The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is all set for the first Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Parade of Stars to be held in Quezon City on April 2.

In a news release issued Wednesday, the MMDA said the Parade of Stars will showcase eight floats featuring each movie in this year’s lineup: Apag; Singlebells; About Us But Not About Us; Kahit Maputi Na Ang Buhok Ko; Unravel: A Swiss Side Love Story; Here Comes The Groom; Yung Libro Sa Napanuod Ko; and Love You Long Time. It will kick off at 4 p.m. in Villa Beatriz.

Two outer lanes from Villa Beatriz to North Zuzuarregui will serve as the staging area for the floats.

The parade, which will run for 5 kilometers, will proceed to Quezon Memorial Circle via Commonwealth Avenue. The main event will take place at Liwasang Aurora.

The MMDA will deploy hundreds of personnel who will manage traffic and ensure the safety of the parade’s attendees.

Quezon City, which will serve as the host city of the parade, will deploy a total of 1,202 personnel on the day of the parade to augment the agency’s manpower.

Meanwhile, the MMDA and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, under the leadership of its Chairman Tirso Cruz III, inked a memorandum of agreement for the partnership grant of PHP300,000 for each Summer MMFF film entry. The funding will help in marketing through the FDCP’s CreatePH Films.

MMDA acting chairman and concurrent MMFF over-all chair Don Artes encouraged the public to watch the parade in support of the first summer MMFF.

“With these preparations, we are hopeful that the Parade of Stars for our first Summer MMFF will likewise be a success. We are also looking forward for its good run in cinemas nationwide,” he said.

The inaugural Summer MMFF will be shown in cinemas from April 8 to 18, in partnership with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines.

The awards night is scheduled on April 11 at the New Frontier Theater. (PNA)