MANILA - Actor John Arcilla has won the Coppa Volpi for best actor from the prestigious Venice International Film Festival but that wasn't the only thing he took home.
In a message to ABS-CBN executive Laurenti Dyogi, Arcilla proudly shared that he already received the Volpi Cup, as well as a luxury watch that came along with it.
“Direk, I got na my Volpi Cup ready for my Metro mag pictorial and it goes pala with Cartier watch for men,” he said.
Arcilla’s new watch costs US$13,500 or roughly more than P680,000, according to the Cartier website.
In awe of his new timepiece, the actor said: “This Cartier pala is both 18k gold inside and out –- including all the piyesa inside the watch.”
Arcilla was recognized at the Venice International Film Festival for his performance in the movie "On The Job: The Missing 8."
He was not able to attend the festival personally and director Erik Matti received his prize on his behalf.
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest film festival in the world and is counted among the three most prestigious, alongside Cannes and Berlin.
Arcilla is the first Southeast Asian talent to win best actor in Venice, in its 78-year history.
"On The Job: The Missing 8" tackles another real-world predicament in today's media as journalists Sisoy Salas (Arcilla) and Arnel (Christopher de Leon) look at fake news and how easily it can be manufactured and disseminated to the public.
Eight individuals, all linked to a newspaper, disappeared one day, and a hired killer on the loose, inmate Roman (Dennis Trillo), holds vital evidence to this dark incident.
Arcilla stars as a radio host forced to re-think his support for the government after a series of assassinations.
The film is a sequel to the 2013 film "On the Job" by Matti, which was a huge success in the Philippines, telling the story of prisoners used by the government as hitmen.