Cheyenne Suarez

Maris Racal's film 'Sunshine' wins two awards at AAAFF

Article (news)

Reyma Deveza

ABS-CBN News

<p>It was a double win for &quot;Sunshine,&quot; a sports coming-of-age film starring Kapamilya actress Maris Racal, as it won two awards at the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF).</p><p>In a social media posts on Wednesday, film production Project 8 Projects announced the good news that &quot;Sunshine&quot; has won both the Narrative Feature Jury Award and the Narrative Feature Audience Award at AAAFF, which champions Asian and Asian-American stories through film and creative media.</p><p>In the jury citation, it said &quot;Sunshine&quot; impressed the panel of judges with its storytelling, settling and lead performance.</p><p>“The winning film impressed the jury with the clarity of its storytelling, its potent sense of place, and an extraordinary lead performance by a striking new talent. The energetic heart of the film keeps us gripped throughout, drawing us into the world of our lead’s complex dilemma while persuasively reminding us that life is so often about the possibilities we extract from seemingly impossible situations,” it said.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1751422486332Sunshine.JPG" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px" alt="Maris Racal&#x27;s film &#x27;Sunshine&#x27; wins two awards at AAAFF"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left"><em>Screen grab: Facebook/Project 8 Projects</em></span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>&quot;Sunshine&quot; follows the story of a young gymnast who discovers she is pregnant on the week of the national team tryouts.</p><p>Last February, the movie won the Crystal Bear for Best Film at the 75th <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/1/17/maris-racal-s-film-sunshine-an-official-entry-to-berlinale-1133" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Berlin International Film Festival</a>.</p><p>&quot;Sunshine&quot; was also part of the prestigious<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2024/12/11/maris-racal-s-film-sunshine-to-make-us-premiere-at-palm-springs-international-film-festival-1225" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Palm Springs International Film Festival </a>under the World Cinema Now section. </p><p>Last October, the film also received a nomination for Best Youth Film at the 17th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival.</p><p>Helmed by Antoinette Jadaone, &quot;Sunshine&quot; was produced by ANIMA Studios and Project 8 Projects<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/01/10/24/maris-racal-reveals-more-details-on-new-film-sunshine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">.</a></p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/01/10/24/maris-racal-reveals-more-details-on-new-film-sunshine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Maris Racal reveals more details on new film &#x27;Sunshine&#x27;</a></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/8/31/maris-racal-turns-emotional-over-sunshine-trailer-1755" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Maris Racal turns emotional over &#x27;Sunshine&#x27; trailer</a></div><p>&quot;Sunshine&quot; is set to be released in SM Cinemas on <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/6/20/maris-racal-shocked-with-18m-views-of-sunshine-trailer-1132" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">July 23.</a></p><p>Currently, Racal is one of the stars of the newest action-packed series &quot;Incognito,&quot;  which airs on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, Jeepney TV, A2Z, and TV5. It&#x27;s also available on Netflix and  iWantTFC. </p><div><br/></div><div><strong></strong><strong>RELATED VIDEOS:</strong></div><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gGE3xvwbgDY?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1nG3lZUc-Xs?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>It was a double win for 'Sunshine,' a sports coming-of-age film starring Kapamilya actress Maris Racal, as it won two awards at the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF).</p>

It was a double win for 'Sunshine,' a sports coming-of-age film starring Kapamilya actress Maris Racal, as it won two awards at the Austin Asian American Film Festival (AAAFF).

Maris Racal's 'Sunshine' wins 2 awards at Austin film fest

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Maris Racal's 'Sunshine' wins 2 awards at Austin film fest

Reyma Deveza,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 02, 2025 11:53 AM PHT

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Sunshine

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Maris Racal

Antoinette Jadaone

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