One of Philippine cinema's greatest filmmakers, Peque Gallaga has passed away. He was 76.


Gallaga's body of work—from Oro Plata Mata and Scorpio Nights to Shake, Rattle and Roll and Magic Temple—shows that it is possible for a film director to straddle the lines of critical acclaim and commercial viability with equal success. This is a thorny issue for many in the creative field, as the idea (or myth, whichever side of the fence you're on) of the former meaning the preservation of the soul and the other the blatant selling of it somehow still persists.


When Direk Peque pushed the envelope, he did so with full confidence in the quality of his work. When he went commercial, he still imbued it with a total respect for the craft of filmmaking. These days film directors have been successful in fusing both, and they can credit direk Peque for showing the way.



 







Direk Peque's family said he died from complications from pneumonia. He was in Bacolod at the time. Colleagues from showbiz were quick to pay tribute to the great filmmaker.