A Perfect Marriage, a drama starring Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino, is the last film named to the Metro Manila Film Festival’s Magic 8, the official lineup for the festival’s 52nd edition. The second batch of four entries was unveiled on Monday at Shangrila Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong, at an event hosted by Kaladkaren and Enchong Dee. The announcement completes the slate of eight films that will compete for audiences over the holiday season.
Joining A Perfect Marriage in the second batch are Los Salvajes Bravos, starring Ruru Madrid and Romnick Sarmenta; Little Hope, with Yassi Pressman and Pepe Herrera; and Seeds of Peace, starring Zaijian Jaranilla. They complete a lineup that began with four films announced in July: 2nd Miracle in Cell No. 7, starring Aga Muhlach and Jodi Sta. Maria; Amir, with Dennis Trillo and Glaiza de Castro; Haunted Carnival, starring Julia Barreto and James Reid; and The Greatest Showdown, which brings together Vice Ganda and Vic Sotto.
The festival opens in cinemas on 25 December. In the run-up, the Parade of Stars on 19 December will send floats themed around each of the eight films, carrying their casts, through Mandaluyong and San Juan, the two host cities this year. The parade is the festival’s main public event before opening day and gives fans their first chance to see the stars of all eight entries together.
Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos set out the route. The motorcade will start at the Open Canal on San Francisco Street near City Hall on Maysilo Circle, turn onto Boni Avenue on the EDSA side towards Barangka Drive, and finish at the Pinaglabanan Shrine in San Juan. At the city boundary in Kalentong, a symbolic torch will be passed to San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora. Abalos urged residents not to avoid Mandaluyong on the day and to come out and watch the floats go by.
The Metro Manila celebrations will not be the only parade. A separate procession will take place on 12 December in Bacolod City, which was the first to partner with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the festival. That arrangement takes part of the festival’s build-up outside the capital region a week before the main parade in Mandaluyong and San Juan, and nearly two weeks before the eight films reach cinemas on Christmas Day.
