Friday, October 03, 2014

Spanish entry to the Oscars opens 13th Pelicula-Pelikula


October 10-19, 2014
Greenbelt 3
Ayala CenterMakati

Película-Pelikula may be on its 13th edition this year, but there’s no bad luck in sight as the movie Vivir es fácil conlos ojos cerrados (Living is Easy with Eyes Closed) is set to open this year’s festival with no other than the film’s director David Trueba presenting it. The film, the winner of 6 Goya Awards and recently chosen as Spain’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category in upcoming Academy Awards, leads the selection of over 20 films (feature length, shorts and documentaries) to be screened in the biggest Spanish film festival in Asia this October 10-19, 2014 at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas.

David Trueba

Aside from presenting Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (Living is Easy with Eyes Closed) on October 10, 2014, 7:00 PM, David Trueba will be having an open forum right after the screening. His other films Madrid and Soldados de Salamina/Soldiers of Salamina will also be screened in the festival.

Running along with the film festival on October 10-18, 2014 will be an exhibit at Greenbelt 5 Fashion Walk. Opening on October 10, 2014, 5:30 PM, the exhibit, fusing film with human interaction, will showcase a mirror display that will reflect various clips from the films from the festival. Red boxes in tripods dispersed in the venue allow shoppers to view clips of the Spanish films.

Mexican films are represented this year with two documentaries, Espantapájaros and Azul intangible, and three feature films Implacable, La cebra, and La revolución de Juan Escopeta making up the festival’s A Window on Mexican Cinema in collaboration with the Embassy of Mexico in the Philippines.

Spanish Ambassador Luis Calvo

Other highlights of the festival include the midnight screenings featuring the disturbing and the bizarre Caníbal and Las brujas de Zugarramurdi, animated films Las aventuras de Tadeo Jones and La revolución de Juan Escopeta and a diverse selection of Basque short films namely A Political Story, Cólera, Democracia, Hotzanak, for your own safety and Zela Trovke that are co-presented by the Etxepare Institute.

As always, the audience will get to choose which film they like best through the Audience Choice Award. Stubs will be given throughout the festival where audience members can rate the movies that they have seen. For every five movies, viewers can then qualify for the raffle wherein the prize is a round trip ticket to Spain, courtesy of Qatar Airways.


A selection of films screened in the festival then travels to Cinematheques in Zamboanga on October 28-31, 2014, Baguio on November 6-9, 2014, Ilo-ilo on November 13-16, 2014, and Davao on November 20-21, 2014 through the efforts of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP).

La vida inesperada/The Unexpected Life


During the press conference, members of the media were able to see the film La vida inesperada (The Unexpected Life), directed by Jorge Torregrosa. Set in New York City, the film tells the tale of two cousins, Juan (Javier Cámara), a struggling actor who does odd jobs to make ends meet and Primo (Raúl Arévalo), a handsome financial adviser who seems to get what he wants (dream job and beautiful woman) with ease. When Primo moved in with Juan right before his wedding due to unclear reasons, long standing jealousies, unresolved issues, rivalries, their dreams, aspirations, and also love lives are brought out into the open.

The film gave viewers a glimpse of New York City from the eyes of a foreigner. While a lot of people flock that famed city in order to make dreams come true it also holds true that in this place, one can have their dreams dashed and broken. It also highlighted how easy it is in New York City to hook up and/or fall in love.

What I loved most about the film was the music score by Lucio Godoy and Federico Jusid. Taking cues from George Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F and Rhapsody in Blue, the sweeping, jazz infused music brilliantly captured the grandeur and allure of New York City and its diverse inhabitants.

Javier Cámara can also be seen at the festival’s opening film Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados (Living is Easy with Eyes Closed) which should delight his fans here.


Película-Pelikula is presented by Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Greenbelt and Ayala Cinemas. The festival is also made possible by Emperador Distillers, Vibal Foundation, Qatar Airways, in collaboration with the Embassy of Mexico, Instituto Etxepare, Ayala Museum, Alba’s Restaurante Español, New World Hotel and Espa-Fil.

Ticket price:
P100

For inquiries:
Instituto Cervantes 526-1482 

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