Maris Racal’s ‘Sunshine’ nominated at Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2024

Maris Racal’s ‘Sunshine’ nominated at Asian Pacific Screen Awards 2024 | Image: Facebook/Project 8 Projects

Maris Racal’s latest film “Sunshine” has been nominated at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) 2024 following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last month.

APSA recently announced the list of nominees on social media which included “Sunshine” as a nominee in the Best Youth Film category.

Philippines’ “Sunshine” will be competing against India’s “Boong,” Australia’s “Magic Beach,” China’s “She Sat There Like All Ordinary Ones” and New Zealand’s “The Mountain.”

Project 8 Projects, the production company founded by Antoinette Jadaone, director of “Sunshine, and Dan Villegas, celebrated the nomination on its social media pages.

“YOU DID IT, SUNSHINE,” it wrote. “SUNSHINE is nominated for Best Youth Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the region’s highest accolade in film!”

“Sunshine” follows a young gymnast (Racal) who discovers she is pregnant ahead of her tryout for the national team. Amid her aspiration to reach her dream, she struggles with the choice to keep or lose the pregnancy.

Aside from Racal, the film also features Elijah Canlas, Xyriel Manabat and Jennica Garcia, among others. 

Earlier this month, Jadaone told the press that “Sunshine” would be submitted to international film festivals first before it’s shown in local cinemas.

“Wala pa kaming mabibigay na update [because] ang gusto muna namin, iikot siya sa international film festivals bago iuwi sa Pilipinas,” she said, opting to not disclose the festivals where they submitted the Racal-starrer. 

(We can’t give any updates yet, because we want the film to make rounds in international film festivals before bringing it home to the Philippines.)

Racal wasn’t able to attend the world premiere of “Sunshine” at TIFF due to a prior schedule in filming her upcoming series, “Incognito.”

Meanwhile, since its inception in 2007, the Asia Pacific Screen Awards are the “region’s highest accolade in film,” with entries from 78 countries and areas in the region honored and set to compete in different categories.

The 17th edition of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Ceremony will be held on Nov. 30 in Australia.