FROM October 5 to 16, the 21st edition of PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival will return to physical screenings with some 20 movies in three Metro Manila venues: Shangri-La Plaza, Cine Adarna at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, and Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros.
The fest returns to the big screen on a first-come, first-served free admission basis. It will also host online playdates for the Philippines, Malaysia and Australia.
Locally, “PELÍCULA” will open on October 5 with El buen patrón (Fernando León de Aranoa, 2021) starring Javier Bardem. Other comedies in the line-up include El test (Dani de la Orden, 2022), and Con quién viajas (Martín Cuervo, 2021).
Official entries also include documentaries such as A las mujeres de España María Lejárraga (Laura Hojman, 2022), dramas such as Maixabel (Icíar Bollaín, 2021) or El olvido que seremos (Fernando Trueba, 2020), and thrillers like La hija (Manuel Martín Cuenca, 2021).
“PELÍCULA” will also feature Latin American films such as the Colombian documentary Jinetes del Paraíso (Talia Osorio Cardona, 2020), the Panamanian comedy Algo azul (Mariel García Spooner, 2021), and Competencia oficial—a Spanish-Argentinian comedy directed in 2021 by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, featuring Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas and Oscar Martínez.
Like in the past staging, spectators may vote for their favorite films in the Audience Choice Awards, which will be given to the movies the viewers have voted as the best of the festival. Spectators can rate them right after viewing. The one garnering the most points will be rescreened on October 16 at Shangri-La Plaza.
For the 21st edition of the cinematographic showcase, there will be a special selection of classic Spanish films: Esa pareja feliz (Juan Antonio Bardem and Luis García Berlanga, 1951); Muerte de un ciclista (also by Bardem, 1953); Mamá cumple cien años (Carlos Saura, 1979) and El sur (Víctor Erice, 1983).
“PELÍCULA” will also hold “En corto: Short films from the Philippines and Spain,” which will feature recent short films from both countries.
This year’s film cavalcade is an initiative of Instituto Cervantes in Manila and Sydney, the Embassies of Spain in the Philippines and Australia, and the AECID in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Instituto Etxepare, Filmoteca Vasca, the Embassy of Colombia in the Philippines, the Embassy of Panama in the Philippines, the UP Film Institute, the University of the Philippines, Intramuros Administration, Vibal Foundation, Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Acciona, Rustan’s, Arthaland, and La Pícara.
All the movies are in Spanish or their original language with English subtitles. For updates, visit https://pelikula.org or www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.