Early incarnations of the festival were held outside of Manila, though still in the Metro Manila area, in Makati City, and for a time was known as the Makati Cinemanila International Film Festival.
Inkarnasi awal festival film ini diadakan di luar Manila, meskipun masih di daerah Metro Manila, di Kota Makati, dan untuk sementara waktu dikenal sebagai Festival Film Internasional Makati Cinemanila.