Thai actor Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, also known as Win Metawin, is set to receive the Rising Star Award at the 17th Asian Film Awards on March 10 at the Xiqu Centre of the West Kowloon Cultural District in Hong Kong.

Presented by the Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA), the award is given to "promising new generation talents who have demonstrated exceptional breakthroughs and potentials in Asian cinema and to show them encouragement for further advancement."

The 24-year-old star has become one of the most popular Thai actors in the Asia-Pacific region and is known for his character Tine Teepakorn from the popular boy-love (BL) series 2gether: The Series and its associated film 2gether: The Movie, which was selected to be shown at the Hong Kong Asia Film Festival.

Win will also be the first Thai actor to receive the said award, which was previously given to Korean actors Park Seo-joon and Lee Soo-hyuk.

Besides his award, the Thai actor is also bringing his upcoming movie with Kapamilya star Janella Salvador to the film festival.

Together with film executive producer and 28 Squared Studios' Chief Executive Officer Richard Juan and Filipino award-winning director Sigrid Bernardo, Under Parallel Skies will be showcased at an event where they will be sharing their insights on the film.

The film’s teaser received praise from netizens after its release on Thursday, February 1, with over 9 million collective views as of this writing.

“With this cross-country collaboration, the actors can bring their own unique skill sets and experiences, which can help enrich the story and give more authenticity to the characters they play,” Sigrid said in a statement.

“I aim to create a film that celebrates the unique identities and traditions of each culture while also exploring common themes and experiences that unite us as human beings,” she added.

READ: Janella Salvador, Win Metawin to star in upcoming film ‘Under Parallel Skies’

The film follows the story of a Thai bachelor, played by Win, who travels to Hong Kong in search of his missing mother.

He then encounters a Filipino hotelier, played by Janella, who helps him navigate love, heartbreak, and healing in the foreign city amid their differences in culture and identity.

The upcoming film was shot in Hong Kong from June 2023 to July 2023 and features iconic local locations including Kowloon City, Tai O, Peng Chau, and Avenue of Stars, making the country a suitable and meaningful locale for the film’s initial exposure.

In an interview with Karen Davila on ANC's Headstart last January, Richard Juan said that Hong Kong is the better place to show the cross-cultural romance genre of the film’s story.

“What's a better city than Hong Kong to talk about this type of cross-cultural love, cross-cultural relationship, kasi Hong Kong is a melting pot of different cultures," Richard remarked.

READ: Richard Juan announces ‘Under Parallel Skies’ to be released in cinemas in 2024

He added, “I hope everyone can support this because it's one of the very few things that I feel like it's very different, it's cross-country," he said.

READ: ‘Masarap’: Janella Salvador, Win Metawin share kiss in ‘Under Parallel Skies’ teaser

The film, which also marks Win’s first international film, is scheduled for release exclusively in cinemas in April 2024.