'Under a Piaya Moon' director hopes he made mentor Peque Gallaga proud

In receiving the award for Mowelfund Film Institute Special Citation (full-length film category) at the just-concluded Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival at the Gateway Cineplex, “Under a Piaya Moon” director Kurt Soberano dedicated it to all his film and acting mentors, including the late multi-awarded filmmaker Peque Gallaga, Lawrence Fajardo, Jay Abello, and all the Ilonggo and Negrense directors.

- CHARMIE JOY PAGULONG

The film, which featured Negrense delicacies, also bagged the Best Picture award; Best Actor for Jeff Moses (a tie with “Pushcart Tales” actor Carlos SiguionReyna); Best Supporting Actor for Joel Torre; Best in Cinematography for Nathan Bringuer; Best Editing for Kurt and Rodney Jarder Jr.; Best in Production Design for Kurt and Jed Sicangco; and Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Responsableng Paglikha Award.

Set in the ‘80s in Bacolod City, the movie tells the story of a young man who aspires to continue the family legacy by winning an inter-city pastry competition with the help of his feuding grandfather and grandmother.

In a Zoom interview with The STAR and another media, direk Kurt shared more details about the film and how direk Peque, who also hails from Negros Occidental, has influenced his works.

“Usually, when you do a full-length (film), it usually takes about six months more or less. This one, we were only given like three months,” began the young filmmaker. They also had to create the production design since the film is set in a particular decade.

“When you shoot a film, food is very, very technical. I don’t know how to cook but I wanna make sure that every detail is correct on how you make a napoleones or how you make a piaya. So we had to study all that with the help of Merzci pasalubong,” he went on.

“It’s challenging in a way (that) big percent of the film has food. So imagine how much food you need and for me, it’s not just simple food. The food has to look beautiful at the same time.”