"In the Name of the Mother" stars Snooky Serna and Rita Daniela will vie for best actress at the 11th International Film Festival Manhattan in New York.

Snooky and Rita play mother and daughter in the nominated flick.

In the movie, Snooky plays the mother of three kids abused and abandoned by her husband, while Rita is the rebellious child.

The story revolves around Carmen (Snooky), who faces the wreckage of her husband’s suicide two years after he left her for another woman. The 54-year-old math teacher boldly assumes the debts that drove him to kill himself and revives the jewelry store she used to manage for him.

In an act of compassion, she gives back her husband’s devastated mistress her old job as a saleslady at the store. This stuns her three children, especially her daughter, the feisty middle child (Rita). As her children struggle with their own lives, Carmen’s desperate efforts to keep her family intact eventually come home to roost—with mixed results.

Aside from Snooky and Rita, Joel Lamangan is also nominated for best director.

Also in the cast are Gardo Versoza, Diana Zubiri, Pancho Magno, and Migs Cuaderno, among others.

This year's International Film Festival Manhattan Spring 2021 will be held from May 28 to 30.