MANILA, Philippines — Musical theater actress Joanna Ampil let the tears of joy flow as she accepted her Best Actress trophy for playing Candida Marasigan in "Ang Larawan." She and fellow award recipients were honored at the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Awards night in Kia Theater, Quezon City on Wednesday night.
“I was asking my parents what they wanted for Christmas, and my dad said, ‘Just bring home the trophy,” she explained.
The acclaimed actress, who has been based abroad most of the time because of her various theater projects, humbly declared, “Finally, I’m contributing something to the arts in the Philippines.”
Other artists nominated for Best Actress were Jennylyn Mercado ("All Of You"), Dawn Zulueta ("Meant To Beh") and Erich Gonzales ("Siargao").
Derek Ramsay ("All of You"), on the other hand, dedicated his Best Actor win to his 14-year-old son Austin, who was present that night.
Other nominees for Best Actor were Coco Martin ("Ang Panday"), Jericho Rosales ("Siargao") and Joross Gamboa ("Deadma Walking").
For Best Supporting Actor, the award went to Edgar Allan Guzman ("Deadma Walking"). Other nominees include Robert Arevalo ("Ang Larawan"), Jake Cuenca ("Ang Panday"), Nonie Buencamino ("Ang Larawan") and Sandino Martin ("Ang Larawan").