Judy Ann Santos has been honored as Best Actress at the 45th Fantasporto Film Festival in Porto, Portugal, for her performance in Espantaho (or Scarecrow). This achievement makes her the fourth Filipino actor to win a prestigious award at the international film festival.
In her acceptance speech, Santos expressed gratitude to the festival’s jury, her team, and her family:
“It is with great pride and honor that I represent my country, the Philippines. I share this award with my director Chito Roño, our writer Chris Martinez, my producer Atty. Joji Alonso, and of course, my husband and three children, who have always been my inspiration.”
She even joked about the weight of the trophy:
“This has a lot of excess baggage when I get home.”
A Back-to-Back Best Actress Victory
🏆 Santos also won Best Actress at the 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Gabi ng Parangal for the same role.
Filipino Excellence at Fantasporto
Santos joins previous Filipino winners at the festival, including:
✅ Barbie Forteza (Laut, 2016)
✅ Ian Veneracion (Ilawod, 2018)
✅ Cristine Reyes (UnTrue, 2020)
About Fantasporto
Also known as Fantas, the Fantasporto Film Festival has been celebrating horror, fantasy, sci-fi, auteur, and experimental cinema since 1981.