From being the silent underdog to becoming the 2023 MMFF big winner, Firefly continued its victorious streak abroad as it won the most awards at the inaugural Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in Hollywood, California – including the highly-coveted Best Picture honor.
The film produced by GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs also took home three more awards and three nominations during the MIFF Awards Night last Feb. 3: another Best Screenplay for GMA Public Affairs SAVP and Firefly creator Angeli Atienza; Best Director for Zig Dulay; and Best Supporting Actress for Alessandra de Rossi.
Present during the awarding ceremony were GMA Network’s Senior Vice President for Programming, Talent Management, Worldwide, and Support Group, and President of GMA Films Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes, who accepted the Best Director award on behalf of Dulay, Atienza, and Firefly actress Ysabel Ortega, who accepted the Best Supporting Actress award on behalf of De Rossi. Joining them were Sparkle GMA Artist Center VP Joy Marcelo and Firefly actor Dingdong Dantes.
Aprt from winning four major awards, the film also garnered nominations for the Best Supporting Actor (Epy Quizon) and Actress (Cherry Pie Picache) categories, as well as for Best Cinematography (Neil Daza).
Following their Best Picture win, the Firefly team was awarded a $200,000 co-producing package by Birns and Sawyer for the production of a US-based feature film.
The 49th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Best Picture awardee, Firefly narrates a moving story about family, dreams, and bravery, as the young Tonton, portrayed by MMFF Best Child Performer Euwenn Mikael, embarks on a journey to find the mystical island of fireflies based on his mother’s bedtime stories.
The film also won Best Screenplay along with 15 nominations at the MMFF Gabi ng Parangal last December.
Early this year, Firefly was shown in the United Arab Emirates prior to its screening in Los Angeles, California, as part of the MIFF.
The MIFF is an international film festival that aims to bridge Filipino films to global audiences and showcase Filipino culture and art.