Mikhail Red says inclusion of ‘Deleter’ on MMFF 2022 was a surprise

“Deleter” has been making waves left and right, but its director Mikhail Red said the inclusion of it in the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is a surprise to them.

Red expressed this in an episode of “Surprise Guest with Pia Arcangel,” where he also said the movie was not entirely intended for the festival as the purpose was just to tell the story.

“Nung nalaman namin na nakapasok, big bonus plot twist na ‘yon for us and then now na medyo ang daming nanonood at ang taas ng [ratings] plus yung awards, bonus nalang lahat ‘yon,” he said.

“Surprise for us yung [MMFF] kasi malaking platform siya na mapapanood ng maraming Pilipino,” he added. “Ang ganda ng turnout and we’re all surprised it’s doing well lalo na for a horror movie in Christmas.”

Starring Nadine Lustre as Lyra, “Deleter” centers on a content moderator that filters stuff on the internet. Suddenly, something from her past haunts and affects her present after a specific video was deleted.

Red says it was inspired by an interest in the “very secretive, shadowy occupation” and how it has not been featured a lot in films especially at a time when exploitation in social media is prevalent.

“Deleter” bagged a total of seven awards during the awarding on Dec. 27, 2022. These include Best Picture, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.

Mikhail and Nadine, meanwhile, bagged the Best Director and Best Actress awards, respectively.

Co-written by Mikhail’s brother Nikolas, “Deleter” is still streaming in Philippine cinemas nationwide. — LA, GMA Integrated News