In 1981, then first lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos organized the first Manilla International Film Festival. The objective was to promote Filipino films for them to be distributed worldwide. A lavish event took place, major entertainment figures were present including Priscilla Presley, Franco Nero, Brooke Shields, Jeremy Irons, etc. Local filmmakers saw it as a real opportunity to showcase their talents. One entry, the spy comedy spoof For Your Height Only, turned Ernesto dela Cruz, better known as Weng Weng, in a short lived international star and gave him the notoriety to become a unique figure in cinema being a short person who performs death defying stunts. At the event, For Your Height Only outsold every other films on foreign sales, while dela Cruz was the mediatic center of attention and the breakthrough celebrity. Marcos' daughter Imee said dela Cruz's success shocked and shattered everyone's artistic aspirations. Filipino film historians Teddy Co and Ed Lejano said that in the film industry the Weng Weng image was uncomfortable since at the time they had no other international figures. The film became Philippines' highest exported film, and within their acting community dela Cruz's international reach hasn't been topped.
