Manila’s Finest and 58th Owned the Night at MIFF 2026
The third Manila International Film Festival gave out its awards on September 6 in Beverly Hills, and two films did most of the winning.
The Two Films Everyone’s Talking About
“Manila’s Finest” took Best Picture in the Narrative category. Ashtine Olviga won Best Actress, and Raymond Red won Best Cinematography for the same film, which started out at the Metro Manila Film Festival before making the jump to MIFF.
“58th” won Best Picture in the Documentary category. It’s an animated film from GMA Pictures about the 2009 Maguindanao Massacre, and its director, Carl Joseph Papa, took home Best Director.
Reynafe Castillo received the Shining a Light Award. She’s the daughter of Reynaldo Momay, a journalist killed in the massacre the film covers. A second Shining a Light Award went to Sheryl Cruz and producer Marcos Mamay for “Kappa-Tiran,” a hazing drama that premiered at the festival.
The Other Wins Worth Knowing
Jericho Rosales won Best Actor for playing Manuel Quezon in “Quezon.”
Lea Salonga, who just became a Hollywood Walk of Fame star recipient, got the festival’s Icon Award. Nora Aunor and Pilita Corrales, both of whom died in April 2025, received posthumous Lifetime Achievement Awards. Their granddaughter, actress Janine Gutierrez, accepted on the family’s behalf.
The Briones family (Jon Jon, Megan, Isa, and Teo) won the Generations Award. Veteran actress BarBara Luna and the cast and crew of DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming “Forgotten Island” each received Trailblazer Awards.
