THE 40th LUNA AWARDS WINNERS

Photos by Pilar Mateo

 The winners of the 40^th Luna Awards have been proclaimed on August 3, 2024 at the IBG-KAL Theater, University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City. Organized by the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) and hosted by Miss Earth 2008 Karla Henry, the momentous event celebrated unification as its theme and saw a reprise of the beloved traditional FAP production number, “Handog” at the final stretch of the show. Performed by actress-singer Hazel Faith donned in a Luna statuette-inspired outfit, she sang with the winners, nominees, and guests led by Vilma Santos and Christopher de Leon who joined her onstage – conveying a touching image of one family of movie workers that supported each other. Earlier in the show, actor-singer John Arcenas rendered soulful music during the In Memoriam segment that paid tribute to departed showbiz colleagues.

 

Among the highlights of the show were the keynote speech of Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman and CEO Joey Reyes, who sounded the alarm about the state of Philippine cinema what needed to be done. FPJ Lifetime Achievement Awardee Liza Dino-Seguerra, former FDCP Chair, also emphasized the importance of movie workers that belong to the fringes of the industry. National Artist Ricky Lee, on the other hand, presented the Lamberto Avellana Memorial Award to his former workshop student, the late Armando “Bing” Lao. The Manuel de Leon Award for Exemplary Achievements and Golden Reel Award were bestowed to Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Sen. Bong Revilla, respectively.

 

GomBurZa bagged the Best Picture title, while Pepe Diokno won the Best Director trophy for the same film. In His Mother’s Eyes, on the other hand, won Best Actress for Maricel Soriano, Best Actor for Roderick Paulate, and Best Supporting Actor for LA Santos. Ana Abad Santos meanwhile snatched the Best Supporting Actress for Third World Romance.

 

The following are the rest of the winners: Jun Lana, Best Screenplay for About Us But Not About Us; Carlo Mendoza, Best Cinematography for GomBurZa; Ericson Navarro, Best Production Design for GomBurZa; Marya Ignacio, Best Editing for Third World Romance; Jessie Lasaten, Best Musical Scoring for When I Met You in Tokyo; and Albert Idioma, Janina Minglanilla, and Emilio Sparks, Best Sound Design for GomBurZa.

 

The presidents of the different film guilds that comprise FAP acted as presenters of the twelve competitive categories.

 

The 40^th Luna Awards had been supported by the Office of the President, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), and Movie Workers Welfare Foundation, Inc. (MOWELFUND); and produced by RR Entertainment. Sponsors include Sen. Robin Padilla, CETV Philippines, Xstatic Event System, Inc., Stage One Events and Services, Rafy Gellang Masterpiece, ELPI Veg Haus, and Mireya Blends.