Lip Sync Assassin walked away as one of the big winners at the recently concluded CinePride Film Festival in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. Precious Paula Nicole, star of the short film, bagged the award for Best Lead Performance, while Jon Galvez was honored as Best Director. Nicole also got a Special Citation for Best Performance at the Sinag Maynila 2025 Awards Night.
The win was celebrated as they returned to The Philippines through a press conference that featured a special screening of Lip Sync Assassin.
Nicole and Galvez shared the victory with the local film, LGBTQIA+, and drag communities. Nicole said that the role was something meant for her as she got the call from Galvez two weeks after she manifested the opportunity.
Galvez, on the other hand, always thought that Nicole would be perfect for the movie while he was writing the script. “Complex nga ‘yung character ni Sampaguita pero kailangan puno siya ng puso kasi willing siyang ibigay ang lahat lahat para sa pamilya. And meron din akong nakitang parang magic kay Precious even when I was following her career in Drag Race na ‘yun eh all heart lagi ang binibigay niya.”
Lip Sync Assassin follows the story of Sampaguita, a drag queen who also works as a contract assassin so she can earn extra for her daughter and ill mother. Galvez tags it as a breadwinner story which partly resonates with his previous experience as an OFW based in Singapore. The movie also features Star Magic’s Argel Saycon plus drag queen favorite Hana Beshie.
At the press conference, Nicole reflected on how she never says no to a challenge and hopes her recent milestone as an actress encourages more people to dream big. “Mahirap siya talaga, ako nga po after 20 years nangyari sa akin yung pag-arte, pero hindi ko binitawan.”
Lip Sync Assassin was screened at select movie houses all throughout the metro until the end of September thanks to Sinag Malaya 2025.
CinePride Film Festival was held last September 11-14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. It serves as a global celebration of LGBTQIA+ stories through film debuts, workshops, and panel discussions. This year’s films featured international drag legends BenDelaCreme, Monét X Change, and Jinkx Monsoon.