John Lloyd Cruz, arguably the most powerful actor in the Philippines, was discovered by a talent scout in a shopping mall. After appearing in a handful of teen-oriented television shows, he signed with ABS- CBN's Star Magic group in 1997, giving him a platform to star opposite leading actresses Toni Gonzaga, Sarah Geronimo, and Bea Alonzo in a series of romantic blockbusters for the television behemoth's Star Cinema studio. His Cathy Garcia-Molina-directed romantic dramas One More Chance (2007, with Alonzo), A Very Special Love (2008, with Geronimo) and You Changed My Life (2009, Geronimo again) were the country's highest grossing films three years in a row making him the country's undisputed box office king. Last year's sequel A Second Chance stands as the country's highest grossing local film with a $12 million domestic haul. He has also won practically every award in the Philippines. In New York, we are capturing him at a crucial moment in his career, with a screening of his first film as a producer and investor, Erik Matti's Honor Thy Father. Although the crime thriller was released one month after Second Chance, it marked his first film after a one-year stand-off with ABS-CBN and a radical departure from his still-boyish image. The film, about family, religion and corruption, stars Cruz as a father whose household is besieged by mob violence and whose daughter is kidnapped by creditors after the collapse of his father-in-law's pyramid scheme. Released on December 25th within the nationwide Metro Manila Film Festival, it unravelled a corruption scandal within the event itself, that led to radical changes after hearings in Congress. To salute his reinvention as one of the Philippines best actors inside and outside the romantic genre, the New York Asian Film Festival is presenting Cruz with his first international award.