Maris Racal wins her first Best Actress award

June 25 ------ Maris Racal marked a new milestone in her career as she bagged her first Best Actress award.

On her Instagram page, the Kapamilya star shared a snapshot of herself with her Best Lead Performance of 2025 trophy for her performance in the movie Sunshine at the 6th Pinoy Rebyu Awards on June 22 by the Society of Filipino Film Reviewers. "My first Best Actress WIN. Thank you @sffrpinoyrebyu for this recognition. This will always be special to me 🫶🏼," she said. Friends and fans online were quick to react to this new feat in Maris' career.

Directed by Antoinette Jadaone, Sunshine won the Crystal Bear for Best Film at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2025. The movie premiered in Philippine cinemas in July of the same year.

"I really pushed my limits and trained for it. Even though it was hard, I pushed," she shared in a 2024 interview. "It was made through blood, sweat, and tears. We really worked hard. The script is from 2020. It made me very emotional because I trained for a year. I saw the movie, the trailer, and other things that were familiar to me. It's a great story."

Taking to Instagram in January 2024, she opened about how transformative the project was, saying: "Sa film na 'to, I've grown so much as an actress." She added that she instantly accepted the role when it was first pitched to her in 2020. "Um-oo kaagad ako. Iyak ako nang iyak after ko mabasa ang script (at kahit na ilang ulit ko siyang basahin, iyak pa rin ako haha)," she said. Maris remarked that the movie has a powerful message. "Ito 'yung project na magiging proud ako na nagawa ko dahil sa sobrang ganda ng mensahe," she stated. "Forever kong babaunin ang natutunan ko dito." Maris spent an entire year training for her role.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com