A night of firsts and double wins at Gawad Urian
MANILA, Philippines — Jericho Rosales and Carlo Aquino tied for Best Actor, while Maris Racal and veteran actress Odette Khan shared the Best Actress award at the 49th Gawad Urian.
Jericho was recognized for his performance in the biopic “Quezon,” while Carlo won for the legal drama “Bar Boys: After School” during the awards ceremony held on Oct. 8 at the Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium of De La Salle University in Taft Avenue, Manila.
The win marked Jericho’s second Best Actor trophy from Gawad Urian, following his victory for “Alagwa” at the 36th edition. For Carlo, it was his first win in the category.
Odette, meanwhile, earned her first Best Actress award for reprising her role as Justice Hernandez in “Bar Boys: After School.” She previously won Best Supporting Actress at the 41st Gawad Urian for the original “Bar Boys.”
She shared this year’s top acting honor with Maris, who was recognized for her portrayal of a promising gymnast dealing with an unwanted pregnancy in “Sunshine.” The victories marked the first Best Actress wins at Gawad Urian for both artists.
The double tie made history as the first time in Gawad Urian’s history that both the Best Actor and Best Actress categories ended in a draw in the same year.
“Bar Boys: After School,” directed by Kip Oebanda, also scored a third acting award through Will Ashley, who won Best Supporting Actor. Meanwhile, Jennica Garcia took home Best Supporting Actress for “Sunshine,” in which she played the sibling of Maris’ character.
But the biggest winner of the night was land rights documentary, “Bloom Where You Are Planted,” bagging Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director for Noni Abao and Best Editing for Che Tagyamon. “Bloom Where You Are Planted” was previously hailed Best Picture at last year’s Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.
Veteran filmmaker Laurice Guillen was also honored with the Natatanging Gawad Urian, the organization’s lifetime achievement recognition.
This year’s ceremony carried special significance as the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino (MPP), the group of film critics behind the annual awards, celebrated its 50th founding anniversary.
In her opening remarks, MPP chair Dr. Anne Frances Sangil recalled how 10 young men established the independent organization on May 1, 1976, with the goal of elevating the national discourse on Philippine cinema.
The group, whose founding members included National Artist Nicanor Tiongson, held its first Gawad Urian in 1977.
Sangil noted that nearly 300 feature films, short films and documentaries were submitted for consideration this year, while 107 nomination certificates were issued.
She welcomed the high number of nominations as an encouraging sign for Philippine filmmaking.
“This is proof of life in the arts, in filmmaking,” she said.
She also stressed that the Gawad Urian considers films regardless of whether they come from mainstream or independent productions, professionals or amateurs, or big-budget or small-budget projects.
Beyond recognizing outstanding films and performances, Sangil noted the importance of sustaining the arts and humanities, particularly in the face of growing reliance on artificial intelligence.
“We are proof that we can still create and still be creative. That we can think critically and can hold on to our values as stewards of creation,” she said.
“All the recognition, all the awards and trophies, all of these are nothing compared to our ultimate reward, and that is this — that we hold on to what makes us human.”
The rest of the winners are: Best Production Design – Monica Sebial, “Quezon”; Best Cinematography – Pong Ignacio, “Quezon”; Best Music – Jerrold Tarog, “Quezon”; Best Sound – Emilio Bien Sparks, “Cinemartyrs”; and Best Short Film – “Cemento” by Justine Borlagdan.
- Latest
- Trending
