MANILA, Philippines – Liza Soberano continues to make waves in the international scene as she recently attended the first Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival in Vietnam on Saturday, April 13. 

The Filipina actress took to social media to share photos from the event, sharing that she’s “so thrilled and honored to have served as a jury member” in the festival. 

“Was such an amazing showcase of talented filmmakers from all over the world,” she wrote. Soberano added that through these events, she became more “inspired to continue working in an industry that encourages freedom of expression and challenges the way we think.”

At the Ho Chi Minh City International Film Festival, she presented the award for Best Actress and was introduced as one of the judges of the First or Second Film Category. 

Other members of the jury include film producer John Badalu,  film editor Tom Cross, director Nguyen Thanh Van, and New York Asian Film Festival Executive Director Samuel Jamier. 

Notably, one of the biggest wins of the night was given to Filipino filmmaker Sheron Dayoc as her movie The Gospel of the Beast took home the Golden Star Award for Best Feature Film. 

On Instagram, former Film Development Council of the Philippines President Liza Diño expressed her delight for Dayoc and his film’s latest achievement. 

“I am humbled to have witnessed the fruition of this feature project from its development way back in 2018,” she wrote. 

The Gospel of the Beast first premiered at the 2023 Tokyo International Film Festival. In an interview with Rappler, Dayoc opened up how the film’s narrative was essentially based on a story of a hired killer for a vigilante group in his hometown in the southern Philippines. – Rappler.com