Award-winning beauty queen-actress Maria Isabel Lopez has all the reasons to celebrate life these days.
Aside from her happy and harmonious family, Maria Isabel's acted-film "Diamond in the Sand" directed by Janus Victoria just won an award in the prestigious Udine Far East Film Festival held in Udine, Italy from April 24 to May 2, 2025.
Maria Isabel stars in the film as caregiver to a Japanese man (played by Lily Franky) who goes to Manila because he believes that no one experiences loneliness in the Philippines.
"Sooooooo happy. Thank you udine FAR EAST FILM festival," wrote Lopez on her social media spaces.
The film won the White Mulberry Award for First Time Director Victoria.
"Diamonds in the Sand," a foray into the journey of escaping a lonely death but finds a way to discover the meaning of living, is a co-production among Philippines, Japan and Malaysia.
Franky, Masaya Nakagawa in his Japanese name, top bills the project with Maribel and Australian cyclist-actress Kate Leeming.
Meanwhile, another Filipino pride took home a plum at the 2025 Udine.
Director Will Fredo, also known as Wilfredo Manalang, brought home the bacon in Udine's TAICCA/Focus Asia Co-Production Award as a producer for the film "What's Left of Us" by director Tyron Acierto.
The Udine Far East Film Festival promotes the excellence of Asian Cinema.
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