Arci Muñoz bagged a major award and we're all cheering for her! The 35-year-old actress posted the good news on her Instagram account. She won the 'Best Actress' award at the Wu Wei Taipei International Film Festival 2024. Held in Taipei, Taiwan, Arci was recognized for her performance as Anais Escudero in the film, Malditas in Maldives.
Her post read, "Celebrating my #bestactress win for #malditasinmaldives #movie at the #wuweitaipeiinternationalfilmfestival2024 street style." It included photos of her wearing a custom-made traditional qi pao by Ehrran Montoya.
Malditas in Maldives, directed by award-winning director Njel De Mesa, premiered last June 2023. The film revolves around the story of three vloggers stuck on an island in Maldives. Later on, they come to realize the strange happenings around them leading them to wonder if they are in paradise or purgatory.
Arci was celebrating her win with her Malditas in Maldives co-stars, Kiray Celis and Janelle Tee, who, btw, also bagged awards at the said international film festival. Kiray won the 'Breakthrough Performance' recognition, while Janelle got the 'Best Supporting Actress' award.
In an interview reported by Manila Bulletin, Njel noted how the their work is the first local film to be able to highlight Maldives' beauty. He shared that there were a lot of hurdles in filming in the foreign country, but the team endured it all because of each other.
Aside from that, Njel felt the urge and the pressure to really finish the film as it has been forecasted that Maldives might be wiped out in the year 2050 due to climate change. "Nag-kumahog na rin kami kasi mawawala na ang Maldives due to climate change. Sana ma-remind din ang mga tao when they watch it na this is what we should fight for," Njel said in an interview.
Arci Muñoz's first acting award
The recognition that Malditas in Maldives and its cast received at the Wu Wei Taipei International Film Festival wasn't a first. The film was also part of the first-ever Jinseo Arigato International Film Festival (JAIFF) held in Nagoya, Japan last May 2024.
It was in JAIFF that Arci got her first—yes, her first—acting award since she joined showbiz in 2005. She won 'Best International Filipino Actress' for her role in Malditas in Maldives. In Arci's conversation with PEP.ph last June 15, she admitted that it was a very unexpected win for her.
It was definitely a huge bonus for her to be recognized for something that she loves doing. "Ayoko pong mag-expect ng anything in my head. Ano po, I just really love what I do and I’ll continue doing that po. And having an award or getting something, ma-recognize in something that I love is a bonus, especially it’s Japan," she told PEP.ph.
Arci dedicated her first acting award to her parents, especially to her late father. She declared, "I
She added, "Kasi my Dad passed away [in 2016], during my first movie, Always Be My Maybe, and it was a success, and I know it was because of him."
Congratulations, Arci!
