MANILA, Philippines - Instituto Cervantes’ “Película,” the eighth Spanish Film Festival, presents “Cine en construcción (Films in Progress)” which showcases film gems from Latin America ongoing at the MCAD, De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde, School of Design and Arts.
Born from the collaboration between the San Sebastián International Film Festival and the Réncontres of Cinéma dAmérique Latine (Toulouse), “Films in Progress” aims to promote the production of Latin American films and their international distribution. This year’s edition will feature five indie films from Argentina , Uruguay , Mexico and Chile — which are just among the 46 Spanish and Latin American films in the festival which will last until October 31.
Gaining critical recognition worldwide, Latin American indie films are getting plaudits in film festivals and are getting hot in the box-office. The latest to earn rave reviews is The Pope’s Toilet (El baño del papa) which won the audience Award for Latin Film Competition in the 2007 Golden Kikito Award for Latin Film Competition.
Other films include La punta del diablo (Devil´s Point), a story about a surgeon diagnosed with brain cancer who follows a young hitchhiker to a small fishing village, Devil’s Point, in the north, on the coast of Uruguay; Párpados Azules (Blue eyelids), a story about a girl who wins a vacation for two but when she realizes that she has no one to bring along, she decides to invite a stranger; and Una novia errante (A Stray Girlfriend), a story about a girl’s initial self-deception, tears and uncertainty, and gradual resignation to a situation over which she has no control.
Currently running at the Mcad until Oct. 31 is a photo exhibit showcasing illustrative images of different Spanish flicks. Tagged as Cine Español, una Crónica Visual (Spanish Cinema, A Visual Journey), the photo exhibit begins with a chronological overview of Spanish cinema, from its origins until today. It features a total of 80 photographs and 20 posters composed of some of the most important and memorable scenes of the Spanish cinema.
Based on the book Cine Español una Crónica Visual by Jesús García de Dueñas, the exhibit intends to take cinema back to its imaginary sense and underscore its importance as a social space.
“To truly appreciate cinema’s future, it is important to understand the wide-ranging history of its technological past. And Crónica Visual del Cine Español is a good way to review history and understand the evolution of the Spanish cinema from its origin in 1896 to today,” said Instituto Cervantes director Jose Rodriguez.
For information, call 526-1482, or visit www.pelicula.ph.Instituto Cervantes de Manila is at 855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila.