grossing entry of the festival at above ₱300 million.[20] However, the festival's executive committee has refrained from releasing any box office figures per an agreement with the films' producers; as in previous editions of the MMFF, only the festival's organizers at the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) can issue official box office data.[20][21] Noel Ferrer, a spokesperson for the MMFF, stated that seven out of the eight film entries "reach[ed] the eight-digit mark in gross receipts (some even surpassing it)", noting that the highest-grossing entry has since become the highest-grossing Filipino film of 2025.[22]