MMFF 2026: The Full Lineup of Eight Films

October 21, 2026 4 Min Read

The 52nd Metro Manila Film Festival has its full lineup. Eight films were announced in two batches, four in July and four on October 12. The festival also expands beyond Metro Manila this year, with three cities taking part.

2nd Miracle in Cell No. 7 brings back Lito and Yesha

Aga Muhlach and Xia Vigor return as Lito and his daughter Yesha in the sequel. The first film was shown in 2019 and was a commercial and critical success during its festival run.

The Greatest Showdown puts Vic Sotto next to Vice Ganda

The comedy is a joint production of ABS-CBN Studios, Star Cinema, The IdeaFirst Company, M-Zet Productions and APT Entertainment. It is described as the first film for Vic Sotto and Vice Ganda together, and it bridges their two noontime shows, Eat Bulaga! and It’s Showtime.

Jun Robles Lana directs. His earlier work with Vice Ganda includes some of the comedian’s most celebrated films.

No plot has been released. The pitch from both stars is simpler. Sotto said the two had long agreed the film would bring happiness to the public, and that Filipinos need to smile during difficult times: “Kaya kailangan natin ngumiti.” Vice Ganda called it a long-awaited moment that happens only once, and hinted it is only the start of their work together on screen.

A Perfect Marriage asks how far a couple would go

Quantum Films and WASD Films produce the romance-drama. Chris Martinez and Therese Cayaba wrote the screenplay, and Dan Villegas directs. Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino star, with Eugene Domingo and Zac Sibug in the cast. The two leads have worked together on screen before.

The story asks how far a couple would go to save a perfect marriage.

Haunted Carnival sets its horror in a perya

Regal Films’ horror entry takes place in a Filipino perya. Maricel Soriano leads a cast that includes John Arcilla, Julia Barretto, James Reid, Fyang Smith, Ronnie Alonte and RK Bagatsing. Joey De Guzman directs.

Amir is a fight for survival

Dennis Trillo plays Ali, father to young Amir, played by Argus Aspiras. Darkness overtakes their village and they have to fight to survive. Will Ashley and Glaiza de Castro also star. National Artist Ricky Lee and Anj Atienza wrote the screenplay, and Zig Dulay directs for GMA Pictures.

Little Hope is a family drama from Lonewolf Films

Benedict Mique wrote, directed and produced the family drama. Pepe Herrera plays the father. Newcomer Cailey Magno plays his daughter, a young girl with cancer whose mother has died. Knowing her days are numbered, she looks for someone to stay with her father after she is gone. Yassi Pressman plays the woman she hopes can fill that role, and co-produces with Mique’s Lonewolf Films.

The story is told through a child’s eyes. Mique compares its feel to Miracle in Cell No. 7 and Rewind. A medical doctor consulted on the production so the illness is portrayed realistically.

Mique also directed the Netflix film Lolo and the Kid. He said he cried while writing the script, and that Herrera cried when he pitched it. He did not expect the film to make the lineup.

Seeds of Peace follows a missionary in Basilan

Seeds of Peace: The Life of Father Rhoel D. Gallardo, CMF is about a Claretian missionary assigned to Basilan. He built interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. In 2000, the Abu Sayyaf group abducted him in Basilan. He was held for months and killed after refusing to renounce his faith, and he is remembered as a martyr. The Claretian order hopes the film will support his cause for sainthood.

Sources describe the film in different ways: a documentary, a documentary-inspired film and a biographical meta-documentary. A two-hour documentary under the same title screened in Quezon City on May 3, 2026, the anniversary of his death. It includes testimonies from kidnapping survivors, family members, peace advocates, military personnel and former Abu Sayyaf members. It is not clear whether that screening is the same cut as the festival entry.

Zaijian Jaranilla plays the priest. At the screening, the priest’s brother, Jessie Gallardo, said of the story: “Faith, hope and forgiveness; that forgiveness brought us peace.”

Los Salvajes Bravos goes back to Madrid, 1887

The film is set during the 1887 Philippine General Exposition in Madrid. A group of Igorots and other Filipinos were shipped to Europe for what was presented as a cultural showcase. They were displayed in El Retiro Park, in what historians have described as a “human zoo.”

Romnick Sarmenta, Ruru Madrid, Michael de Mesa, Christian Vazquez, Arnold Reyes and Andreas Muñoz star. Paolo Dy directs for Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom Films). The film comes from the producers behind GomBurZa.