(left) Dolly de Leon and Leni Robredo | Image: Instagram/@dollyedeleon Facebook/Leni Gerona Robredo
Award-winning Filipina actress Dolly de Leon and former Vice President Leni Robredo received early rave reviews for their movie and documentary, respectively, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2024.
De Leon, who has two film entries, “Ghostlight” and “Between the Temples,” for this year’s Sundance, has been getting acclaim for her effective performances.
The Hollywood Reporter tagged de Leon as the “best part” of “Ghostlight,” given the generous amount of humor and potency that she gave her character.
“Best of all is De Leon, who finds just the right balance of absurdity and pathos in this aging, acid-tongued actress playing the stage’s most iconic dewy ingenue,” it wrote.
The Playlist commended the Filipina actress’ standout performance in “Ghostlight” and called her “always excellent and super-inspired casting,” while Variety praised the Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee in “Between the Temples” and acknowledged de Leon’s ability to “extend her scene-stealing credentials.”
The “A Very Good Girl” star made waves in Hollywood after her striking portrayal in the movie “Triangle of Sadness,” which earned her numerous acting nods and praise. Currently, de Leon is shooting a number of Hollywood projects, including “Nine Perfect Strangers” with Nicole Kidman.
Robredo’s documentary
Meanwhile, Robredo is also gathering applause as she attended the film festival for her documentary “And So It Begins.” Created by Ramona S. Diaz, it focuses on Robredo’s presidential campaign in 2022 and provides a look at the depth and horrors of Philippine politics.
On Facebook, the former presidential bet expressed her gratitude for the warm welcome that she received during the premiere of the documentary.
“Done with the premiere of And So It Begins. The 500-seat Ray Theater in Park City (in Utah) was packed. It was a standing ovation when we were called in front [of] the team,” she wrote.
Robredo congratulated the team behind the documentary and gave a glimpse of what it was about, highlighting the rampancy of disinformation during the 2022 elections.
“This is a companion film to A Thousand Cuts which also made it to Sundance in 2020. The campaign was made [in] the backdrop of how disinformation progressed in the Philippines and how it played a huge role in the outcome of the 2022 Presidential Elections,” said the former VP.