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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/0CnH5TNLSz/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by erikmatti (@erikmatti)</a> on <time dateTime="2015-03-10T08:39:52+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Mar 10, 2015 at 1:39am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>MANILA - Erik Matti, who directed the acclaimed crime thriller &quot;Honor Thy Father,&quot; isn&#x27;t backing down from exposing the alleged scandal that plagued this year&#x27;s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).</p><p>The 50-year-old Matti took to Facebook on Wednesday to deliver an impassioned call for help from fans to attend the upcoming congressional hearing set on January 11 regarding the matter.</p><p>According to Matti, the MMFF executive committee unfairly disqualified his film from the Best Picture category (which went to &quot;Walang Forever&quot;) after it alleged that producer, Dondon Monteverde, failed to disclose their participation at the Cinema One Originals 2015.</p><p>(READ: <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/12/28/15/honor-thy-father-producer-angry-at-mmff-organizers" target="_blank"><strong>&#x27;Honor Thy Father&#x27; producer angry at MMFF organizers</strong></a>) </p><p>Matti claimed that some members of the committee had ties with producers of certain films and were getting favorable treatment in terms of nominations and theater distribution.</p><p>&quot;I’ve come a long way ever since I started in this industry. I’ve gone through so much hell and I can’t imagine how I managed to still stay alive all these years. I’ve been shunned, banned, blacklisted, judged, shamed and laughed at by so many in this industry but I am still here surviving,&quot; wrote Matti.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50.0% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_Y58TaNLdD/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by erikmatti (@erikmatti)</a> on <time dateTime="2015-12-17T10:12:56+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Dec 17, 2015 at 2:12am PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>He continued: &quot;I’ve been labeled so many things even by people who haven’t worked with me only because they’ve heard stories about how I am when working with films. Arrogant. Rude. Indulgent. Cocky. And I’m still here happy to be doing films.&quot;</p><p>&quot;And in everything that happened to me, with my near demise in this industry, never did I back down on what I believed was right even if it meant losing a mentor, suing a studio or cursing an actress publicly.&quot;</p><p>Matti, who was proclaimed this year&#x27;s Best Director, then expressed concern over the future of his career should he chose to pursue the fight against an established &quot;giant institution&quot; that is the MMFF.</p><p>Nevertheless, he added: &quot;I understand how other people in this industry can choose to stay silent, apathetic or scared about this but I’ve gone through so much in this industry (even having people tell me I was committing a career suicide so many times in the past) that I cannot just let this go too easily.&quot;</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-version="6" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:658px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:8px"><div style="background:#F8F8F8;line-height:0;margin-top:40px;padding:50.0% 0;text-align:center;width:100%"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAAGFBMVEUiIiI9PT0eHh4gIB4hIBkcHBwcHBwcHBydr+JQAAAACHRSTlMABA4YHyQsM5jtaMwAAADfSURBVDjL7ZVBEgMhCAQBAf//42xcNbpAqakcM0ftUmFAAIBE81IqBJdS3lS6zs3bIpB9WED3YYXFPmHRfT8sgyrCP1x8uEUxLMzNWElFOYCV6mHWWwMzdPEKHlhLw7NWJqkHc4uIZphavDzA2JPzUDsBZziNae2S6owH8xPmX8G7zzgKEOPUoYHvGz1TBCxMkd3kwNVbU0gKHkx+iZILf77IofhrY1nYFnB/lQPb79drWOyJVa/DAvg9B/rLB4cC+Nqgdz/TvBbBnr6GBReqn/nRmDgaQEej7WhonozjF+Y2I/fZou/qAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);display:block;height:44px;margin:0 auto -44px;position:relative;top:-22px;width:44px"> </div></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_287RstLcC/" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A photo posted by erikmatti (@erikmatti)</a> on <time dateTime="2015-12-29T02:16:13+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Dec 28, 2015 at 6:16pm PST</time></p></div></blockquote><script async="" defer="" src="~//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"></script><p>&quot;We are not too many in this fight. We produced the movie with hard-earned money hoping to get fair treatment with MMFF and the cinemas so that at least our movie can be seen. We&#x27;ve been robbed.&quot;</p><p>&quot;This fight is the only thing I can hold on to that can relieve me with the anger I have deep down inside of this abuse of power, blatant corruption and utter disregard of decency by a big institution that we used to aspire to be a part of.</p><p>&quot;I think I am out of my mind for doing this but what the hell?I love this industry. I love making films. I love every up and down I’ve gone through here. I love everyone who keeps this industry alive.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I hope that you, my industry friends and colleagues share this love with me too enough to do something about this,&quot; he concluded.</p>

Erik Matti, who directed the acclaimed crime thriller 'Honor Thy Father,' isn't backing down from exposing the alleged scandal that plagued this year's Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). 

Erik Matti vows to expose 'MMFF scandal'

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Erik Matti vows to expose 'MMFF scandal'

ABS-CBN News

Published January 08, 2016 02:18 AM PHT

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