MANILA, Philippines — Beauty queen-actress Winwyn Marquez still cannot believe that she won her first acting award at the 2022 International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) in New York City.
In an interview with Philstar.com last Saturday, the actress said she is happy to receive the Best Actress award from the international award-giving body.
“On a high pa rin. Hindi makapaniwala until now pero super happy. It's nice na ma-recognize bilang actress lalo na't international,” she said.
Winwyn said she was taking care of her daughter when she learned that she won for her performance in the thriller film "Nelia."
"Nagpapatulog ako ng baby tapos minessage ako. Hindi ko alam gagawin ko kasi siyempre ayokong magising 'yung anak ko. Hinintay ko muna siyang magising bago ako mag-react. I didn't want to believe at first. It's real nong sinabi sa akin na magpadala nga daw ng speech,” she said.
The film is her first lead role where she portrayed the titular character of Nelia, a nurse who tries to uncover the mystery behind the suspicious deaths of the patients confined in Room 009.
“Thank you so much for this great recognition, International Film Festival Manhattan! To be recognized abroad is a dream come true for me. We dedicated our film 'Nelia' to our heroes — the nurses, doctors and medical frontliners who continue to save lives and be of service to the Filipino people, especially while we’re experiencing the impact of the pandemic. These heroes are my inspiration and I also want to dedicate this award to them,” she said.
She also thanked the film’s producer, Atty. Aldwin Alegre, co-producer and screenwriter Atty. Melanie Honey Quiño and director Lester Dimaranan.
“Thank you also to the most wonderful people I know in show business, Atty. Melanie Honey Quiño and Atty. Aldwin Alegre. Thank you for trusting me to play the lead role in this amazing film. Thank you to our director Lester Dimaranan for bringing out the best in me during our shoot. To my co-actors and the whole production crew, thank you for taking good care of us,” she said.
“I am just very lucky to have met these people. The shooting of 'Nelia' was very challenging because of the coronavirus threat, but the staff, the production team, everyone made sure that we were all safe,” she added.
The movie is produced by A&Q Production Films and was first screened at the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) last December. It was also nominated for Best Screenplay at this year's 70th Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences Awards (FAMAS).
“Nelia” is now available to watch on AQ Prime Stream, a streaming application that offers original and legacy Filipino movies. In addition to movies and shows, a subscription gives customers access to pay-per-view live sporting events, concerts, award shows, festivals, rent-to-view adult movies, and Filipino independent films. It is founded and managed by "Nelia" producers.