Enzo Pineda wins Best Actor at Emirates Film Festival

Enzo Pineda has achieved another milestone in his career. The 34-year-old actor recently won the Best Actor award at the 11th Emirates Film Festival (EFF) in Dubai, held on 18 January. Pineda earned the prestigious honor for his role in the 20-minute drama-thriller short film As The Call, So The Echo, directed by Rusty Palacio Guarin, who also won the Best Director award.

This marks Pineda’s first international acting award, following his Best Supporting Actor win at the 2021 FAMAS for his role in Jason Paul Laxamana’s He Who Is Without Sin (2020).

In As The Call, So The Echo, Pineda plays a father involved in a criminal syndicate that kidnaps children and sells their organs.

He shared in a one-on-one interview with DAILY TRIBUNE how his real-life experience as a “dog dad” helped him prepare for the role:

“First of all, I’m not a dad yet, so I probably have to learn what it really means to be a father. I guess in my own way, I’m a dog dad. So, I applied that fatherly instinct with my dog to my role as a father in the short film. It’s pretty much the same, actually. Sometimes, even with dogs, it’s tough because they don’t talk when they have problems. So, in my own way, I have some experience in being a father,” he explained.

To prepare for the role, Pineda researched the syndicate’s operations through YouTube videos, as the short film — mostly shot in Quezon City — is inspired by true events.

“I saw how the syndicate operates, and I saw how painful the damage is — not just to the child who gets kidnapped, but to the family as well,” he said.

He was also inspired to take on the role for a deeper purpose: “It’s not just another dark role — it’s also to inform everyone that events like this happen. We can’t just let our kids play freely on the streets without being careful,” Pineda added, noting that he is also currently campaigning for councilor in Quezon City’s fifth district.

Pineda emphasized the importance of being prepared for his roles. He explained that he attends rehearsals and workshops and feels self-conscious on set if he’s not fully prepared.

“I don’t really focus on myself, but I think if I feel my acting is lacking, I check the playback to see what I need to do. As an actor, sometimes you have to see yourself from the audience’s perspective—what they want to see, what looks good. Maybe the emotion is there, but visually, you have to check because acting is still visual. You need to find the balance between being visually appealing and ensuring the emotion in the scene is genuine,” he shared.

Director Rusty Palacio Guarin praised Pineda’s talent, recalling how he recognized his potential from his early acting stints in GMA and ABS-CBN.

“From the start, I knew he was a talented actor — good, skilled and collaborative. Whenever I give him scenes to work on, he’d ask me, ‘Direk, is it okay if I do it like this?’ I’d say, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea.’ He really gets my point, and we collaborate well together,” said Guarin, who is just beginning his journey as a filmmaker.

Guarin was inspired to create a fictional story based on real-life accounts of white unmarked vans roaming the streets and kidnapping children.

When asked about the actors who currently inspire him, Pineda expressed his gratitude for his close friends, RK Bagatsing and Jake Cuenca, who continue to motivate him.

“We always talk about our roles. We share notes—suggesting acting books and other resources. ‘Read this, it’ll help with your acting,’ they say. So they’ve been a big inspiration for me,” Pineda shared.

As The Call, So The Echo, which was shot in just three days, has yet to be screened publicly, but Guarin mentioned that a private screening is scheduled for March.