November 1, 2023 — Canadian Filipino actors Lissa Neptuno and Edward Escobal were nominated for Best Performance in a Short Film in the annual the Union of British Columbia Performers/ Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (UBCP/ACTRA) awards.
Neptuno was nominated for her supporting role in the short film Little Manila. Neptuno played the role of nanny in the 2022 short film directed by another Canadian Filipino, Harley Maranan. Little Manila tells the story of a Vancouver-based travel agent trying to recreate her ailing Filipino housemaid's childhood home before she dies.
Lissa Neptuno won the best performance award at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM15) in 2020.
Escobal was nominated for his lead role in Paco which is about a Filipino immigrant living in Canada, trying to make ends meet so he can make a better life for his family in Manila. Paco is also directed by another Canadian Filipino, Kent Donguines.
In 2020, Neptuno won the best performance award at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM15) for her short film Small Bites, which she also wrote and produced.
Also vying for the Best Short Performance category are Bob Frazer for Dawn and Yuvraj Kasi and Jess McLeod for A Little Vacation.
The annual UBCP/ACTRA awards will be held on November 25 at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver. In a media release, UBCP/ACTRA President and ACTRA National Councilor Ellie Harvie said, “It has been an extremely challenging year, but we are truly proud of the conviction and solidarity shown by our members, union siblings and industry partners. (The awards night) will also serve as a well-deserved toast to everyone in our industry for staying afloat during this difficult season.”
ACTRA is the national organization of professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. The annual peer-adjudicated awards honours deserving members for their exceptional contributions to the entertainment industry over the past year.
Awards are presented in eight categories: Best Lead Performance - Motion Picture, Best Lead Performance - Series, Best Supporting Performance - Motion Picture, Best Supporting Performance - Series, Best Performance - Made for TV Movie, Best Performance - Short, Best Voice; and Best Stunt.
For a list of nominees, see https://www.ubcpactraawards.ca/2023nominees.
About the Author
Rachel Ramos-Reid started writing for magazines and newspapers when she was still a junior at the University of the Philippines’ Communication degree program majoring in Journalism. She continued to write in a public relations/corporate communications capacity in various private and government offices until moving out of the country in 1997 to work as Programme Officer for the arts and culture branch of the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO-SPAFA) in Bangkok, Thailand. At the end of her term, Rachel found herself immigrating to Canada in the year 2000 and again searching for new beginnings. Currently she is the Executive Assistant to a small rural college on Vancouver Island.
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