'Quezon' dominates 9th Eddys, wins Best Picture; Jericho Rosales, Maris Racal take top acting honors

MANILA, Philippines, July 6 ------ Historical drama "Quezon" emerged as the biggest winner at the 9th Eddys, capturing Best Picture along with Best Screenplay and Best Production Design, while lead star Jericho Rosales earned Best Actor and Maris Racal was named Best Actress for "Sunshine."

The awards ceremony, organized by the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors (SPEEd), honored the year's outstanding achievements in Filipino filmmaking during a star-studded event held at the Ceremonial Hall of the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Newport World Resorts.

Rosales was recognized for his portrayal of President Manuel L. Quezon in the historical biopic. Racal, meanwhile, took home the Best Actress trophy for her performance in the coming-of-age drama "Sunshine," which also won the award for Best Editing. The Best Supporting Actor category resulted in a tie, with Will Ashley winning for his role in "Bar Boy: After School" and musician-actor Rico Blanco sharing the honor for "Manila's Finest." Rochelle Pangilinan was named Best Supporting Actress for her performance in "Child No. 82."

Among the technical awards, "Salvageland" received the prize for Best Cinematography, while "Manila's Finest"collected three trophies for Best Sound, Best Musical Score and Best Theme Song. The horror anthology "Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins" won Best Visual Effects.

Beyond the competitive categories, SPEEd presented special awards recognizing excellence and lasting contributions to Philippine cinema and the entertainment industry. Named as this year's Eddys Movie Icons were acclaimed actors John Arcilla, Edgar "Bobot" Mortiz, Rio Locsin, and Janice de Belen for their enduring contributions to Philippine film. The Isah V. Red Award was presented to Chaye Cabal Revilla and Donny Pangilinan, while director Joven Tan received the Joe Quirino Award. Veteran entertainment journalist Lhar Santiago was honored with the Manny Pichel Award.

The ceremony also recognized the year's Box Office Heroes: Vice Ganda for "Call Me Mother," Maricel Soriano and Joshua Garcia for "Meet, Greet & Bye," Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino for "My Love Will Make You Disappear," and Richard Gutierrez for "Shake, Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins."

Now on its ninth year, the Eddys continues to recognize artistic and technical excellence in Philippine cinema, with winners selected by members of SPEEd, an organization composed of entertainment editors from leading print and online publications.

Source: manilatimes.net