Maris Racal’s ‘Sunshine’ wins 2 major awards at Austin Asian American Film Fest

Maris Racal is carrying a “sunshine” T-shirt. Picture: Instagram/@Project8projects

It’s a double victory for Filipina actress Maris Racal’s “Sunshine‘Whereas it took two massive prizes within the 2025 Austin Asian American Movie Pageant (Aaafff) in Texas.

The approaching-of-age drama, directed by Antoinette Jadaone, took the narrative Jury Award house and the Narrative Characteristic Viewers Award on the Worldwide Pageant.

“The successful movie impressed the jury with the readability of his tales, his highly effective feeling of place and a rare principal efficiency by a placing new expertise.

“Sunshine” follows the story of a younger gymnast, performed by Racal, who discovers that she is pregnant, just a few days for nationwide groups. Confronted with the strain of her athletic goals and the strict anti-abortion legal guidelines within the Philippines, she goes on a harrowing journey to finish her being pregnant.

The movie additionally performs Elia Canlas as a pal of Sunshine, Annika Co because the mysterious baby, and Jennica Garcia, Meryll Soriano and Xyriel Manabat in supporting roles. Piolo Pascual seems particularly as Padre Jaime.

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Previous to the victories in Austin, “Sunshine” premiered on the Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant 2024 and it went on the Far East Movie Pageant in Italy, Palm Springs Worldwide Movie Pageant and the Taipei Movie Pageant.

The Filipino movie received the Crystal Bear for one of the best movie (Technology 14Plus) on the seventy fifth Berlin Worldwide Movie Pageant earlier this yr and was nominated for one of the best youth movie throughout the seventeenth Asia Pacific Display Awards.

The Austin Asian American Movie Pageant, which is held yearly in Texas, is thought for bringing tales from Asian and Asian American communities to the eye, supported by the Nationwide Endowment for the Arts and Native Cultural Companies.

Racal, who underwent gymnastics coaching for the function, described “sunshine” as some of the demanding and emotional tasks of her profession.

In Could, the Canadian firm Indiecan Leisure insured the North American distribution rights for ‘Sunshine’, with plans for theatrical and digital launch on the finish of 2025. An English-language reinforce can be below improvement below producer AVI Federgreen.

“Sunshine” will display screen the subsequent on the New York Asian Movie Pageant in July. /EDV