If you think your favorite Filipino film, actor or actress mattered to the members of the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors, they should accept this year’s Eddys trophy for outstanding achievement in filmmaking and acting.
The question is who will be named best of the best?
The 2nd Eddys Choice for last year’s best in cinema will be known at a glittering ceremony on Monday, July 9, 7:00 p.m. at The Theatre at Solaire.
The awards ceremony will be hosted by celebrity siblings Ruffa and Raymond Guttierez. This year’s red carpet before the ceremonies will be anchored by Rhian Ramos and Tim Yap.
SPEEd has joined forces with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) led by Chairperson Liza Dino-Seguerra, and Globe Studios as major presenter.
Some of the performers on awards night are Abra, Loonie, Jona, Bituin Escalante, Wishful 5, Ciara Sotto, and Noel Cabangon.
The five nominated works in the Best Film category are Birdshot (TBA Studios/Pelikula Red); Deadma Walking (T-Rex Entertainment, Octo Arts Films); Respeto (Cinemalaya Foundation, ArkeoFilms, Dogzilla); Smaller And Smaller Circles (TBA Studios); and Unexpectedly Yours (Star Cinema).
Nominated in the Best Actress category are Joanna Ampil (Ang Larawan); Mary Joy Apostol (Birdshot); Sharon Cuneta (Unexpectedly Yours); Bela Padilla (100 Tula Para Kay Stella, and Alessandra de Rossi (Kita Kita).
Battling for the Best Actor honor are Abra (Respeto); Joshua Garcia (Love You To The Stars And Back); Edgar Allan Guzman (Deadma Walking); Aga Muhlach (Seven Sundays); and Ronaldo Valdez (Seven Sundays).
Special awards will be given to the late entertainment editor Mario Hernando who will be honore with the Joe Quirino Award; Philippine Star entertainment editor Ricky Lo with the Manny Pichel Award; and Viva Films producer Vic del Rosario as Producer of the Year. SPEEd will also give out the EDDYS Rising Producers Circle Award to second generation producers Roselle Monteverde of Regal Entertainment and Veronique del Rosario of Viva Entertainment for their unwavering belief in the local movie industry.
The EDDYS will also honor iconic actors Eddie Garcia, Gloria Romero, Susan Roces, Nora Aunor, Charo Santos-Concio and Maricel Soriano with the Film Icon awards.
The Eddys aim is to unite the local film industry into a community to celebrate outstanding achievements in filmmaking. It is not a contest where the editors pit everyone and find out which film or who is the last man standing. The Edddy’s recognizes each and every film and the work the people behind it had put to make the film worthy of the admission ticket each and every member of the audience pay for to watch it.
To be nominated among the five best in the 14 categories is tantamount to winning the Eddys, although in an awards show, wherever in the world it is held, only one among the nominees is given the ultimate honor.
Immediately following the awards rites is the glamorous after-party.
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A short documentary made by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Digital Filmmaking students won Best Direction at the Istorya ng Pag-asa (Stories of Hope) Film Festival.
Winning the award for their documentary Pamilyang Bernardo are Anna Mikaela Quizon, Alda Dalisay and Jocelyn Frago. Two members of the Bernardo family from Looc, Romblon are suffering from ectrodactyly, a condition of malformation of limbs and making life difficult for them. Despite this, they find strength in their own home.
Florence Rosini’s Ang Biyahe ni Marlon, an inspiring tale of an Uber driver with Tourette syndrome, which manifests through involuntary movements, got the INPFF Best Film trophy, a cash prize of P50,000, a DSLR camera and a Samsung S8 cellphone.
First runner-up was Margaret Serranilla. She brought home P30,000 pesos for her entry Tago, which tells the story of Nelson Gonzales, drummer and owner of Tago Jazz Café, a small jazz joint in Cubao that serves as a place for budding musicians to hone their craft.
Kelsy Lua’s Gawilan, about a disadvantaged Filipino swimmer named Ernie Gawilan who faced hardships that forced him to battle his insecurities before making it to the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, won second runner-up and P20,000.
The INPFF was held to celebrate the first year of Istorya ng Pag-asa, an initiative that aims to inspire and empower the nation through extraordinary stories of the Filipino people. It seeks to promote hope and inspiration on a wider scale, with positive real-life stories that feature the triumph of ordinary Filipinos over life’s adversities.
