MANILA — “Hindi sa ‘yo ‘yan! Nakakaloka!” so went the light-hearted clarification of host Giselle Sanchez, as she asked fellow comedian Gary Lim to hand over the best supporting actor trophy to its rightful winner, during the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) awards ceremony on Monday.

Lim, a cast member of “A Hard Day,” went on stage to receive the award on John Arcilla’s behalf — only, the latter actually won for another film which he was also nominated for.

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Arcilla scored double nominations in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category for his roles in both “A Hard Day” and “Big Night.”

The only other nominee in the category was Nico Antonio, also for “Big Night.”

Lim, accompanied by co-actor Pio Balbuena, already had the trophy in hand when Atty. Joji Alonso, one of the producers of “Big Night,” appeared on the side of the stage.

“Hindi sa ‘yo ‘yan! Ibalik mo sa totoong may-ari! Nakakaloka ka!”
A highlight from last night’s MMFF awards show—
A Hard Day cast member Gary Lim mistakenly accepted on John Arcilla’s behalf the best supporting actor trophy. Arcilla actually won for Big Night in same category. pic.twitter.com/SRJzTp9RDc

— Miguel Dumaual (@migueldumaual) December 28, 2021

“Ito pala!” Balbuena exclaimed upon noticing Alonso, and fled the stage.

Owing to their comedic chops, Lim and Sanchez quickly turned the awkward moment into an amusing one.

“Ay, ikaw ba tatanggap?” Lim quipped.

“‘Big Night,’ hindi ‘A Hard Day’!” Sanchez emphasized. “Hindi sa ‘yo ‘yan! Ibalik mo sa totoong may-ari! Gary, nakakaloka ka!”

Lim joked he was tapped last-minute to be a presenter, before handing the award to Alonso.

Arcilla, who was not in attendance, was nonetheless able to deliver a speech, through a video call shown to the audience by the film producer.

Later in the evening, Gary Lim joked about the mistake as he accepted another award, this time correctly: 3rd Best Picture for A Hard Day.
Big Night, meanwhile, won Best Picture, and led the tally of trophies this year. pic.twitter.com/O6h1C4mhQK

— Miguel Dumaual (@migueldumaual) December 28, 2021

“Pasensya na ho, at medyo paranoid pa ako sa pandemic, so I wasn’t able to attend tonight,” Arcilla said.

“Hindi ko akalain na magkakaroon ako ng ganitong sitwasyon,” he said, referring to giving a speech to a physical audience through a phone.

Arcilla expressed gratitude to the cast, crew, and creative teams of “Big Night.” The dark comedy, about a gay beautician accused of being a drug peddler, went on to score the most number of trophies this year — eight, including Best Picture, Best Director for Jun Lana, and Best Actor for Christian Bables.

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“A Hard Day,” an adaptation of the 2014 South Korean film about a cop who accidentally kills a man in a road crash, meanwhile won 3rd Best Picture. The award prompted Lim to return to the stage later in the evening, this time correctly.

“Natatawa ako! Totoo na ba ‘to?” Lim said, in jest, before turning serious to urge Filipino moviegoers to support local cinema as it makes its first steps to recover from the pandemic.