Película Spanish Film Festival turns diez

MANILA, Philippines - Instituto Cervantes’ Película Spanish Film Festival is turning 10 this October. And it promises to be the biggest and best showcase yet of Spanish movies in the Philippines.

With a press launch attended by Spanish Ambassador Jorge Domecq, newly appointed Instituto Cervantes director Eduardo Calvo and Film Development Council of the Philippines head Ed Maranan, Película gears up for its Oct. 4 premiere of

La Vergüenza (The Shame) at Greenbelt 3, Cinema 1. The film’s director, David Planell, will attend the premiere.

With events tied in with the celebration of Jose Rizal’s 150th anniversary (the unveiling of a new Spanish translation of Noli Me Tangere in November at the Instituto) as well as a decade of Spanish-Filipino cultural exchange, the Instituto Cervantes proudly introduced its lineup of Spanish films.

Didi Hollywood (Director: Bigas Luna)

Multi-awarded films like Primos (Cousins), Yo, Tambien (Me, Too), and the Javier Bardem starrer Biutiful make their Philippine premier at the festival.

Other films include the period drama Lope, a story chronicling the life of Spanish playwright Lope de Vega; Bigas Luna’s Didi Hollywood about an aspiring actress who decides to move to Miami to try her luck in the Latino world; and the 2010 Spanish thriller film directed by Rodrigo Cortés, Buried, which follows the story of a US contractor (Ryan Reynolds) who wakes up finding himself buried alive inside a coffin. 

Another highlight of the festival is “Diez años de Película (10 Years of Película),” a special cycle of audience choice winners of previous Película instalments from 2004 to 2010, featuring films like Alejandro Amenábar’s Mar Adentro, Isabel Coixet’s La vida secreta de las palabras (The Secret Life of Words), and Nacho Vellila’s comedy Fuera de carta.

Running at the Greenbelt 3 ground floor is a photo exhibition also titled Diez años de Película (10 Years of Película), which documents the history of Película from its inauguration in 2002 to becoming one of the biggest showcases of Spanish and Latin American films in Asia.

Biutiful (Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, starring Javier Bardem)

“This year’s celebration is notably extraordinary, as the festival turns 10 years old and honors a decade of premier Spanish films,” says new Instituto Cervantes director Calvo. “The annual festival presents work by some of the most innovative and engaging artists from the Hispanic community for the local audience of film lovers, journalists and film industry representatives to enjoy.”

As the cultural arm of the Spanish Embassy, Instituto Cervantes continues to advance the cultural and historical ties between Spain and the Philippines. This year, up-and-coming Filipino director Raya Martin will have the Asian premier of his new film Buenas Noches España on Oct. 10. Martin’s new film, recently featured at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland, follows the story of a Spanish couple who transport to the Philippines through their television set.

His Excellency Spanish Ambassador Domecq added this challenge: “Filipino and Spanish filmmakers are acclaimed in festivals around the world, and we hope soon that the Philippines will bring its own films to our country, which is eager to experience your culture through cinema.”

Regular run of all films, with English subtitles, will take place from Oct. 5 until 16 at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas. Specific times and ticketing information are available on the Festival website, www.pelicula.ph.

La Vergüenza (The Shame) (Director: David Planell)

Película is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in cooperation with ICAA, Ministerio de Cultura of Spain, the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines, Spanish Agency International Cooperation for Development (AECID), Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation, Greenbelt and Ayala Malls Cinemas, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Mexican Embassy in the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA). For more information, call 526-1482 or visit http://manila.cervantes.es or www.pelicula.ph.