The Full Lineup of the Metro Manila Film Festival 2025
Every Christmas Day in the Philippines, cinemas transform into gathering places—where families, cinephiles, and casual moviegoers line up with popcorn in hand to celebrate the annual Metro Manila Film Festival. It’s a tradition rooted in togetherness: supporting Filipino films, watching favorite actors on the big screen, discovering new stories, and spending the holiday wrapped in shared emotions. This year’s MMFF lineup promises exactly that—films that will make you laugh, cry, scream, and fall in love.
Call Me Mother
One of this year’s most anticipated films, Call Me Mother is a comedy-drama centered on Twinkle, a queer mother played by Vice Ganda—the Unkabogable Queen and the country’s highest-grossing Filipino movie actor—who plans to officially adopt the son of Mara, portrayed by critically acclaimed actress Nadine Lustre. Tender yet provocative, the film explores chosen family, love, and the many forms motherhood can take. The trailer alone poses a resonant question: What makes a mother?
Manila’s Finest
A powerhouse ensemble anchors Manila’s Finest, starring Piolo Pascual, Enrique Gil, Ashtine Olviga, Jasmine Curtis-Smith, and more, with production by MQuest—the team behind GomBurZa. Set in 1960s Manila, this crime thriller follows police officers Capt. Homer Magtibay (Pascual) and 1st Lt. Billy Ojeda (Gil) as they navigate crime, conflict, and the moral complexities of service within a city in flux. Beyond its action-driven narrative, the film delves into sacrifice, brotherhood, and the cost of integrity in a rapidly changing Manila.
Rekonek
Starring Gerald Anderson, Bela Padilla, Andrea Brillantes, Charlie Dizon, Carmina Villarroel, and Zoren, Cassy, Mavy Legaspi, Rekonek is a family drama that unfolds during a global internet outage over the holiday season. Forced offline, six families are compelled to reconnect through old-fashioned means—conversation, presence, and shared time. In rediscovering one another, they stumble upon the quiet magic at the heart of a Filipino Christmas.
Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins
Now on its 17th installment, Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins revives the iconic horror anthology with a chilling, multi-generational twist. Featuring Carla Abellana, FranSeth, JMFyang, Ysabel and Ashley Ortega, Kaila Estrada, Richard Gutierrez, and more, the film spans three timelines: nuns facing an unknown evil in 1775, a Halloween party shattered by a serial killer in 2025, and a post-apocalyptic Philippines ruled by aswangs in 2050. Evil returns—and horror, it seems, never really left.
Bar Boys: After School
Carlo Aquino, Rocco Nacino, Enzo Pineda, and Kean Cipriano reunite in Bar Boys: After School, the direct sequel to the 2017 hit. Set ten years after law school, the film finds the four men reflecting on how time has reshaped their careers, relationships, and sense of purpose. Much like its predecessor, the sequel offers a moving and motivational look at ambition, friendship, and the realities that come with chasing one’s dreams.
I’mPerfect
Director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, the woman behind Kita Kita, returns with I’mPerfect, a heartwarming film nearly 15 years in the making. Centered on two adults with Down syndrome, Jessica and Jiro, the story tenderly explores love, romance, and everyday life. Developed in collaboration with the Down Syndrome Association Philippines, Best Buddies Philippines, and Special Olympics Pilipinas, the film promises an honest, compassionate portrayal that foregrounds dignity, joy, and lived experience.
Love You So Bad
The upcoming romance film stars Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab stars Bianca De Vera, Will Ashley, and Dustin Yu in a modern love triangle, inspired by the 1998 film Dahil Mahal Na Mahal Kita. De Vera plays Savannah, the daughter of a woman known for her “bad taste in men,” as she navigates her own understanding of love. Torn between Vic and LA, Savannah’s journey becomes one of self-discovery—where the deeper she falls, the harder the choices become.
Unmarry
Angelica Panganiban and Zanjoe Marudo star in Unmarry, a drama inspired by the real-life experiences of executive producer and lawyer Josabeth Alonso, who has handled annulment cases since the late 1980s. The film follows Celine and Ivan, a couple whose 14-year marriage comes to an end—one yearning for freedom, the other clinging to the hope of reconciliation. It’s a sobering, intimate look at love, loss, and the difficult truths that surface when a marriage unravels.
From heartwarming family stories and romance to horror, action, and social realism, this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival lineup reflects the breadth of Filipino storytelling. On Christmas Day, these films invite audiences to feel deeply, reflect honestly, and celebrate local cinema—together.
Featured Image and Photos: VIVA FILMS, REGAL ENTERTAINMENT, MQUEST VENTURES, REALITY MM STUDIOS, 901 STUDIOS, NATHAN STUDIOS, QUANTUM FILMS (via Instagram)
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The Full Lineup of the Metro Manila Film Festival 2025
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