The 2021 film festival was held to live audiences in cinemas after level alert measures in the Philippines were relaxed.
Theaters were only allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity with only those vaccinated allowed to be admitted and food and drinks are prohibited (on Alert Level 2 and 3 areas) This is compounded by the impact of Typhoon Rai (Odette) which caused major power disruption in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.
Five short films by content creators, produced with the theme "lockdown", was made available for streaming on Facebook under the exhibition.
This was done as a means to promote the Pasig River Ferry Service, which is operated by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Awards Night) of the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival was held at the Samsung Hall of the SM Aura Premier in Taguig on December 27, 2021.
[22][23] By December 29, Ferrer said that the box office gross of the 2021 MMFF has already surpassed the earnings of the previous edition.