Netflix to Stream GomBurZa + More MMFF 2023 Films Soon

(SPOT.ph) The Metro Manila Film Festival is always a solid treat at the end of the year for both casual watchers and seasoned cineastes alike. Our only problem? That window between Christmas and New Year's to catch all 10 films is just too short—and even that extension at the start of the year proves insufficient given all the post-holiday catching up everyone has to do. Gone are the days of missing the flicks and your chance to watch them. GomBurZa, Firefly, and other Metro Manila Film Festival entries for 2023 will hit streaming platform Netflix in the coming months.

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Netflix will soon stream Gomburza and other 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival Entries

Three out of the 10 films from last year's festival are set to hit Netflix in April, with three more coming in June. Rewind, the first film to stream on the platform, will be available to watch starting March 25.

Here's a quick rundown of important dates to plot on your calendar:

• March 25: Rewind
• April 4: Becky & Badette
• April 9: GomBurZa
• April 18: Kampon
• June 1: Family of Two
• June 7: Penduko
• June 21: Mallari

Broken Hearts Trip, Firefly, and When I Met You in Tokyo are not on the lineup, but our fingers are crossed they'll be available to stream soon! We'll keep you posted once they hit streaming platforms or cinema screens in the Metro.

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Check out the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival entries you can watch on Netflix soon

Rewind

Directed by: Mae Cruz-Alviar

The MMFF entry starring real-life couple Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes is their first film together since they led You to Me Are Everything back in 2010. Dantes plays John Nuñez, a man given the rare opportunity to go back in time to restore his broken relationship with his childhood friend turned wife, Mary, played by Rivera. Tackling compromise, career growth, and adult priorities, Rewind is now the best-selling Filipino film of all time, grossing P902 million.

Becky & Badette

Directed by: Jun Lana

Two high-school best friends played by comediennes Eugene Domingo and Pokwang become famous after writing a made-up story about their batchmate. Becky & Badette takes inspiration from musical and film adaptation Dear Evan Hansen, and features Agot Isidro, Romnick Sarmenta, Iza Calzado, Sunshine Dizon, Karylle, and Moira Dela Torre in supporting roles. Fun fact: Becky & Badette won Best Original Theme Song for Finggah Lickin sung by Domingo!

GomBurZa

Directed by: Pepe Diokno

Dante Rivero, Cedric Juan, and Enchong Dee play Padre Mariano Gomez, Padre José Burgos, and Padre Jacinto Zamora respectively in this historical-biographical film following the lives of the GomBurZa, Filipino Roman-Catholic priests who were executed during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines and triggered the start of the revolution. The film also stars Ketchup Eusbebio, Piolo Pascual, Elijah Canlas, Epy Quizon, and Khalil Ramos as significant figures in history.

Kampon

Directed by: King Palisoc

The lives of childless married couple Clark played by Derek Ramsay and Eileen, played by Beauty Gonzales, change when a girl named Jade comes knocking at their door, claiming to be Clark's child. With Jade (played by Erin Espiritu) temporarily accepted into their home, supernatural occurences transpire as Clark and Eileen figure out what to do next.

Family of Two (A Mother and Son Story)

Directed by: Nuel Crisostomo Naval

Only son Mateo, played by Alden Richards, is planning to move to Singapore with his girlfriend Czarina, played by Miles Ocampo,  but worries about leaving his widowed mother Maricar (Sharon Cuneta) behind. The film revolves around Mateo's search for a partner for his single mother before he migrates for good.

Cuneta was the first and only choice for the role, with Cineko Productons owner Enrico Roque saying he wanted to create a film specifically for the veteran actress. Richards, meanwhile, drew from his own experience. Instead of growing up without a dad, Richards grew up without his mother, who has been deceased since 2008. 

Penduko

Directed by: Jason Paul Laxamana

This Filipino superhero film features familiar protagonist Pedro Penduko from the Liwayway magazine and serves as a reboot of the character's many film and television adaptations over the years. Starring Matteo Guidicelli as the titular character, this iteration of Pedro Penduko sees the supernaturally-gifted young man as a Cebu native coming over to Metro Manila to seek a better life. John Arcilla, Albert Martinez, and Kylie Verzosa also appear in the film.

Mallari

Directed by: Roderick Cabrido

Piolo Pascual wears three hats for this horror film, playing three different characters living in three different timelines. The first is Juan Severino Mallari, a Catholic priest and serial killer in Spanish colonial era Philippines, who is a real and actual historical figure. Pascual then goes on to play two of the priest's fictional descendants: Johnrey, who lives in the post-World War II era, and Jonathan, a doctor in the contemporary times. The film weaves the stories of the Mallari men across three generations, mixed in with a generous dose of spooks and horrors.

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2023 Metro Manila Film Festival entries start sreaming on Netflix on March 25.