“Topakk,” Nathan Studios’ first-ever Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) foray, proved victorious with the film taking home three awards.
For this, actress and film producer Sylvia Sanchez-Atayde is grateful.
“We are grateful to the Metro Manila Film Festival for accepting us here even though we are new as a producer. With that, we are already a winner for making it in our first try,” Sanchez-Atayde said after receiving one of Topakk’s three awards — the Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence.
The FPJ award recognizes the film’s effort to revive the action genre but also for its relevant content, mass appeal among other elements.
“Topakk,” the only action-packed entry in this year’s MMFF, also bagged the Jury Prize and the Best Float trophies.
“I told Direk Richard to make a float because I wanted to win in the category and we did,” Sanchez-Atayde said.
Prior, “Topakk” was shown internationally at the 78th Cannes Film Festival in France and at the 76th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
It was also screened in film festivals in Austin Texas, and Catalonia, Spain.
Said Sanchez- Atayde, “The movie was screened, praised and recognized by foreigners in various film festivals in Locarno, Cannes, Austin, Texas and Catalonia, Spain last year so, I told our director Richard V. Somes that we should bring it home. We should elt Filipinos enjoy it too.”
“We are incredibly happy that they allowed us to be part of this year’s MMFF,” she added, vowing a return to next year’s edition of the festival.
