MANILA, Philippines – The Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) has announced the last batch of official entries for its 2024 edition on Tuesday, October 22.

According to Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Don Artes, the MMFF received a record-breaking 70 entries this year. MMFF’s usual format only screens eight entries, but similar to the 2023 edition, the 2024 edition will screen a total of 10 entries.

The remaining lineup of films are as follows:

• My Future You
• Uninvited
• Topakk
• Hold Me Close
• Espantaho

Written and directed by Crisanto Aquino, My Future You is a romantic comedy that revolves around two lovers existing in two different timelines, 30 years apart, and are connected by a mysterious comet through a dating app. Karen, who is from the later timeline, enlists Lex’s help to alter key moments in her life to stop her parents from separating. This, however, produces consequences in the two lovers’ future.

Uninvited is a thriller that stars Vilma Santos, Aga Muhlach, and Nadine Lustre. It is directed by Dan Villegas and written by Dodo Dayao, and sees Eva Candelaria discreetly crash the birthday party of the billionaire who got away with murdering her only daughter 10 years ago. Seeking justice for her late daughter, Eva individually speaks to everyone involved in her daughter’s death, until she arrives at her primary target.

The horror film Espantaho follows a woman and her mother Rosa, who each end up falling in love with married men. A painting suddenly appears on their doorstep after the burial of Pablo, the married man Rosa was involved with. After the last day of the pasiyam, people begin to disappear one by one – with the two women investigating the mysterious incidents themselves. Directed by Chito S. Roño and written by Chris Martinez, the film stars Judy Ann Santos, Lorna Tolentino, Mon Confiado, Janice de Belen, and Eugene Domingo.

Starring Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, Kokoy de Santos, and Sid Lucero, Topakk tells the story of Miguel, a former platoon leader who suffers from PTSD after his men are killed in battle. During his new job as a security guard, he encounters a girl he must help save from a corrupt squad of police officers. Topakk is directed by Richard V. Somes.

Hold Me Close follows a man who has spent the last seven years moving from town to town across the world in search of the perfect place to settle. When he arrives in a town in Japan, he meets a girl who has the special ability to tell if a person will bring happiness or harm to her life by touching them. The film is directed by Jason Paul Laxamana and stars Julia Barretto and Carlo Aquino.

Meanwhile, the first five MMFF entries that were previously announced in July are as follows:

• And the Breadwinner Is… directed by Jun Robles Lana
• Green Bones, directed by Zig Dulay
• Strange Frequencies: Haunted Hospital, directed by Kerwin Go
• Himala, Isang Musikal, directed by Jose Lorenzo “Pepe” Diokno
• The Kingdom, directed by Michael Tuviera

MMFF 2024 will run from December 25, 2024, to January 7, 2025. This is the 50th year of the prestigious local film festival, so it also launched year-round initiatives in celebration of this milestone, such as the “Sine Sigla sa Singkwenta,” and the Student Short Film Competition, among others.

During a press conference held in April to announce MMFF’s plans for its 50th edition, Artes said that they are aiming to screen this year’s lineup of films in 900 cinemas, 100 more than 2023’s 800 cinemas.