Filipino talents gained recognition at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) this year.
Visual Communications, a non-profit organization that presented LAAPFF, announced in an Instagram post that dark comedy thriller film Where Is The Lie? Won the Special Jury Recognition under the Narrative Programs category.
Where Is The Lie? is directed by Quark Henares that centers on the story of Janzen who was catfished for months by a young woman named Beanie. It got its inspiration from a viral Twitter thread about a Transgender woman who was catfished during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The film,produced by Anima Studios, starred Maris Racal, EJ Jallorina, and Royce Cabrera.
Anima Studios also shared the news on Twitter along with the film’s poster, and congratulated the cast and crew of Where Is The Lie?
Henares, meanwhile, was overjoyed upon hearing the announcement.
“[T]his is the first time I’m seeing this picture I love it so much,” the director said, quote-retweeting Anima Studios’ post.
Filipino actress Max Eigenmann also bagged the Special Jury Recognition for Performance under the Narrative Programs category for her role as Joy in the 2023 film Raging Grace.
Helmed by British-Filipino filmmaker Paris Zarcilla, Raging Grace centers on the challenges of a Filipino undocumented mother who hopes to secure a better life for her and her daughter by being a care-worker for an old man.
Zarcilla congratulated Eigenmann for her win, to which the actress responded, “Couldn’t have done it without you.”
There were 20 films who competed in the Narrative Programs section at the 39th edition of the LAAPFF.
The LAAPFF featured the works of Asian and Pacific Islander artists from May 4 to May 13, through online programming and in-person programming in Little Tokyo, Gardena Cinemas, and Regal LA Live in California.
