City declares March as Montañosa Film Festival month
The city government recently declared the whole month of March next year as the Montañosa Film Festival (MFF) in the city and set the guidelines for this purpose.
Under Executive Order No. 169, series of 2025 signed by Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong, the MFF is a privately-driven and government-supported activity co-presented by the city government with the theme ‘Visions and Voices Unbound: Stories of Humanity, Social Justice and Hope.’
The order designates the Baguio Tourism Council (BTC) and the Creative Baguio City Council as the co-presenters and lead implementers and action entities for the festival and that these councils are authorized to harness public and private support for the successful execution of the MFF.
Further, all concerned government agencies and city departments and offices were directed to extend support to these endeavors.
On the other hand, concerned national government agencies, BTC and the private sector shall extend all cordialities for the success of the MFF 2026.
Earlier, Baguio City was declared a Creative City in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on October 31, 2017, making the city an illustrious member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, a historic first in the Philippines.
The order states that beyond the city’s recognized strengths in crafts and folk arts, Baguio and the Cordilleras continue to serve as a fertile ground for creativity and inspiration in the field of film making, where a supportive community fueled by both public and private sector collaboration sustains diverse creative pursuits that gained momentum even during the pandemic and now thrives in its aftermath.
The MFF has consistently received the support and recognition of the local government over the past five years, affirming its value as a key platform for cultural expressions, creative industry development and community engagement.
Moreover, the MFF brought pride to Baguio in 2024 by garnering national recognition as first runner-up for Best Institutionalized Program for Culture and the Arts of the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) National tourism Pearl Awards further affirming the city’s commitment to culture excellence and creative innovation.
Subsequently, the MFF played a pivotal role in nurturing emerging filmmakers who have gone on to earn national and international acclaim following their participation in the festival.
Among the notable success stories are Jaime Morados, whose MFF film “Agahiw The Dreamer’ was named one of CNN Philippines’ Best Films of 2022; Jonathan Jurilla, who developed his Palanca award-winning piece ‘Love Child’ during his participation in the MFF mentorship program, later a finalist at Cinemalaya 2024 and his No. 1 film for Netflix Philippines, gaining global exposure alongside his MFF entry My Boy Superman, which won Best Documentary Film at the 2024 CCP Gawad Alternatibo; Julius Lumiqued, whose film The Wedding Dance was also selected as a finalist in the prestigious Cinemalaya 2024; and Ranniel Semana, whose film ‘Ino’ was awarded Best Film at MFF 2024, went on to win Best Film at the Sinag Maynila Film Festival and was recognized in multiple local and international film festivals. – Dexter A. See
