'Honor Thy Father' Should Not Have Been Disqualified By The MMFF In The Best Picture Category

REALITY ENTERTAINMENT’S “Honor Thy Father” was disqualified in the best picture category of the current Metro-Manila Filmfest. Here’s what a letter of producer Dondon Monteverde says: “The reason for this, the letter said, was our 'non-disclosure' of our participation in the Cinema One Originals Film Festival as the Opening Film. Let me refute this allegation of non-disclosure. If you will recall, Honor Thy Father was a late addition to the MMFF 2015 lineup. It had been rejected by their selection committee when the lineup was announced in June.

“On October 23 our film was officially offered a slot after an entry pulled out. By then we had already accepted Cinema One’s invitation to screen as Opening Film. We informed the MMFF Secretariat, both by email and by phone, about this. We complied with their request for a letter from Cinema One head Ronald Arguelles attesting that the screening was non-revenue generating and by invitation only. We have all of this on record.”

Personally, we believe an injustice has been committed. We hope the MIFF will still be able to correct their big booboo. But the movie is not disqualified in other categories. As a matter of fact, Tirso Cruz III, who played the greedy Bishop Tony in the movie, won as best supporting actor, and Krystal Brimner won as best child actor as John Lloyd Cruz/ daughter. We’re just hoping that all the controversy about the movie will be a blessing in disguise and somehow help promote it and make more people aware of “Honor Thy Father” so they’ll actually go to theaters and watch it.