Struggles of filmmakers, actors recognized at 1st CinePanalo fest

Kurt Soberano receives the best picture award for “Under a Piaya Moon.” —PHOTOS BY MARINEL CRUZ

Kurt Soberano, whose “Under a Piaya Moon” won the best picture award at the recently concluded 1st CinePanalo Film Festival, said the competition has made him well aware of the struggles to make a full-length feature within a three-month timeline that he promised to never make a food movie again.

“Under a Piaya Moon,” about a young man who aspires to continue the family legacy with the help of his feuding grandparents, won six trophies including best supporting actor for Joel Torre and best actor for Jeff Moses (tied with Carlitos Siguion-Reyna for “Pushcart Tales”).

Jeff Moses, best actor

“It was sort of a joke given the limited time we had to shoot. Good food takes time and is very technical,” Soberano told Inquirer Entertainment a day after the awards ceremony held on Saturday night. “It’s very challenging to cook food, follow the exact procedure, and make it look beautiful on camera simultaneously. Multiplying it by more than 20 scenes within a three-month timeline is insane. Some of it involved contestants with different variations of a certain delicacy.”

“Of course, I realized that halfway through. I didn’t take this into consideration because it was my first full-length and everything that I wanted to do was executed properly,” said the Negrense director, whose debut film was the 2022 Cinemalaya finalist “Golden Bells.”

The best part about making “Under a Piaya Moon,” according to Soberano, was “telling the story of our province and the rich culture that we have through food. The province of Negros is known for its delectable treats and cuisines, and despite the struggles, we never gave up and never settled for less, even if it required reshoots.”

Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, best director

Other categoriesThe film also won in the following categories: editing (Soberano and Rodney Jarder Jr.), production design (Soberano and Jed Sicangco) and cinematography (Nathan Bringuer).

Meanwhile, Shamaine Buencamino bagged the best actress trophy for her performance in Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s “Pushcart Tales.”

She said one of the best parts about making the film was working with husband Nonie, as well as young actors Therese Malvar, Elora Espano and Harvey Bautista.

“This film has a very limited budget—everyone in the festival knows this. For an actor to agree to be a part of something like this means he is sacrificing the time he could be spending on a project that pays him better. This was really a sacrifice, but I believe in Sigrid and I enjoyed the script the first time I read it,” she pointed out.

Shamaine Buencamino, best actress

Most challenging

“The most challenging part was acting like a zombie, what with all its awkward movements and prosthetics. I had to wear contact lenses and use red drops that stung my eyes. Despite the physical pain, I enjoyed acting in it because it’s like theater. We had to deliver long lines and the film didn’t have a lot of cuts,” Buencamino recalled.

“Pushcart Tales,” a dramedy about six individuals trapped inside a grocery store during a great storm, also won best ensemble acting, as well as the Special Jury Prize. Bernardo bagged the best director honor, while Nioki Aquino won best sound design.

Bringing home the trophies for Audience Choice and “Always Panalo” (considered as the best picture by festival producers) was Carlo Obispo’s “A Lab Story,” which talks about an Aeta girl competing in an agriculture-themed quiz bee in order to overcome bullying and defy expectations.

“I started developing the script in 2016 and completed it in 2018. I submitted it in different festivals, but it never made it to the finals, until CinePanalo came along, looking for a ‘panalo’-themed story. Luckily, the selection committee liked it and it was brought to life,” said Obispo.

Lead actress Uzziel Delamide also shared what she considered the best part about working on the film. “I’m a theater actor and it’s my first time to do a full-length film. I learned a lot from Direk Carlo. Another thing was getting nominated for best actress along with Ms Shamaine,” she said.

Fellow cast member Donna Cariaga added: “We started late shooting the film. We spent a week in a lock-in set in Tarlac. Faced with this situation, we were forced to get to know each other fast. I didn’t expect that something good would come out of it, but I’m still friends with all of them,” she said.
“Boys at the Back” won the best supporting actress award for Nicole Omillo, best story for Raynier Brizuela, and best musical score for Owa Marquez. “Road to Happy” won best theme song for “Mahal Kita,” sung by VJ Mendoza.

Best actress Shamaine Buencamino (right) with presenter Boots Anson-Roa —CONRTIBUTED

Student awards

Under the students’ short film category, Ron Jay-C Mendiola’s “Last Shift” won best short film, best actor (Jules Azaula, tied with Crismer Valencia for “May Kulay Rosas Ba ang Bahaghari?”), best supporting actor (Vince Macapobre, tied with Aiskhylos Akiyama for “Kung Nag-aatubili”), best screenplay and best poster.

“Kung Nag-aatubili” won best director (Dizelle C Masilungan) and best cinematography (Anton Acosta), while Jenievive Adame’s “Smokey Journey” won the ‘Always Panalo’ award, as well as best ensemble, and musical score (Bernie del Carmen). “Tiil ni Lola” won best editing (Nile Justin Bacolod, Reutsche Colle Lime and ELJ Seth Tababa) and best original theme song (“Balik” sung by Dixie Cruel), while “May Kulay Rosas Ba sa Bahaghari?” won best sound design for Kaycee Flores. “Remedy Soup” bagged the best production design for Mikaela Ganaden.

Jade Mary Cornelia was heralded best actress for ‘Text Find Dad and Send to 2366,” while Maila Rediang won best supporting actress for “Repeater si Peter.” The Audience Choice award was given to Ma. Rafaela Mae Abucejo’s “Saan Ako Pinaglihi?” while the Special Jury Prize was handed to Kent Michael Cadungog’s “Text Find Dad and Send to 2366.”

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board also handed its Responsableng Paglikha award to “Under a Piaya Moon” and the following shorts: “Smokey Journey” (first place), “Tiil ni Lola” (second place), and “Kung Nag-aatubili” (third place).

The 1st CinePanalo Film Festival ran from March 15 to 17, and was extended to March 20.