A remarkable moment for this woman.
Transgender actress and comedienne Iyah Mina won Best Actress for her debut role in Mamu; And a Mother Too at the Cinema One Original Awards Night at the Dolphy Theater in Quezon City yesterday.
Mina is the first transgender woman in history to bag a Best Actress award in the Philippines.
Cinema One Originals announced on its official Facebook page: “More than just celebrating #IAmOriginal, we also celebrate equality! Today, we made history as Iyah Mina is the first transgender woman to win Best Actress in Philippine Cinema.”
The post adds, “In her heart-warming speech, she declares, ‘I am a woman!!! True?!'”
In Rod Singh’s Mamu; And a Mother Too, Mina portrays an aging transgender sex worker named Mamu who dreams of getting breast implants. However, she shifts priorities when her sister passes away and has to take care of her niece, a trans woman herself.
Aside from Mina’s award, the film also won the Audience Choice award, and Aaron Villaflor — who plays Mamu’s boyfriend in the film — took Best Supporting Actor.
LAGALAB LGBT Philippines, a network of Filipino LGBTQ organizations, commended the feat.
“What a trailblazing win for actress Iyah Mina. Congratulations, Iyah and the team of Mamu; And a Mother Too. Let’s continue to pave the way forward to a humane, just, progressive and equal society!”
Netizens also praised Mina for her work.
Commenting on Cinema One Originals’ Facebook post, Ricci Guillarte wrote: “Wow! I’m so proud of her! My girlfriend & I have met/seen her twice, and both times she championed us for simply being out here in the world as a proud homosexual couple. She deserves this bc she is kind & hardworking.”
Freddie Galcon said in a mix of English and Filipino: “Congrats mama! So proud of you! I’ve watched the movie, it’s super duper good!”
“[The] trailer was so good, so relatable to other trans story (sic),” wrote Nicky Mirambil. “[It’s the] reality of life and [I’m] so happy that sister [Iyah] won the best actress award for this film. [She] deserved it. Congrats [sister Iya].”
Check out the full list of winners here.
