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Seven years after the controversial MEGA cover
of October 2001, Judy Ann Santos is back—older, wiser
and every bit a woman of substance. From a singing street
urchin, telenovela princess, to box office queen, Judy Ann—or
Juday as she is fondly called in show business— became
a household name whose lovely face continues to fill up our
TV screens, billboards, and prime advertising spaces around
the country. Fresh from the international success of Ploning,
an independently produced film where Judy Ann brings to life
a famous Cuyonon folk song about a mysterious barrio lass
waiting for a lost love, the award-winning and multi-nominated
film and television actress breezes into the set dressed down
in a cotton top, leggings, Mary Janes, a cup of ice cream
and a polite, “Hello po.” Her youthful,
wide-eyed gaze and down-to-earth ways belie her superstar
status.
Graded “A” by the Cinema Evaluation Board, Ploning
has enjoyed glowing reception here and abroad, scoring a special
screening in France’s historical Champs Elysee at the
Paris International Film Festival held last July. With the
release coinciding with her 30th birthday, Ploning
sealed Judy Ann’s stature as a versatile artist capable
of captivating a staunch following even without a “love
team.” Juday’s tearless delivery of the lead character’s
pain left her audience sobbing, choked with emotions, moved
beyond words for days to come.
“This is how I’d like to be remembered,”
says Juday of her mature and deeply engaging role created
for her eight years ago by Dante Garcia, the film’s
director and Juday’s best friend. The movie, which also
served to showcase to the world the hidden magnificence of
our country and its people, became a major turning point for
Judy Ann and those close to her heart: as Judy Ann’s
first venture into producing, as Dante Ga’s first directorial
movie, and her fiancé Ryan Agoncillo’s first
book, entitled Ploning: The Making. |
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