After two years of being held online because of Covid-19 restrictions, the 21st staging of Película: Spanish Film Festival returns to on-site screenings in Metro Manila. Around 20 movies will be shown in three venues — Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City, Cine Adarna of University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, and Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros, Manila — from 5 to 16 October.
The film lineup includes comedies El buen patrón (directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, 2021), El test (Dani de la Orden, 2022), and Con quién viajas (directed by Martín Cuervo, 2021); documentaries such as A las mujeres de España, María Lejárraga (directed by Laura Hojman, 2022); dramas including Maixabel (directed by Icíar Bollaín, 2021) and El olvido que seremos (directed by Fernando Trueba, 2020); and thrillers like La hija (directed by Manuel Martín Cuenca, 2021).
Moreover, Película will also feature Latin American films such as the Colombian documentary Jinetes del Paraíso (directed by Talia Osorio Cardona, 2020), the Panamanian comedy Algo azul (directed by Mariel García Spooner, 2021), and Competencia oficial, a 2021 Spanish-Argentinean comedy directed by Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, and featuring Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, and Oscar Martínez.
In celebration of the 21st mounting of the festival, there will also be a special selection of classic Spanish films. Among these films are Esa pareja feliz (directed by Juan Antonio Bardem and Luis García Berlanga, 1951), Muerte de un ciclista (directed by Juan Antonio Bardem, 1953), Mamá cumple cien años (directed by Carlos Saura, 1979) and El sur (directed by Víctor Erice, 1983).
Screenings are free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Película has been a much anticipated event since it was started in 2002 by Instituto Cervantes de Manila. Aside from the Philippines, Película will also host face-to-face screenings in Malaysia and Australia. Visit www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.