Mary Jane Sta. Ana Guck, 52, who is professionally known as Jaclyn Jose, won the best actress award at the 69th Cannes Film Festival for her performance in "Ma' Rosa" directed by Brillante Mendoza. She is the first actress from the Philippines to win the award from the prestigious film festival while Mendoza was the first Filipino to win best director in 2009.
During her acceptance speech, Jose said she did not know what to say and she was very surprised as she just went to the Cannes Film Festival 2016 to walk the red carpet with her real-life daughter Andi Eigenmann, 25, who also played her daughter in "Ma' Rosa." She thanked the jury and Mendoza, who she described as a brilliant director and a genius.
Extremely surprised, Jose elicited laughter from the audience while she cluelessly tried to find words to say during her acceptance speech. She also shared hugs with Mendoza and Eigenmann onstage.
In "Ma' Rosa," Jose played the title character, a mother who owns a sweetshop in the slums where she also secretly sells illegal drugs along with her husband Nestor (Julio Diaz). The couple fall prey to corrupt police as their children Raquel (Eigenmann), Jackson (Felix Roco) and Eriwn (Jomari Angeles) have to find out to "buy" their freedom.
Jose's role in "Ma' Rosa" is a far cry from her role in the Philippine soap opera "The Millionaire's Wife," in which she played a spoiled rich woman. The actress has been friends with Mendoza for more than 30 years.
While this is the first time for a Filipino to win the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, this is not the first time for Jose and Mendoza to attend the film festival. The former starred in "Serbis," which was directed by the latter and competed in the film festival in 2008.
With George Miller as the President of the Jury for the main competition, the 69th Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11-22. Prior to the awards ceremony, Eigenmann caught attention in the red carpet as one of the best dressed celebrities in the list of Vanity Fair.
The best actor award was given to "The Salesman" actor Shahab Hosseini, 42, from Iran. The complete list of winners is in the official website of the film festival.
Written by Troy Espiritu, "Ma' Rosa" also stars Baron Geisler, Mon Confiado, Maria Isabel Lopez, Neil Ryan Sese, John Paul Duray, Mercedes Cabral, Kristoffer King and Mark Anthony Fernandez. Watch the trailer here: