Put away your phones for a while, take a break from streamers and head to Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong from 5 to 15 of October and immerse yourself in Spanish culture for free.
The 22nd PELÍCULA>Pelikula Spanish Film Festival is back — and this year is even more exciting. With 27 critically acclaimed Spanish films (with English subtitles) to be screened in one of the best cineplexes in the Metro, what more could a cinephile ask for?
This festive Spanish event is brought to us by the Instituto Cervantes and Shangri-La Plaza, in collaboration with the Embassies of Spain in the Philippines, Australia and Singapore, among many important organizations that advocate the power of cinema.
If you can’t really bring yourself to Shang’s Red Carpet cinema for the free filmfest, then fear not. PELÍCULA>Pelikula will screen seven films for the home-bound, which can be accessible in Manila, Singapore and Australia.
The festival will also include films from Ibero-American countries including Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico, and will feature a co-production from Spain and Mexico.
Watch a movie, plant a tree
The festival this year boasts the Pelicula en Verde section, which will screen award-winning films with themes about the nature and environment. Help save the world, because for every spectator, a tree will be planted.
And these movies will definitely won’t fail you: Alcarràs (Carla Simón, 2023), As Bestas (Rodrigo Sorogoyen, 2022), El Olivo (Icíar Bollaín, 2016), Fonos (Gabriela Badillo Sánchez 2021) and Tierra ( Julio Medem, 1996).
This initiative is conducted in partnership with the Haribon Foundation and is sponsored by Acciona, a leading Spanish infrastructure company.
Carlos Saura tribute
The fest will dedicate an entire section for all the important films of acclaimed filmmaker Carlos Saura, who died at the age of 91 this year. To get an insight into his artistic legacy, Filipino audiences will be treated to his great works such as Embrujo, Goya en Burdeos and El Rey de todo el mundo.
Along with Pedro Almodóvar and Luis Buñuel, Saura is counted among Spain’s great filmmakers. His illustrious career spanned over half a century, with his neorealist and metaphor-rich films gaining worldwide fame.
He became globally known in 1996 when his psychological thriller The Hunt won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Saura would go on to reap many more awards and recognitions from Cannes, the Oscars, etc. and a series of lifetime achievement awards, the last of which was in 2013 at the 18th International Film Festival of Kerala.
Audience choice
Just like in the previous years, you may vote for your favorite films for the Audience Choice Awards. The winning film will be screened on the festival’s last day, 15 October.
This year’s film PELÍCULA>Pelikula is awesomely curated, from Goya winners to films screened or that competed at Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Toronto. The fest also boasts a wide range of genres: drama, comedy, horror, thriller, family, musicals and animation.
All the screenings are free on a first come, first-served basis.