His lead stars, Judy Ann Santos and Allen Dizon, convinced the jury as the couple torn apart in conflicted Mindanao.

Judy Ann Santos reaped the key award in the MMFF.

The verdict has been handed, and the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) is reiterating its statement: that it is a festival that caters to two sets of viewers.

Maverick director Brillante Ma Mendoza’s Mindanao unsurprisingly ran away with major acting and technical awards, even winning for the Cannes director the Best Director award.

His lead stars, Judy Ann Santos and Allen Dizon, convinced the jury as the couple torn apart in conflicted Mindanao. Santos was a shoo-in for the Best Actress award after winning the same acting citation at the Cairo International Film Festival last month. Dizon, on the other hand, was a surprise choice. Pundits have been predicting Aga Muhlach to take home the award for his portrayal of a mentally challenged man wrongfully accused of assaulting a girl in the Philippine adaptation of the hit Korean movie Miracle in Cell No. 7.

Mindanao also took home the Best Picture, Best Float, FPJ Memorial Award, Gatpuno J. Villegas Cultural Award, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Gender Sensitive Award and Best Child Performer for Yuna Tangod.

BRILLANTE Mendoza with his “Mindanao” lead actor Allen Dizon, who pulled off a surprise win over Aga Muhlach in the Best Actor category.

TBA Studio’s Ting Nebrida accepts the award for “Write About Love,” the second most-awarded film in this year’s MMFF. ALL PHOTOS BY DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG @tribunephl_dvd

Santos jested about her and Dizon’s cash prize when she gave her acceptance speech. ‘‘Direk, baka puwede namin pagsamahin ni Allen iyong P200,000. Kikita na siguro tayo kahit papaano (Direk, perhaps Allen and I can pool in our cash prizes. Our movie might earn more if we do).”

Both Santos and Mendoza had earlier hoped that their winning movie will be allotted with more cinemas. Historically, films like Mindanao, which tackles serious societal issues fare less at the box-office compared to movies with lighter themes.

The other big winner was TBA Studios’ Write About Love. Its supporting actors, Joem Bascon and Yeng Constantino, were named Best Supporting Actor and Actress, respectively. Constantino also won Best Original Song for penning the movie’s OST, ‘‘Ikaw Ang Akin.’’

The movie-within-a-movie about an aspiring writer and a jaded screenwriter coming together to pen a love story also earned several awards, namely, 2nd Best Picture, Special Jury Prize (writing) for screenwriter and director Crisanto Aquino and Best Screenplay.

JUDY Ann Santos receives her Best Actress trophy, her second citation for her “Mindanao” role after first winning it at the Cairo International Film Festival in November.

Culion, the period drama set in the 1940s about the country’s former leper colony, did not gather much steam as expected. Its screenwriter, Ricky Lee, was inducted into the MMFF’s Hall of Fame for Best Screenplay/Story along with Roy Iglesias and Jose Javier Reyes. It was also given the Special Jury Prize (cast). The cast is composed of Bascon, Iza Calzado, Meryll Soriano and Jasmine Curtis-Smith, with the special participation of John Lloyd Cruz.

Noticeably, MMFF’s big names, Vice Ganda, Coco Martin, Anne Curtis, Maine Mendoza, Vic Sotto and Jennylyn Mercado went home without any trophies. Their movies, 3Pol Trobol, Mission Unstapabol and The Mall, The Merrier, are, however, raking in the box-office returns.

These movies target the general audience with their merry mix of elements of fantasy, romance, comedy, action and drama. These actors have been lording it over the annual film fest, now on its 45th edition, for the past decade.

Muhlach and Sunod star Carmina Villaroel were named Stars of the Night.

The MMFF has yet to release the official final box-office standings as the film fest is now only on its second week of run.

THE Muhlachs, Aga, with wife Charlene and twins Atasha and Andres. They are pictured here with child star Xia Vigor, Aga’s co-star in “Miracle in Cell No.7.”

Best Director: Brillante Mendoza, Mindanao

Special Jury Prize (writing): Crisanto Aquino, Write About Love

Best Supporting Actress: Yeng Constantino, Write About Love

Best Supporting Actor: Joem Bascon — Write About Love

Gatpuno Antonio J Villegas Cultural Award: Mindanao

Best Original Song: “Ikaw ang Akin” — Write About Love

Best Child Performer: Yuna Tangod — Mindanao

Best Student Short Film Award: Pamana ni Lola

Industry Stalwarts: Marichu Vera-Perez, Boots Anson-Rodrigo, Bienvenido Lumbera, Joseph Estrada

Best Actor: Anthony Alonzo, Christopher De Leon

Best Actress: Nora Aunor, Amy Austria, Vilma Santos-Recto, Maricel Soriano

Best Supporting Actress: Eugene Domingo, Cherie Gil

Diaz-Abaya, Joel Lamangan, Jose Javier Reyes

Best Screenplay/Story: Roy Iglesias, Ricky Lee, Jose Javier Reyes

Best Cinematographer: Rudy Lacap, Lee Meily, Carlo Mendoza, Romy Vitug

Best Sound Engineer: Ditoy Aguila, Michael Albert Idioma, Rolly Ruta

Best Musical Score: Dionisio Buencamino, Von de Guzman, Jaime Fabregas, Jessie Lasaten

Best Editor: Vito Cajili, Manet Dayrit, Jess Navarro, Edgardo Vinarao

Best Visual Effects: Roadrunner Network Inc.