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Tony and Olivier Award-winner Lea Salonga will receive the MIFF Icon Award at The Manila International Film Festival (MIFF), which is celebrating Philippine and diaspora cinema on the global stage. She will be honored with the award in a special tribute during the Closing Night Gala on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Also nominated by the MIFF for a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star, Salonga will be inducted later this year, specifically in the Live Theater category, making history as the first Filipina ever to receive the famed honor. The MIFF celebrates its third year running Sept. 3-6, 2026, and returns to its Hollywood home at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The film line-up, programming, additional honorees and gala details will be announced in the coming months.
“Lea Salonga is a legend whose extraordinary career has broken barriers and inspires generations of Filipino and Asian artists globally,” said Lisa Lew, Executive Producer of the MIFF. “From sweeping major theater awards to voicing classic Disney heroines and starring on screens across both the U.S. and the Philippines, she is the ultimate ambassador for Filipino excellence. The Manila International Film Festival is proud to champion Lea’s achievements through our Hollywood Walk of Fame nomination, and we look forward to celebrating her legacy with our Icon Award at the Closing Night Gala.”
Since its founding in 2024, MIFF has screened more than 20 films and recognized artists including Boots Anson Roa, Dingdong Dantes, Piolo Pascual, Tia Carrere, Vilma Santos, and more through its awards competition and annual Closing Night Gala.
Lea Salonga is an award-winning stage and screen star whose acclaimed performance originating the role of “Kim” in Miss Saigon earned her Tony, Olivier, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards for Best Actress. She was also the first Asian to play Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway and returned to the show as Fantine in the 2006 revival. On Broadway, Lea starred in the 2018 Broadway revival of Once on This Island as the Goddess of Love, Erzulie. The show’s return to the Broadway stage earned a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical and also garnered Lea and the cast a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album. She has also been seen on Broadway in Here Lies Love, Allegiance and Flower Drum Song.
Onscreen, she is known for her work in Philippine and U.S. films, including Sana Maulit Muli, Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal, Pik Pak Boom, Yellow Rose and The Vale. A designated Disney Legend, she provided the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin and Fa Mulan in Mulan and Mulan II. She also recently lent her voice to KPop Demon Hunters as the singing voice of Celine. She next stars in DreamWorks Animation’s highly anticipated film, Forgotten Island, directed by Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, opening in theaters Sept. 25, 2026.
Photo Credit: Raymond Issac
