The 23rd PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival will be held at the Red Carpet Cinema in Manila from October 5-13, featuring over 20 full-length and short films. The festival, a collaboration with Instituto Cervantes de Manila, the Embassy of Spain, AECID, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, showcases Spanish dance, opera, dramas, documentaries, and Filipino short films. The festival’s opening feature, Carmen, a ballet-opera masterpiece by Teatro Real in Madrid, features flamenco legend Antonio Gades. The festival’s Creadores Teatrales section showcases three other filmed productions showcasing Spanish dance and theater.
Another notable film in the lineup is Robot Dreams, an award-winning animated feature by Pablo Berger. Audiences can look forward to powerful documentaries like Benito Pérez Buñuel by Luis Roca and Hispanoamérica, canto de Vida y Esperanza by José Luis López Linares. Captivating dramas such as La Estrella Azul by Javier Macipe Cerrar, Los Ojos by Víctor Erice, and Dani de la Orden’s black comedy Casa en Llamas will also be showcased.
The selection also features Latin American films like the Argentine comedy Puan by María Alché and Benjamín Naishtat, Brazil’s Pacarrete by Allan Deberton, and Panama’s Las hijas by Kattia Zúñiga, ensuring a diverse and enriching cinematic experience.
PELÍCULA also celebrates the rich cultural ties between Spain and the Philippines through En corto, a segment dedicated to showcasing short films from both countries. Here, audiences can catch Filipino shorts like Sonny Calvento’s comedy Primetime Mother and Kyla Romero’s romantic drama Transients.
Continuing a beloved tradition, the Spanish Film Festival will feature its Audience Choice Awards, inviting cinephiles to rate the films immediately after watching them. The movie with the highest score will be honored with the Audience Choice Award and will enjoy a special encore screening on October 15 as the festival’s grand finale.
All screenings are free of charge. Films will be shown in Spanish or their original language with English subtitles.
Celebrate the beauty of Spain’s artistic expressions—theatrical to cinematic—at the PELÍCULA Spanish Film Festival at Shangri-La Plaza’s Red Carpet Cinema from October 5 to 13.
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