“Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita” (2004)
Director Joel Lamangan helmed this war movie which depicts the life of a transgender named Ignacio “Igna” Basa portrayed by Dennis Trillo. Igna falls in love with a Japanese man but he later became a spy for the guerilla movement.
The film was hailed as Best Picture by the Film Academy of the Philippines and as Most Gender Sensitive Film by the MMFF.
Igna was a breakout role for Dennis, who received several awards both as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for his convincing portrayal of a transgender.