The biggest and brightest in the Philippine industry and FilAm Entertainment community gathered in Hollywood on Friday, February 2nd at the Directors Guild of America to celebrate the awards ceremony and closing night gala of the inaugural Manila International Film Festival. Making their big Hollywood debut, the 10 entries from the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (the most successful MMFF in Philippine history!) held screenings all week long at the famed TCL Chinese Theater which sold out multiple showings and brought in thousands of fans who watched: GomBurZa, Mallari, Firefly, Rewind, Kampon, Becky and Badette, Family of Two, Broken Hearts Trip, Penduko and When I Met You In Tokyo. The teams behind the films were also in attendance for their screenings and Q&A sessions, including stars: Cedrick Juan, Enchong Dee, Piolo Pascual, Janella Salvador, Ron Angeles, Dingdong Dantes, Ysabel Ortega, Beauty Gonzales, Eugene Domingo, Alden Richards, Christian Bables, Marvin Yap, John Arcilla, Tirso Cruz III and Christopher De Leon.
Winning big at the MIFF awards night was GMA Pictures’ fantasy drama, Firefly, which took home four major awards – Best Picture, Best Director (Zig Dulay), Best Supporting Actress (Alessandra De Rossi) and Best Screenplay (Angeli Atienza). For winning Best Picture, Firefly has been awarded a $200,000 co-producing package from CEO of Birns & Sawyer, Mari Acevedo.
GomBurZa, the historical drama created by Jesuit Communications Foundation, Inc. and MQuest Ventures was also a big hit with the American audiences winning: Second Best Picture, Best Cinematography (Carlo Canlas Mendoza) and Audience Favorite Award, voted by the festival moviegoers who attended the screenings.
Winning Best Supporting Actress was Alessandra de Rossi for Firefly and Best Supporting Actor went to Pepe Herrera for Rewind. The Best Actress award was won by legendary actress, Vilma Santos for her role in When I Met You In Tokyo, while the Best Actor award went to two winners: Dingdong Dantes for Rewind and Piolo Pascual for Mallari, in which he impressively played the roles of three different characters.
2024 MANILA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS:
Best Picture: Firefly
2nd Best Picture: GomBurZa
Best Director: Zig Dulay, Firefly
Best Actor: Dingdong Dantes, Rewind
Best Actor: Piolo Pascual, Mallari
Best Actress: Vilma Santos, When I Met You in Tokyo
Best Supporting Actress: Alessandra de Rossi, Firefly
Best Supporting Actor: Pepe Herrera, Rewind
Best Screenplay: Angeli Atienza, Firefly
Best Cinematography: Carlo Mendoza, GomBurZa
Lifetime Achievement Award: Hilda Koronel
Special Jury Prize: Becky & Badette
Audience Choice Award: GomBurZa
Trailblazer Awards: Romando Artes, Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr., and Mark Dacascos
The inaugural Manila International Film Festival was a historic and major celebration of Philippine cinema and artistry in the United States and was beautifully organized by the LA-based MIFF founders: Omen Ortiz (Chairman), Ebradu Udarbe (President), Lisa Lew (Executive Producer), Ruben Napels and Janet Nepales (Media Relations Consultants), Celia Abaya Dy (Ticketing Manager), Leo Dela Cruz (CFO), Erickson Ilog (COO), Ron Ramores (CMO), Meriden Angeles (Coordinating Producer), and Winston Emano (Consulting Producer).
Check out all of our coverage at MIFF below. Cheers to the continuous growth and upward trajectory of Philippine Cinema!
