Cinema as a Luxury Call Me Mother Director Raises Alarm Over Rising MMFF Ticket Prices
CALL ME MOTHER – According to Call Me Mother director Jun Robles Lana, a simple family movie night is no longer as affordable as it once was.
Award-winning filmmaker Jun Robles Lana has once again sparked discussion online after openly expressing his concern over the rising cost of movie tickets during the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). The Call Me Mother director, known for guiding Vice Ganda in an acclaimed performance, lamented how watching Filipino films has gradually become a financial burden for ordinary families.
In a heartfelt post, Jun reflected on how the MMFF was once celebrated as a truly inclusive event. He recalled a time when the festival was widely regarded as the “people’s festival,” offering workers and their families a rare opportunity to enjoy local cinema together during the holiday season. For many Filipinos, going to the movies was not just entertainment but a shared tradition that brought families closer.
However, Jun noted that this tradition is now at risk. According to the director, the cost of cinema tickets alone has reached a point where a family of four would need at least ₱1,500 just to watch a film, even before factoring in transportation or food. With prices continuing to climb, he believes that moviegoing has started to feel like a luxury rather than an accessible pastime.
The filmmaker stressed that this growing exclusivity has serious implications for the local film industry. By making cinemas unaffordable for everyday Filipinos, he warned that the industry risks losing more than just ticket sales. In his view, cinema also loses its connection to the public and its role as a shared national experience.
Jun further pointed out the contradiction in promoting a “National” Film Festival while maintaining prices that exclude the majority of the population. For him, a festival meant to celebrate Filipino stories should be accessible to the very people those stories represent.
Here is the full statement shared by Jun Robles Lana:
“For decades, the MMFF was the “people’s festival.” It was the one time of year when ordinary workers took their children to the mall to see their idols. But today, a family of four would need at least ₱1,500 just to enter the theater, not including transportation or even a single bag of popcorn.
By pricing the ordinary Filipino out of the theater, the industry hasn’t just lost customers, it has lost its soul. Cinema has shifted from a shared national culture to a middle-class privilege.
You cannot promote a “National” Film Festival while maintaining prices that exclude the nation. Until we admit that cinema has become a luxury that the “₱500 Noche Buena” family cannot afford, we are simply watching the slow, expensive sunset of Philippine cinema.”
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