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Erik Matti's 'Seklusyon' dominates MMFF awards night

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/news-special1/entertainment/12/29/erik-matti-fb-122816.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Erik Matti (&quot;Seklusyon&quot;) wins Best Director at the annual Gabi ng Parangal. <em>Photo from the film&#x27;s Facebook page</em></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>The field in this year&#x27;s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) didn&#x27;t have a prayer against &quot;Seklusyon.&quot;</p><p>During the filmfest&#x27;s awards night held at the Kia Theater in Cubao Thursday, Erik Matti&#x27;s devil-infested film burned through the competition and took home seven major awards, including the coveted Best Director nod for Matti.</p><p>It also won Best Supporting Actress for Phoebe Walker, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound Design, and Best Original Theme Song. </p><p>The top prize, however, went to Baby Ruth Villarama&#x27;s &quot;Sunday Beauty Queen,&quot; a documentary about the lives of OFWs living in Hong Kong. It is the first documentary to have been selected as one of the official list of entries of the MMFF. </p><p>Paolo Ballesteros, as expected, snagged Best Actor for his role as a transgender in &quot;Die Beautiful.&quot; Irma Adlawan&#x27;s portrayal of a barangay captain defending a small mining community from bandits won her Best Actress. </p><p>Here is the list of winners:</p><div><strong>Best Picture — &quot;Sunday Beauty Queen&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Actress — Irma Adlawan, &quot;Oro&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Actor — Paolo Ballesteros, &quot;Die Beautiful&quot; </strong></div><div><strong>Best Supporting Actress — Phoebe Walker, &quot;Seklusyon&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Supporting Actor — Christian Bables, &quot;Die Beautiful&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Director — Erik Matti&#x27;s &quot;Seklusyon&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Screenplay — &quot;Seklusyon&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Female Celebrity of the Night — Rhian Ramos</strong></div><div><strong>Male Celebrity of the Night — Ronnie Alonte</strong></div><div><strong>Best Cinematography — &quot;Seklusyon&quot; </strong></div><div><strong>Best Editing — &quot;Sunday Beauty Queen&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Production Design — &quot;Seklusyon&quot; </strong></div><div><strong>Best Original Theme Song — Francis de Veyra&#x27;s &quot;Dominus Miserere&quot; (&quot;Seklusyon&quot;)</strong></div><div><strong>Best Musical Score — &quot;Saving Sally&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Sound Design — &quot;Seklusyon&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Ensemble Cast — &quot;Oro&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>People&#x27;s Choice — &quot;Die Beautiful&quot; </strong></div><div><strong>Children&#x27;s Choice — &quot;Saving Sally,&quot; &quot;Sunday Beauty Queen&quot; and &quot;Vince &amp; Kath &amp; James&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Gatpuno Antonio J. Villegas Cultural Award — &quot;Sunday Beauty Queen&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Fernando Poe Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence — &quot;Oro&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Special Jury Prize — Rhed Bustamante, &quot;Seklusyon&quot;</strong></div><div><strong>Best Float — &quot;Die Beautiful&quot;</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, &quot;EJK,&quot; a dark comedy tackling the prevalence of extrajudicial killings in the country, took home the top honor for the short film category, </p><p>In other short-film categories, the animated drama &quot;Passage of Life&quot; was the Children&#x27;s Choice; &quot;Manila Scream&quot; received a special jury prize; &quot;Mitatang,&quot; another animated feature, won Best Screenplay; and Jarell Serencio of &quot;Mga Bitoon sa Siyudad&quot; was named Best Director. </p>

<p>The other entries to this year's Metro Manila Film Festival just did not have a prayer.</p>

The other entries to this year's Metro Manila Film Festival just did not have a prayer.