GMA Pictures’ “Firefly” (2023) and “Green Bones” (2024), both directed by Zig Dulay, have earned another international nod—this time being shortlisted among Filipino films for the 7th ASEAN International Film Festival & Awards (AIFFA), set to run from November 12‐15 in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.
These two films have already made waves at home.
“Firefly,” a blend of fantasy and road-movie elements, won Best Picture at the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), along with Best Screenplay for Angeli Atienza and Best Child Performer for Euwenn Mikaell.
Meanwhile, “Green Bones,” a prison drama focusing on the moral complexities around crime, justice, and personal loss, was GMA’s major success in MMFF 2024—collecting several top awards including Best Picture, Best Actor (Dennis Trillo), Best Supporting Actor (Ruru Madrid), Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Child Performer.
What makes these films stand out is not just their trophy count, but their thematic ambition.
“Firefly” tells the story of a young boy, Tonton, pursuing the myth of a firefly island told by his mother, exploring dreaming, memory, and hope.
“Green Bones,” on the other hand, places characters at the intersection of institutional responsibility and personal grief: a prison guard haunted by family trauma, and a prisoner whose own case questions what freedom means when justice is imperfect.
As “Firefly” and “Green Bones” prepare for AIFFA, the question on viewers’ minds is: can they continue their momentum? The awards, the buzz, and the strong performances suggest they just might.
For GMA Pictures and Dulay, this is further validation that local stories—when done with craft—can travel beyond Philippine shores.
