Jane de Leon (left) and Kiray Celis bag awards at the Ima Wa Ima Asian International Film Festival 2024 | Image: Facebook, Star Magic/Instagram, @kiraycelis
Filipino actresses Jane de Leon and Kiray Celis took home acting awards from the Ima Wa Ima Asian International Film Festival 2024 in Osaka, Japan.
De Leon bagged the Best Actress trophy in the suspense-horror thriller full-length category for her performance in the 2023 horror anthology film “Shake, Rattle, & Roll Extreme.”
Celis, for her part, captured the Best Performance in a Comedy award for the 2023 film “Malditas in the Maldives,” the first Filipino movie shot in the Maldives, a country currently “threatened by climate change and at risk of disappearing by 2050.”
Celis took to Instagram to celebrate her win, saying she’s hoping the Filipino audience will get to see their film.
“Maraming salamat po. Para sainyo po ito. Sana soon, mapanuod niyo na sa pilipinas ang movie namin para malaman niyo po kung bakit proud na proud kami sa pelikula namin nato,” she wrote, adding that she shares the win with her co-stars Arci Muñoz and Janelle Tee.
(Thank you very much. This is for you. I hope that soon you can watch our movie in the Philippines so that you will know why we are so proud of our movie.)
Aside from the two, South Korean star Kim Ji Soo, who recently signed with Sparkle GMA Artist Center, took home the Outstanding International Actor in a Cross-Cultural Series award for his performance in the local medical drama “Abot-Kamay na Pangarap.”
The Ima Wa Ima film festival recognizes cinematic achievements in Asian film, TV and new media.