One of the Philippines’ premiere dramatic actresses, Judy Ann Santos, has taken home the Best Actress Award at the 41st edition of the Cairo International Film Festival held Friday at the Cairo Opera House in Egypt.
The Cairo jury, headed by Oscar-winning U.S. writer-director Stephen Gaghan, chose Judy Ann Santos as the best actress for her role in the melodrama “Mindanao.”
The film, directed by award-winning filmmaker Brillante Mendoza and written by Honee Alipio, also won the Henry Barakat Award for Best Artistic Contribution.
Mindanao, recently graded “A” by the Cinema Evaluation Board, is Mendoza’s newest work that brings together drama, action, and animation as Judy Ann Santos’ character Saima Datupalo uses the epic tale of the brothers Rajah and Sulayman’s fight against a dragon to tell bedtime stories to her cancer-stricken child Asia (Yuna Tangog) while her husband Malang Datupalo (Allen Dizon) is serving his duty in Maguindanao as a military medical officer.
Mindanao, an official entry to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), follows successful world premieres at the 23rd POFF Talinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia, in October at the 24th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, and at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan.
SEND congratulations to Judy Ann Santos and the Mindanao Movie family for their big wins at the Cairo festival!
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