MANILA — The inaugural summer edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) will be launched finally this year after several delays due to the lockdowns imposed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Atty. Romando Artes said that the Metro Manila Summer Film Festival will be launched in April, in partnership with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines (CEAP).

“We will release the deadline of submission of entries as early as we can so that interested producers and filmmakers may be guided accordingly,” Artes said in a statement Monday.

The Parade of Stars for the MMFF Summer edition will be held on April 1, while the awards night will take place on April 11. Screenings will run for an 11-day period, from April 8 (Black Saturday) to April 18, in cinemas nationwide.

The summer MMFF was originally supposed to launch in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 lockdowns and was postponed anew in 2021 and 2022.

Artes earlier said the MMFF 2022 reached a total of P500 million in gross ticket sales. The Top 4 films in no particular order are: "Deleter," "Family Matters," "Labyu with an Accent," and "Partners in Crime."

• MMFF 2022 reaches P500 million gross sales target: MMDA

All 8 films shown in cinemas nationwide will be extended until January 13.

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