The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is all set for the first summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Parade of Stars to be held in Quezon City on April 2.
Kicking off at 4 pm in Villa Beatriz, Old Balara, the Parade of Stars will showcase eight floats representing the movies lined up for the year: Apag; Singlebells; About Us But Not About Us; Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko; Unravel: A Swiss Side Love Story; Here Comes The Groom; Yung Libro Sa Napanuod Ko; and Love You Long Time.
Two outer lanes from Villa Beatriz to North Zuzuarregui will serve as the staging area for the floats.
The parade, which will run for five kilometers, will then proceed to Quezon Memorial Circle via Commonwealth Avenue. The main event will take place at Liwasang Aurora.
The MMDA will deploy around 780 personnel to ensure the safety of the crowd and the parade.
Quezon City, host city of the parade, will deploy a total of 1,202 of its personnel to help augment the MMDA's manpower.
Meanwhile, the MMDA and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), under the leadership of Chairman Tirso Cruz III, inked a memorandum of agreement granting P300,000 for this year’s festival which would help in marketing the entries through the FDCP's CreatePH Films.
MMDA acting chairman and concurrent MMFF overall chairman Atty. Don Artes enjoined the public to watch the parade in support of the first-ever summer MMFF.
"With these preparations, we are hopeful that the Parade of Stars for our first summer MMFF will likewise be a success. We are also looking forward for its good run in cinemas nationwide," he said.
The inaugural summer MMFF will run in cinemas, in partnership with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines, from April 8 to 18.
The awards night is scheduled on April 11 at the New Frontier Theater.