FOR THE FIRST TIME in years, the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) opened without its usual box-office insurance. The annual Christmas festival, which fills Metro Manila cinemas exclusively with local films from December 25 into the new year, has long leaned on crowd-pleasers built around bankable stars like Vice Ganda, Vic Sotto, and AiAi delas Alas. The 2016 edition left them out in favor of a lineup picked for quality, and everyone watching the money is now watching the festival.