The movie of Vice Ganda received this accusation
Unkabogable Star Vice Ganda has a movie entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2024 titled And the Breadwinner Is… and this received an accusation from Atty. Ferdinand Topacio that it was a copy of a film released decades ago.
The last MMFF entry that Vice had was in 2022, the movie Partners In Crime with sultry actress Ivana Alawi. This year, the It’s Showtime returns to the filmfest with a movie directed by Jun Lana, with Daisy Cayanan and Jonathan Albano as screenwriters.
However, as early as now, an issue already surfaced against Vice’s movie. Based on the article in Inquirer, Atty. Topacio, a representative of Borracho Film Production, questioned the originality of the movie starring Vice Ganda.
The lawyer, who proclaimed that he is a movie buff, claimed that Vice Ganda’s movie is the “exact duplicate” of the movie Higit sa Lahat which was released in 1955. Based on the movie’s description on IMDb, the story is about “a father’s love for his family, making a supreme sacrifice to give them a new lease on life.“
“Based on the synopses I’ve heard, ‘yung pelikula ni Vice Ganda, the plot appears to be an exact duplicate of the plot of the 1955 film ‘Higit sa Lahat’ starring Rogelio Dela Rosa and Emma Alegre,” the lawyer said.
He asked the panel to look into this and the possible consequences if it was proven that there was plagiarism that happened. Atty. Topacio also said that he loves watching movies as he watches two movies a day, including classic movies.
The panel consists of Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) chair Boots Anson-Rodrigo and Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Don Artes.
The MMDA Chair replied to the lawyer saying that they noted the comment and this will discussed with the executive committee and then, they will decide on the matter.
Based on the article, Atty. Topacio also criticized Vice Ganda back in September 2023. In his statement, the lawyer said that the local industry is being dominated by foreign films which are “walang katuturan” and for him, Vice’s movies are also the same.