As heavy rains from the habagat pounded Luzon, some of the country’s brightest stars gathered inside the Marriott Grand Ballroom’s Ceremonial Hall in Pasay City for the 8th The Eddys (Entertainment Editors’ Choice), which celebrated the year’s most notable achievements in Philippine cinema.
Leading the winners was the socio-political drama “Green Bones,” which garnered five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Zig Dulay and Best Actor for Dennis Trillo. The film also won Best Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor award for Ruru Madrid, who tied with Aga Muhlach for his performance in “Uninvited.”
Marian Rivera won best actress for her performance in “Balota,” She received acclaim playing Teacher Emy, a school marm assigned to oversee a polling precinct amid political tension.
In accepting the award, Marian shared that the experience of working on “Balota” awakened something deeply personal in her. “Habang ginagawa ko kasi yung ‘Balota,’ marami akong realizations sa buhay ko na ito pala ‘yung hinahanap ng espiritu ko, ng kaluluwa ko — isang pelikula na hindi ko iniisip ang itsura ko, kundi aarte lang ako ayon sa emosyon at eksenang dapat gampanan.”
She dedicated the award to teachers across the country, highlighting the difficult role they play. “Yung mga teacher… Ibang klase talaga ang ginagawa nila. Hindi madali ‘yon sa kanil ngayong gabing ito, nais kong ibahagi ang tropeyong ito sa lahat ng guro — hindi lang dahil sa pagbabantay ng mga balota, kundi sa araw-araw na pagtuturo sa mga estudyante. Walang sawa na nagiging pangalawang magulang ng mga estudyante.”
Marian closed her speech with a pointed reminder about the social relevance of her role and film. “Nais kong ibahagi ito sa lahat ng mga tao na may concern sa ating bayan. Kailangan nating lahat magsama-sama at magtulung-tulong. Alam natin kung ano ang sakit ng ating bayan — at hindi natin ito dapat tinatanggap.”
Other notable winners included Lorna Tolentino, who won Best Supporting Actress for “Espantaho,” which also took home Best Visual Effects. “Under a Piaya Moon” won Best Screenplay, “Isang Himala” earned Best Musical Score, while “The Kingdom” received Best Production Design. “Topakk” won Best Sound, and “My Future You” was recognized for Best Editing and Best Original Theme Song for “Museo” by Eliza Maturan.
The Box Office Hero Awards — given to actors whose films grossed over P100 million — were awarded to Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards (“Hello, Love, Again”), Vice Ganda (“And the Breadwinner Is…”), Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia (“Un/happy for You”), Piolo Pascual and Vic Sotto (“The Kingdom”) and Dennis Trillo and Ruru Madrid (“Green Bones”).
The Eddys also honored several icons of Philippine cinema: Laurice Guillen, Odette Khan, Perla Bautista, Pen Medina, Rosemarie Gil, Eddie Mesa and National Artist Kidlat Tahimik. Ogie Diaz received the Joe Quirino Award, while veteran entertainment editor Crispina Belen was honored with the Manny Pichel Award. RS Francisco received the Isah V. Red Award.
Hosted by Alexa Ilacad, Darren Espanto, Kyline Alcantara and Kaila Estrada, the ceremony featured performances by Kuh Ledesma, Ice Seguerra, Jackie Lou Blanco, Arman Ferrer, Carla Guevara and David Young. Red carpet coverage was provided by Mr. Fu and Alexa Miro.
Directed by Eric Quizon, the event was presented by Playtime PH in partnership with Newport World Resorts and ABS-CBN, with co-presenters Globe and Unilab, and support from Beautederm, Luxxe White, Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, Kat Corpus, My Daily Collagen, Brightlight Entertainment and Senators Camille Villar, Mark Villar, and Chiz Escudero. Vote tabulation was audited by Chan Robles & Company, CPAs, led by Juancho Robles.
A delayed telecast of the Eddys will air on Kapamilya Channel and Jeepney TV, with international streaming available on iWantTFC beginning July 27.
