‘Nakakabwisit lang na nilaglag nila si Nora Aunor sa MMFF 2019!’

AS early as high school (before mid-70s) ay mulat na kami sa panahong maraming magagandang local movies na ipinalalabas all the way to college (between 1978 and 1982) around which time ay isinilang ang taunang Metro Manila Film Festival.

As we’ve written in the past, time was when the MMFF carried a dominant theme every year which was an imperative component sa nilalaman ng pelikula interwoven in the story.

For the nth year ay gaganaping muli ang MMFF, at nito ngang Miyerkules ay inanunsiyo na ang apat pang natitirang opisyal na kalahok.

Many years back, we made it a point to watch almost all festival entries. Mura pa kasi noon ang bayad sa sine, bukod sa walang itulak-kabigin sa kalidad ang mga pelikula noon.

But times do change. Hoping to see the same type of MMFF entries to this day is like looking for a needle in a haystack, sa aminin man natin o hindi.

Such was the disgusting outcome ng apat na inanunsiyong MMFF entries, kung saan wala roon ang inaasahan pa mandin naming entry ni Nora Aunor, ang “Isa Pang Bahaghari.” It would have been reminiscent of her festival entries in the past.

It has the trappings kasi ng isang angkop na MMFF entry, kumpara rin lang sa alinman sa apat. Notwithstanding ay ang katotohanang tampok si Nora.

All that’s left to remember ay ang mga nagdaang taon when Ate Guy was lording it over.

Taong 1976 noong ipalabas ang “Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo” kung saan sumikat ang makadurog-puso niyang linyang “My brother is not a pig!” Perhaps to this day, the supposed US-bound nurse na karakter ni Nora would rather chase her great American dream than get her inflicted with swine flu in Africa.

But seriously, sunud-sunod ang paggawa ni Ate Guy ng mga pelikulang kalahok sa MMFF. Ang kanyang “hindi totoo ang hula” acceptance speech when she bagged the Best Actress plum ay mula sa pelikulang “Atsay” (1978).

The following year had Nora’s thespic talent pitted against Lolita Rodriguez’s in Lino Brocka’s “Ina Ka ng Anak Mo.” At noong 1980, the bida slipped into a servile alalay role via “Bona.” Her Ishmael Bernal classic “Himala” followed two years later.

Kung dati’y halos taun-taon ay may entry si Ate Guy, her movies trickled during the following years. Ang makasali pa naman si Nora para sa amin is the essence of a genuine film festival.

At eto na nga, tuluyan nang napigtal ang tanikala ng sunu-sunod niyang pagkakasali sa MMFF.

The sad truth is that the MMFF is revenue-generated. At maaaring ang mindset ng marami, hindi ang tipo ng isang Nora Aunor movie will keep money rolling in at the box-office.