Award-winning actress and former chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines Liza Diño was so overwhelmed and moved to tears when esteemed personalities from the government and film industry, members of the diplomatic corps, and her closest friends and family members all gathered to witness a very special moment in her illustrious career, as the first-ever Filipina to be knighted in the field of cinema by the French Republic.
As the first and only Filipina to receive the distinction in the field of cinema, Diño’s achievements have elevated and uplifted the Philippine film industry in the last six years in the FDCP, most especially in the empowerment and promotion of Philippine cinema around the world. Esteemed guests spotted were Carlitos Siguion-Reyna, Bibeth Orteza, Angel Aquino, Raquel Villavicencio, Bela Padilla, Brillante Mendoza, Mark Meily, Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew, Jim Baltazar of CMB Films, Ed Lejano, Manet Dayrit.
She added, “I’d like to thank the French government for honoring me and acknowledging that Philippine cinema, with all the blood, sweat and tears that need to be shed, is worth championing and fighting for,” she said in her speech, which turned emotional many times.