What do Christian Bales’ The Machinist, Sharon Stone’s Basic Instinct 2 and Nicole Kidman’s The Others have in common? Aside from being English-language films, all of them were produced by Spanish Cinema.
All throughout the world Spanish Cinema, which refers to films made within Spain or by Spanish filmmakers, has been acknowledged for its innovative approach in creating motion pictures and highly recognized for its excellence in creative and technical aspects of film making.
For almost a decade, Filipino moviegoers have been delighted by Spanish movies through the initiative of Instituto Cervantes by organizing an annual event that aims not just to introduce Spanish Cinema to the locals but to bring it much closer to the heart of the people. With a long history of Spanish oppression (333 years to be exact), movie, probably, is the best avenue to amend the mindset of the Filipinos towards the country they knew a couple of centuries ago.
Instituto Cervantes has gathered the best and newest Spanish films that range from comedy, drama, action and suspense all in one venue to celebrate October as the Spanish month. From Oct. 1 to 12 at the Cinema 1 of Greenbelt 3, people are invited to the 7th Spanish Film Festival dubbed “Pelicula Pelikula.”
Película is a yearly showcase of the best of Spanish and Latin-American cinema in the Philippines. It was first launched in 2002 and, since then, has been bringing the latest and greatest of Hispanic cinema to the Philippines. Now at its seventh year, Película is recognized as the biggest and most anticipated festival of Spanish film in Southeast Asia.
“It’s complicated to do a festival because you have to come up with a selection of best movies to spread a message. This year’s festival targets to draw 20,000 audiences, this target is 5,000 more than last year’s number of moviegoers who saw the featured films,” Instituto Cervantes director Jose Rodiguez told the media during the press launch held in Casa Armada Restaurant located at Greenbelt 3.
Several multi-awarded films will make their Philippine premier at the film fest. They are Siete mesas de billar frances ( Seven Billiard Tables), Bajo las estrellas (Under the Stars), El pollo, el pez y el cangrejo real (The Chicken, The Fish, and The King Crab) and Matahari.
Other films include Miguel and William, an imagining of what happens when William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quixote) meet and La torre de suso (Suso’s Tower), a comedy about a group of friends who get together to bury one of their own. There are also line-up of films in different genres, some of which include: La Caja (The Wooden Box), Yo soy la Juani ( My Name is Juani), Concursante (The Contestant), Lo mejor de mi ( The Best of Me), Fados, Los crimenes de Oxford (The Oxford Murders), and the horror movie El orfanato ( The Orphanage).
Last Sept. 30, Nacho G. Vevilla presented his very first movie direction Fuera de Carta (Chef’s Special) at the by-the-invitation-only event which kicked off the film fest. The film that won Best Film Audience Award at the Magala Spanish Film Festival is a comedy about a man whose life suddenly becomes complicated when an Argentinean ex-football player moves in next door.
“This festival is not a function of making a movie for a few. The most important thing is to reach out to the youth, to the younger audience, so we could make this as a family affair,” director Rodriguez said while introducing Nocturna, the winner of the 2008 Goya Awards for Best Animated Film.
Aside from Nocturna, children and children at heart can get a taste of Spanish mimes as Tearofia, a group from Tenerife, Spain, presents “Aqui estamos. Es ova a ser que hemos venido (Here we are. That shows we have come).” About the foibles of traveling, the presentation on Oct. 11 (11 a.m.) is dedicated to families and children. The Oct. 10 (11 p.m.) run of Teatrifia’s show is for older audiences.
A photo exhibit by celebrated Spanish photographer Oscar Fernandez Orengo at the Greenbelt 3 cinema lobby will run during the whole duration of the festival. Coinciding with the event, the exhibit that presents Hispanic films in black and white photos is entitled A traves de mis ojos (Through My Eyes).
Entrance to the photo exhibit is free. Entrance to the movies is P65. For more information, call 526-1482 loc. 115 or visit www.manila.cervantes.es.
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