JERRY OLEA
Mahigpit na magkalaban bilang best actress ng 3rd Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival sina Xyriel Manabat (Stuck On You) at Sassa Gurl (Multwoh: Patay Na Patay Sa ‘Yo).
Nasa kategoryang best supporting actress kasi sina Rochelle Pangilinan (Apple of My Ai), Rita Daniela (Wantawsan), at Agot Isidro (Patay Gutom).
Sa tingin ba ni Xyriel, matindi ang labanan nila ni Sassa Gurl?
“Siguro po,” sabi ni Xyriel sa mediacon noong Setyembre 17, 2026, Huwebes, sa Quantum Skyview ng Gateway Mall 2 sa Cubao, Quezon City.
“Kasi I’m sure, pareho naman po naming ginawa yung mga trabaho namin na bukal sa puso namin.
“So ayun, kami po, masaya kami! And we’re both rooting and cheering for each other. Sobrang love namin ang isa’t isa.
“Grabe kaming mag-cheer up for each other ni Sassa. With or without the award, grabe naming bigyan ng ‘award’ ang isa’t isa!”
Okay lang ba sa kanya na sa best actress ang kategorya ni Sassa Gurl? Kung sa best actor ito inilagay, sure win na sana siya…
“I think we’re in the era and we’re in the season na po na we’re very open, and we’re very healthy regardless po sa gender,” pagmamatwid ni Xyriel.
“It’s never a hindrance na to gain recognition, to gain awards. So, I don’t think gender should be a hindrance or an issue with award-giving bodies.
“And the fact na nakita nila siyang qualified, I think it’s not an issue at all.”
LEADING MEN
Leading man ni Xyriel si River Joseph sa Stuck on You na idinirek ni Mikko Baldoza, samantalang leading man ni Sassa Gurl si Joao Constancia sa Multwoh: Patay Na Patay Sa ‘Yo na idinirek ni Rodina Singh.
Ang Puregold CinePanalo 2026 ay gaganapin sa Setyembre 23-Oktubre 4 sa Gateway Cineplex 18, Trinoma, Fairview Terraces, Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and Market! Market!.
Ang regular price ng tiket ay PHP250, samantalang ang discounted price ay PHP200.
Ang awards ceremony ay nakatakda sa Setyembre 30, Miyerkules.
Ang festival director ay si Chris Cahilig.
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GORGY RULA
Agree ba si Sassa Gurl na matindi ang labanan nila ni Xyriel Manabat bilang best actress ng Puregold CinePanalo filmfest 2026?
Nakangiting tugon ni Sassa Gurl: “Ako lang po ang tanging trans lead actress dito sa CinePanalo.
“And dalawa lang kami ni Xyriel ang maglalaban sa best actress.
“And ako, ang masasabi ko na lang talaga ay… whatever happens, proud ako na may maiaalay akong best actress nomination for my nakshies.
“Kasi lahat naman ito, para naman ito sa mga nakshie ko.”
XYRIEL VS SASSA FOR BEST ACTRESS
Sabi ni Xyriel, sobrang love nila ni Sassa Gurl ang isa’t isa.
Tanggap ni Xyriel na katunggali si Sassa Gurl — kahit trans ito — sa kategoryang best actress.
“Hala! Hala… na-touch ako, ate, sa totoong buhay lang!” bulalas ni Sassa Gurl.
“Kasi, alam mo yon, first time ito, e. Siyempre kay Ate Xyriel, hindi naman ito first time, di ba?
“So, yung maging friendly competition ito with her… walang ligwakan, walang asiman… is sobrang nakakataba ng puso.
“Kasi si Xyriel ay artist. Aktor. Talagang may puso siya for the craft. And isa iyon sa mga nai-inspire ako.
“Kaya sabi ko nga na si Ate, rerespetuhin ko talaga iyan! No matter what!”
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NOEL FERRER
“Ate” ang tawag o turing ni Sassa Gurl kay Xyriel Manabat?
“Hindi naman ate pero alam mo yon, siyempre pagdating sa industriya, kasi nauna iyan sa akin,” sey ni Sassa Gurl.
“So, talagang mas marami siyang alam sa akin,” sey ni Sassa Gurl.
Masaya rin si Sassa Gurl para kay EJ Jallorina na nominadong best actress sa 49th Gawad Urian para sa Dreamboi.
Ang nagdirek ng Dreamboi ay si Rodina Singh, na siya ring direktor ng Multwoh: Patay Na Patay Sa ‘Yo.
CINEPANALO 2026 ENTRIES
Pito ang full-length films na kalahok sa CinePanalo 2026, samantalang labinsiyam (19) ang short films na grinupo sa apat na set.
Ang pitong full-length films ng CinePanalo 2026 ay ang mga sumusunod…
APOL OF MY AI
Director: Thop Nazareno
Starring: Zanjoe Marudo, Zion Cruz, and Rochelle Pangilinan
Logline: Bata lang si Apol pero binata na ang tingin niya sa kaniyang sarili. Masusubok ang kanyang pagbibinata nang ma-in love siya sa kanyang choir teacher, at nang gumawa ang kanyang tatay Poli ng isang desisyon na maglalayo sa kanilang loob. Kaya ba silang hilumin at muling paglapitin ng musika?
BEAST
Director: Lawrence Fajardo
Starring: John Arcilla
Logline: After a final harvest forced upon him by the landlord, a farmer and his loyal carabao embark on a magical road trip to Manila, chasing the ghost of a niece the years stole from him.
MONO NO AWARE
Director: BC Amparado
Starring: Juan Karlos Labajo and Perry Dizon
Logline: In a quiet apartment in Japan, a Filipino kodokushi cleaner meets an elderly widower who asks him for one final favor before he dies. What begins as a promise becomes a quiet story of grief, family, and accepting life's impermanence.
MULTWOH: PATAY NA PATAY SA ‘YO
Director: Rodina Singh
Starring: Sassa Gurl and Joao Constancia
Logline: When a college queer dies suddenly in their dorm, they return as a ghost — not to seek revenge, but to say the one thing they never found the courage to say in life: “I love you.” A haunting, hilarious, and tender story about fear, desire, and the kind of love that refuses to die.
PATAY GUTOM
Directors: Carl Papa and Ian Pangilinan
Starring: Khalil Ramos, Ian Pangilinan, Agot Isidro, and Cris Villanueva
Logline: The story follows a grumpy shut-in whose third eye is accidentally opened after eating an offering meant for a charming but lonely ghost. Now bound together, they discover family secrets, shared heartaches, and a love that blurs the line between life and the afterlife.
STUCK ON YOU
Director: Mikko Baldoza
Starring: Xyriel Manabat and River Joseph
Logline: A heartbroken manicurista accidentally takes on a hitman’s job, leading her to a deadly conspiracy where she must choose between saving her family or killing the man of her dreams.
WANTAWSAN
Director: Joseph Abello
Starring: Joross Gamboa, Rita Daniela, and Zion Cruz
Logline: A cash-strapped father receives money from the newly elected mayor he supported, but when he sets out to buy food for his son’s birthday that day, he’s thrust into a comical adventure that tests his wit and his values.
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