Epy Quizon, Aquino Plotado among winners at Emirates Film Festival 2026
MANILA, Philippines — Epy Quizon was among the big winners at the 12th Emirates Film Festival 2026 held on July 26 at the New Covent Garden Theatre in the Mall of the Emirates, Dubai.
Quizon's film "Bukal" emerged as the festival's biggest winner after taking home the Best Film award. Quizon also received the Best Director trophy for the movie.
John Moreland Lynn won Best Actor for his performance in “Quiet on Set,” while Ruwani Tebuwanage was named Best Actress for “Police Seat.”
Meanwhile, Filipino entrepreneur and film producer Aquino Plotado received the Best Film Producer Award for producing the short film “As the Call, So the Echo.”
The film has continued its winning streak after earning several honors at last year's Emirates Film Festival, including Best Actor for Enzo Pineda and Best Director for writer-director Rusty Palacio Guarin.
The latest recognition adds to Plotado's growing list of achievements in the United Arab Emirates. In 2025, he also received the Billion Dirhams Deal Maker Award at the Emirates Real Estate Awards for his contributions to both the real estate and film industries.
Other winners at this year's festival included Francis Gacer, who received Best Screenplay for “Tilamsik sa Dakilang Apoy,” while Vera won Best Cinematography.
The festival also honored outstanding films from different regions around the world. “Tilamsik sa Dakilang Apoy” by Frances L.J. Gacer was named Best Regional Film for Southeast Asia, while other regional winners came from India, Egypt, France, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the United Arab Emirates.
Among the festival's special award recipients were Charmae Cabrera, who received the EFF Promising Actress award, Ron Jordan De Ocampo, who was named EFF Promising Actor and filmmaker Orli Gayeta, who was honored with the EFF Filmmaker Recognition Award.
During the event, Emirates Film Festival founder and CEO Ron Awa said he hopes to expand the festival's global reach by welcoming more filmmakers from around the world in future editions and further positioning Dubai as an international hub for cinema and cultural exchange.
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