December 30, 2024 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Dennis Trillo has decided to donate his winnings from being named Best Actor at the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), who served as the inspiration for the prison drama “Green Bones.”
The Kapuso star received a silver statuette designed by Filipino-American visual artist Jefre Manuel Figueras, along with a P100,000 cash prize. In addition to Dennis’ recognition, “Green Bones” won multiple awards, including the top honor of Best Picture, at the Gabi ng Parangal on Friday.
In the film produced by GMA Pictures in collaboration with Brightburn Entertainment (Dennis and wife Jennylyn Mercado’s own production outfit), Dennis portrays a PDL on the verge of release. However, a determined prison guard, played by Ruru Madrid, is hell-bent on keeping him locked inside the prison.
When sought for comment about his decision to donate the cash prize, Dennis shared, “Isa sa pinaka-mensahe ng pelikula ay patungkol sa kabutihan ng tao o pagiging mabuti. Kung tayo ay may kakayahang makatulong, piliin natin na tumulong kaya naman wala ng pagdadalawang isip pa.”
Dennis gets a celebratory hug from his No. 1 supporter, wife Jennylyn Mercado.
(One of the key messages of the film is about the goodness of people and being kind. If we have the ability to help, let us choose to help, so there’s no hesitation.)
“Pareho kami ni Jen na gustong ibigay ang halagang napanalunan ko para sa mga PDL at para matupad ang kanilang mga munting hiling sa kanilang Tree of Hope.”
(Both Jen and I want to give the money I won to the PDLs, so they can fulfill their small wishes through their Tree of Hope.)
He added that it’s their way of giving back to them because their stories made “Green Bones” possible. He hopes that with this amount, they can somehow “make them happy and give them hope that indeed, simple wishes can come true if goodness is in our hearts.”
During his acceptance speech at the golden MMFF’s Gabi ng Parangal, Dennis expressed his gratitude and joy for his third acting award at the annual filmfest.
He said, “Lagi ko pong sinasabi na ngayong araw ng Kapaskuhan, ayoko na pong magpa-stress sa pakikipag-kumpitensya o pakikipagpagalingan sa kahit kanino man dahil pakiramdam namin, panalo na kami nung naipasok pa lang sa 10 entries dito sa 50th anniversary ng Metro Manila Film Fest ang ‘Green Bones.’ Kaya palakpakan po natin ang mga sarili natin. Winners tayong lahat.”
(I always say that this Christmas, I don’t want to stress over competing or outdoing anyone because we already feel like winners when “Green Bones” was chosen as one of the Top 10 entries in the 50th anniversary of the Metro Manila Film Fest. So let’s give ourselves a round of applause. We’re all winners.)
Besides the MMFF, he thanked GMA Films bosses Annette Gozon-Valdes and Nessa Valdellon, as well as writers National Artist Ricky Lee, JC Rubio and Anj Atienza, and director Zig Dulay for entrusting him with the lead role.
He also took the time to thank his No. 1 supporter, Jennylyn: “Sa lahat ng sumusuporta sa akin, lalo na sa aking No. 1 supporter, ang aking asawa, si Miss Jennylyn Mercado, maraming salamat. Inaalay ko po ang award na ito sa aking pamilya, kung sino sila po talaga ang nag-inspire sa akin para pagbutihin ang ginagawa ko at i-maximize ang lahat ng oportunidad na binibigay sa akin. Maraming salamat po. Hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan ito. Mabuhay ang pelikulang Pilipino!”
(To everyone supporting me, especially my No. 1 supporter, my wife, Miss Jennylyn Mercado, thank you so much. I dedicate this award to my family, because they are the ones who truly inspire me to do my best and maximize all the opportunities given to me. Thank you so much. I will never forget this. Long live Philippine cinema!)
This award marks Dennis’ third acting trophy at the MMFF. He previously won Best Supporting Actor exactly 20 years ago for “Aishite Imasu 1941” and Best Actor for “One Great Love” in 2018.
“Green Bones” also garnered merit for its other cast members. Ruru Madrid was named Best Supporting Actor and Sienna Stevens as the Best Child Performer.
Ruru had earlier predicted Dennis’ win in a separate interview with this paper, saying: “Of course, Dennis will win. He is one of the people I really look up to, but I got to experience firsthand how much he loves his craft and how he prepares for all the projects he takes on. I’m really amazed by him. At that time, he was doing ‘Pulang Araw’ and ‘Green Bones’ at the same time, but you can see the difference in the characters he plays in each of them.”
Meanwhile, GMA Pictures executive vice president Nessa Valdellon recalled to The STAR the casting process for “Green Bones,” particularly for the lead part.
“I thought it was time for homegrown GMA talent to shine in this GMA-produced film. Dennis was an automatic choice; he is already an acting legend. But I think even he went beyond expectations in this movie and gave a performance that was so moving it will be talked about for a long time,” she said.
But Dennis didn’t just join “Green Bones” as a lead actor; he also took on the role of producer, with the inspirational drama becoming the debut project for Brightburn Entertainment.
In a previous interview with The STAR, Dennis shared, “Nauna yung project. Sobrang naniniwala ako dun sa project. Gusto namin maging partners sa pagbuo ng pelikula. (The project came first. I really believe in it. We wanted to be partners in creating the film.) By partners, meaning there’s capital infusion.
“We really want to do this because this is the best time to produce films and this is the season where audiences really come out to watch movies.”
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