Enzo Pineda proud of Best Actor win at 2025 Emirates filmfest

MANILA, Philippines — Kapamilya actor Enzo Pineda bagged the Best Actor award at the 11th edition of the Emirates Film Festival, held at the Emirates Training Academy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last Jan. 18.

Enzo earned his much-deserved citation for his outstanding performance in the movie, “As The Call, So The Echo,” which also won the Best Director award for Rusty Palacio Guarin, also the movie screenwriter.

“I feel blessed and lucky to have been honored in a globally renowned film festival!” exclaimed Enzo upon learning of his triumph. “This award is for all our Filipino brothers in the film industry.”

“As The Call, So The Echo” tackles the issue of human organ trafficking, a rampant crime closely related to unsolved child abductions in the metropolis, particularly the slum areas.

“I’m proud to be part of this advocacy film. It’s a wake-up call that tackles a very alarming issue that every parent should be aware of, because it can happen to anyone,” Enzo pointed out.

“My character here is a study in contrast. On the one hand, he’s a doting father who loves his family dearly. On the other, he’s part of a syndicate that kidnaps kids and sells their organs to interested buyers. But in the end, I get my karmic retribution.”

Enzo earned his very first acting award in 2021, when he won the 2021 FAMAS Best Supporting Actor award for the movie, “He Who Is Without Sin.”

For his part, director Rusty can’t help but feel overwhelmed by his first international award.

“As The Call…” represents the culmination of his lifelong dream to breathe life into a story that has long been intriguing him.

He said, “Bata pa lang ako, naririnig ko na yung issue na ‘to. Yung mga batang kinukuha sa white van. While growing up, hindi talaga nawawala sa isip ko. Parang urban legend na siya. Then, there was a time when I saw a Facebook post about a boy who was allegedly abducted and found dead, with a visible stitch in his kidney area, tapos nilagyan ng pera para raw sa pamilya.”

No stranger to the local film industry, direk Rusty helmed such short films as The Long Road Back, Lugud Alang Kapupusan (a Kapampangan film) and a still unreleased My Love, My Influencer.

As a freelance TV director, he had also helmed two episodes for GMA 7’s Tadhana, as well as Wil to Win for TV5.

Prior to his global win, he was also awarded Best Director at the 2014 Cineharaya Short Film Festival for Ikaw at Ako, which starred Dalin Sarmiento and Luke Tan Sanchez.

The 31-year-old director also credits the movie producer, Aquino Plotado, for his all-out support in pushing their labor of love in the international realm.

Rusty narrated, “He’s really into filmmaking. We were actually classmates in (GMA 7 screenwriter) Suzette Doctolero’s scriptwriting class, Batch 1.”

Aquino represented the Philippine contingent at the Emirates filmfest and received Enzo’s and direk Rusty’s awards.

In his Instagram post on Jan. 19, Aquino wrote: “Still feels surreal to hold those awards and stand in front of an incredible crowd at the Emirates Film Festival. A moment I’ll cherish forever!”

“From being bullied and discriminated against as a kid to still facing challenges today, I’ve turned pain into purpose. Every struggle fueled my drive to grow and succeed.”

According to direk Rusty, plans are afoot for a couple of collaborative projects involving the producer-director-actor triumvirate.

He confirmed, “From what I’ve heard, there will be a full-length movie and another short film. And just like ‘As The Call…’, these will also be timely and relevant topics.”

Following their eventful victories at the 2025 Emirates Film Festival, Enzo and company are crossing their fingers as their movie continues to make its rounds in other renowned international film festivals, such as the Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival scheduled for February.

“As The Call, So The Echo” also stars Mia Aquino (as Enzo’s wife) and Kian Co (who played Judy Ann Santos’ son in Espantaho).