'Topakk' wins big at 50th MMFF
MANILA, Philippines — “Topakk,” banking on a unique storyline, has set the bar high for action films after bagging three awards in the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Gabi ng Parangal last Friday.
Lead actor Arjo Atayde and the rest of the cast members made their way to the red carpet of the grand ball room at the Solaire Resort & Casino last Friday, December 27, and won Best Float, the Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence, and the Jury Prize Award, aside from scoring 12 nominations.
“Given that we are the most action-packed film this Christmas, may we give all genres a reason to come back this Metro Manila Film Festival,” Atayde, also representative of Quezon City’s 1st District, said after receiving the award named after the great Fernando Poe Jr.
First handed out in 2012, the FPJ Memorial Award for Excellence not only fetes films for their action aspect, but also for their content, creative execution, mass appeal, redeeming values, and focus for love for family and the oppressed, which were shown in the movie starred by Atayde and actress Julia Montes.
“Thank you very much MMDA [Metro Manila Development Authority], MMFF, and all the juries for the recognition. I am so happy to see everyone. It is like a big reunion so happy to be on stage again thank you for supporting 'Topakk' and all Filipino movies,” Atayde added.
"Topakk," directed by award-winning veteran director Richard Somes, was also the first and only Filipino action film entry to the annual MMFF in 2024 with international recognition since the 2022 entry "Mamasapano: Now It Can Be Told."
Additionally, the Jury Prize Award was handed to "Topakk" for showcasing the Filipino’s talent in filmmaking and for reviving a what had been considered a "lost genre” in Philippine cinema.
Sylvia Sanchez-Atayde, co-producer Will Fredo, Arjo Atayde and director Somes went to the stage to receive the Jury Prize Award, thanking everyone for the valuable recognition.
Nathan Studios took a gamble for producing the action thriller in May 2023, with the film making it to a screening at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in France. It was also screened at the 76th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland in August, followed by other international film festivals in Austin, Texas, and Catalonia, Spain both in September before coming home this year to the MMFF.
The film's lead character Miguel, an ex-military man suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) played by Atayde, met and saved Weng (Montes) from a corrupt police death squad involved in a drug cartel led by Sid Lucero and Bernard Palanca.
In the MMFF, the film scored nominations for Best Actor (Atayde), Best Supporting Actor (Kokoy De Santos), Best Cinematography (Louie Quirino), Best Actress (Julia Montes), Best Original Theme Song ("Darkness Calls"), Best Editing (Jaime Dumancas), Best Director and Best Production Design (Richard Somes), Best Musical Score (Jose Antonio Buencamino), Best Supporting Actor (Sid Lucero), Best Sound (Wild Sound), and Best Visual Effects (Rance Cariño).
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