General Hospital’s Anna Devane has a lot on her plate lately, particularly with the malicious antics of Congressman Drew Cain. His actions have been so awful that someone finally shot him, hoping to get rid of him once and for all. However, Drew didn’t die, and Anna has her work cut out for her. Meanwhile, off-screen, Finola Hughes has also pursued her own passion project: filmmaking. Already known as a versatile performer, Hughes just hit a new career high as her short film Darling, co-directed with Mandy Mills, picked up top honors at the Northeast Film Festival. And in true Hughes fashion, she celebrated the win with fans on Instagram.

A Celebration Online

General Hospital star Finola Hughes shared on Instagram, “Wanted to share some amazing news…. @itsmandymills and my film ‘Darling’ won best short at @nefilmfestival Woo Hoo!! Thank you, Larry Rosen and everyone at #northeastfilmfestival, for your support and all the work you do. Thank you to everyone who participated in this film. Your contribution is so valued, and we share this win with you.”

Her costars were out in full force offering their support, with Nazneen Contractor (ADA Turner) responding, “FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!!!” Longtime castmate, Kristina Wagner (Felicia) commented, “Congratulations. You’ve done it again.” General Hospital alum Eva LaRue, who played the recently departed Natlia Ramirez, excitedly wrote, “Congratulations!!! You’re a frickin Rockstar!!!” Relative newcomer Sawandi Wilson (Isaiah), simply responded, “CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!” adding in a fire and several applause emojis. And Tanisha Harper (Jordan) kept her reaction simple with, “Yes!!!!”

A Milestone Moment

The congratulations poured in from every corner of Instagram. @kelly.mcpoland gushed, “Congratulations to you and everyone else who was a part of this FINTASTIC movie. I loved the sensitive, complex characters’ relations to each other. I’d love to see a sequel.” @wan_nabe added, “That’s awesome! Congratulations!!” and @mattboren chimed in with, “Congratulations!! This is so exciting!”

Fans kept the momentum going with more applause. @jennifer.journals asked eagerly, “So many congratulations!  Where can it be viewed? I can’t wait to see it!!!” Meanwhile, @betsyymarie_ gave a shoutout to the festival itself: “Larry and @nefilmfestival are the best! Congrats!!!” Even fellow actors and creatives like @thelydia_look and @troythomasfilms dropped in with their own messages of pride and support.

The flood of fan excitement didn’t slow down as more comments poured in celebrating Hughes’ achievement. @kellysgardens shared, “Congratulations!!!!!! No surprise and no end to your talent!” while @creativepiya4 added, “Congrats, Fin !!! Proud of you!!” @sandrabramati chimed in with, “Congratulations!! I am sure you are an excellent teacher/professor to your amazing students!!” showing just how much Hughes inspires even outside of her acting work.

The enthusiasm was universal, with fans and colleagues alike rallying to applaud Hughes’ creative milestone. @erica_agredano wrote, “Congratulations @finolafilona that’s wonderful!” And @vanessamarcilmlovesk summed up the collective excitement with one emphatic note: “Yesss!!!!!!!!!!”