Acclaimed Filipina actress and acting coach Ruby Ruiz has recently received the Best Actress trophy at the recent Harlem International Film Festival held in New York for her compelling performance in the award-winning film Iska. Ruiz plays the titular role in the Theodore Boborol-directed Cinemalaya 2019 entry, portraying the life of an elderly woman who tends to the needs of her grandson with autism.

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My heart is full of gratitude, thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing????

A post shared by Ruby Ruiz (@rubyruizzz) on Sep 21, 2020 at 1:08am PDT

In a post, the veteran actress said, “My heart is full of gratitude, thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing.”

When asked about the unexpected win, she tells The Feed, ” Winning came as a surprise, but it is truly a blessing! Especially because it came during this period where we are experiencing a global pandemic. I was more than grateful to stay safe & healthy & cannot really ask for more. But receiving an award amidst the pandemic affirms the fact that film industry & prestigious award winning bodies thrive amidst the crisis.”

With her in the film are veteran actor Soliman Cruz, Jonic Magno and Angie Castrence. Director Ted Boborol also shared that the independent film is slated to be released in the streaming service Netflix this coming October 8.