MANILA, PHILIPPINES, OCTOBER 23, 2020 — The highest-grossing Filipino film of all time, “Hello, Love, Goodbye” by Cathy Garcia-Molina, has three National Winners under its belt from the Asian Creative Academy Awards (AAA) in Singapore. 

The Star Cinema movie headlined by Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards was declared as the Best Feature Film from the Philippines. Garcia-Molina was awarded the Best Direction (Fiction) as well as Best Original Screenplay together with Carmi Raymundo and Rona Co. “Hello, Love, Goodbye” has grossed over PHP 881 million. 

National Winners are the country representatives to the Grand Awards and Gala Final on December 3 and 4. The Philippines will be represented by 23 National Winners, which the AAA judged locally. 

Meanwhile, two AAA National Winners citations went to Erik Matti’s “Food Lore: Island of Dreams.” The HBO Asia food anthology series episode, which had a world premiere in the 2019 Tokyo International Film Festival in Japan, was hailed as the Best Single Drama/Telemovie/Anthology Episode. Angeli Bayani was recognized as the Best Actress in a Leading Role. 

"Food Lore: Island of Dreams" courtesy of HBO GO

Other National Winners include Arjo Atayde as Best Actor for “Bagman,” “Jet and the Pet Rangers” as Best Animated Programme or Series, and “The Last Manilaners” as Best Documentary Series. The three aforementioned projects are all from ABS-CBN’s iWant platform. Also from ABS-CBN are Best Drama Series “A Soldier’s Heart” and Best Telenovela “The Killer Bride.”

“This really is a showcase night for our region, the standard is extremely high and the battle for gold come December is immense,” AAA President Michael McKay remarked in a statement that announced the National Winners on October 15.

As part of the Singapore Media Festival, the AAA is regarded as Asia-Pacific’s most prestigious awards for creative excellence. It is supported by the Singapore Infocomm Media Development Authority. 

Below are the 23 Philippine awardees in the National Winners 2020 List of the Asian Academy Creative Awards:

1. Best Actor in a Leading Role - Arjo Atayde for “Bagman” (ABS-CBN/iWant)

2. Best Actress in a Leading Role - Angeli Bayani for “Food Lore: Island Of Dreams” (HBO/WarnerMedia)

3. Best Animated Programme or Series (2D or 3D) - “Jet And The Pet Rangers” (ABS-CBN/iWant)

4. Best Branded Programme or Series - “Coke Studio Season 3: Family #Feels” (UxS/ABS-CBN)

5. Best Current Affairs Programme or Series - “One-on-One with Pinky Webb” (CNN Philippines, Nine Media Corporation)

6. Best Direction (Fiction) - Cathy Garcia-Molina - “Hello, Love, Goodbye” (ABS-CBN Film Productions)

7. Best Documentary Programme (One-Off) - “The Atom Araullo Specials: When The World Stopped” (GMA Network)

8. Best Documentary Series - “The Last Manilaners” (ABS-CBN/iWant)

9. Best Drama Series - “A Soldier's Heart” (ABS-CBN)

10. Best Feature Film - “Hello, Love, Goodbye” (ABS-CBN Film Productions)

11. Best Infotainment Programme - “One At Heart With Jessica Soho: Denmark Special” (GMA Network)

12. Best Lifestyle Programme - “Dreamcatchers, Season 3: Malapacao” (Trifecta Collective/Phil & Iva Productions, ABS-CBN)

13. Best Lifestyle, Entertainment Presenter/Host - Drew Arellano for “Drew Hits The Road: Taiwan's Secrets To Long Life” (GMA Network)

14. Best Music or Dance Programme - “Coke Studio Season 3 : My Feels” (UxS/ABS-CBN)

15. Best News or Current Affairs Presenter/Anchor - Jessica Soho for “24 Hours” (GMA Network/GMA-7)

16. Best News Programme - “The Final Word With Rico Hizon” (CNN Philippines, Nine Media Corporation)

17. Best Non Scripted Entertainment - “Your Moment” (ABS-CBN Corporation & Fritz Production)

18. Best Original Programme by a Streamer/OTT - “The Tapes” (ABS-CBN Corporation – iWant)

19. Best Original Screenplay - Carmi G. Raymundo, Cathy Garcia-Molina, Rona Co for “Hello, Love, Goodbye” (ABS-CBN Film Productions)

20. Best Short Form Content - “RTx (Reel Time Exclusives) - Marcelo’s Last Plea” (GMA Network)

21. Best Single Drama/Telemovie/Anthology Episode - “Food Lore: Island Of Dreams” (HBO/WarnerMedia, Bert Pictures)

22. Best Single News Story/Report - “24 Hours: Walking in EDSA, Traversing A Major Thoroughfare on Foot” (GMA Network)

23. Best Telenovela - “The Killer Bride” (ABS-CBN/RCD Narratives)

The cover photo, featuring "Hello, Love, Goodbye" stars Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards, is courtesy of Star Cinema, ABS-CBN Film Productions