Saturday, November 19, 2022

CCP Dance Series welcomes the holidays with Puso ng Pasko full length version


From an online video at the height of the pandemic in 2020, then the first post-pandemic live performance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2021, Puso ng Pasko returns this 2022 Christmas season as a full length ballet with performances on December 2-4, 2022 at the CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).

Featuring the artists of the Professional Artist Support Program and Alice Reyes Dance Philippines, Puso ng Pasko, conceptualized by Ronelson Yadao, is about the unique Filipino Christmas experience told through the eyes of Lolo Val, a Pinoy immigrant living in California, as he reminisces to his granddaughter Angelita memories of the holidays back with his friends back home in Tres Reyes.

Under the mentorship of National Artist for Dance, Alice Reyes, Puso ng Pasko boasts an all Filipino creative team led by choreographers Ronelson Yadao, Erl Sorilla, John Ababon, AL Abraham, Dan Dayo, Bonnie Guerrero, and Lester Reguindin.

The ballet also features the music arrangement of National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab using the Christmas recordings of the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Master Chorale.

Other members of the creative team include Eric Cruz for production design, Barbara Tan-Tiongco for lighting design and technical direction, Eljay Castro Deldoc as co-librettist with Yadao, and Carlos Siguion-Reyna as film director.

Puso ng Pasko will have its Gala Night on December 2, 2022, 8:00 PM. Other performances will be on December 3 & 4, 2022 at 3:00 and 8:00 PM. The December 3 evening performance is sponsored by the Rotary Club and UP Delta Lambda Sigma.

For the duration of the ballet's run, the CCP Main Lobby will be transformed into a Church plaza where audience members can avail of local holiday treats like puto bumbong and bibingka before the evening performances.

Puso ng Pasko, the year end offering of the CCP Dance Series (live) is among the final performances to be held at the CCP Main Theater before the main building shuts its doors for major rehabilitation and renovation starting January 2023.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Remastered classics at the Argentine Film Festival


The Argentine Film Festival makes a comeback with a selection of remastered classics screening this November 8-21, 2022 at the Red Carpet Cinema, Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Presented by the Embassy of Argentina, Film Development Council of the Philippines, and the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, the Argentine Film Festival offers five films from the 1980s, 1990s and the early 2000s.

Here is the film selection followed by the schedule in this year's Argentine Film Festival.

Agua (2007)


Director: Verónica Chen
Cast: Rafael Ferro, Nicolas Mateo, Gloria Carra, Leonora Balcarce, Pablo Testa

Unfairly accused of doping during a marathon in Argentina, Goyo – a former open water swimming champion – has abandoned everything to take refuge in the desert. Eight years later, the Marathon is set to take place again. He returns to try to reclaim his honour. Old emotions resurface and oppress him. Goyo meets Chino, a conscientious and stubborn pool swimmer who dreams of being selected for the national team. They decide to team up together.

Elsa y Fred/Elsa and Fred (2005)


Director: Marcos Carnevale
Cast: Manuel Alexandre, Blanca Portillo, Manuel Alexandre, Roberto Carnaghi

Two people who discover that it is never too late to love ... or to dream.

Esperando la carroza/Waiting for the Hearse (1985)


Director: Alejandro Doria
Cast: Antonio Gasalla, China Zorrilla, Luis Brandoni, Julio De Grazia, Betiana Blum,Juan Manuel Tenuta, Mónica Villa, Cecilia Rossetto, Enrique Pinti, Andrea Tenuta,Darío Grandinetti, Lidia Catalano, Juan Acosta, Miguel Ángel Porro, Clotilde Borella

It tells a story about Mamá Cora, a woman in her eighties, her son's wife wants her out of the house as she is driving her mad. Mamá Cora tries to help unfortunately everything she does, she does it wrong. The family goes through lots of troubles trying to solve what to do with Mamá Cora. While all this happens, a confusion makes the family believe she dies.

Un lugar en el mundo/A Place in the World (1992)


Director: Adolfo Aristaráin
Cast: José Sacristian, Federico Luppi, Cecilia Roth, Leonor Benedetto, Gaston Batyi

Mario and Ana, in voluntary exile from Buenos Aires, live in a remote Argentine valley with their 12-year-old son Ernesto. Mario runs a school and a wool cooperative; Ana, a doctor, heads a clinic with Nelda, a progressive nun. Into this idealistic family comes Hans, a jaded Spanish geological engineer -- surveying the land for the local patron, to see if it can be dammed for hydro-electric power, which would drive the peasants from the land into the cities.

Roma (2004)


Director: Adolfo Aristaráin
Cast: José Sacristán, Juan Diego Botto, María Galiana, Nuria Gago, Adolfo Fernández

The young journalist, Manuel Cueto, bursts in on the old novelist Joaquín Góñez's lonely life, who is writing his memoirs. This encounter will bring old and forgotten emotions back to the writer, the 50/60's when he was young in Buenos-Aires, his relationship with his father and particularly the one with his mother, Roma, who gave him her broad, free and bohemian mind.

Here is the schedule for the Argentine Film Festival.

November 18, 2022
2:00 PM Un lugar en el mundo
7:00 PM Esperando la carroza

November 19, 2022
2:00 PM Elsa y Fred
7:00 PM Roma

November 20, 2022
2:00 PM Roma
7:00 PM Agua

November 21, 2022
2:00 PM Esperando la carroza
7:00 PM Un lugar en el mundo

All films will be screened for free on a first come, first served basis. The films will be in their original language with English subtitles.

Monday, November 14, 2022

PPO, conductor Noam Zur, pianist Rudolf Golez in concert: a test of the Met's acoustics

Conductor Noam Zur and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra audience had a taste of what's to come at the latest season concert held at the Metropolitan Theater, which will be the orchestra's home for the meantime once the Cultural Center of the Philippines main building shuts its doors in 2023 for a much needed major rehabilitation.

The evening highlighted a program that spanned the globe: two overtures, one by an Italian composer and the other by a Filipino; a jazz flavored American classic that featured a Pilipino pianist; and a programmatic work by a Russian composer, orchestrated by a Frenchman, that paid tribute to a Ukrainian landmark. All of this was conducted by Noam Zur, an Israeli-German who is the 3rd to take to the podium among the five shortlisted to become the next PPO Music Director/Principal Conductor.

With such a promising global program and the allure of a concert at the newly renovated Metropolitan Theater, hopes were high for this evening. Alas, said hopes were dashed by the theater's inadequacies in the acoustics department. Despite the seamless rapport between Zur and the PPO as far as the eye can see, the sound that emanated from the stage left a lot to be desired.

Because of this, Gioacchino Rossini's Overture to Barber of Seville came off as hollow and vacuous instead of being light and playful. This also resulted into a less than ideal introduction to many of Nicanor Abelardo's Cinderella Overture as it was a struggle to decipher the work's shape and form.

In George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, featuring Rudolf Golez on the piano, both the orchestra and the soloist exhibited confidence and harmony with each other. But once again, despite the efforts of everyone onstage, the inferior acoustics was like an uncooperative collaborator muffling the dynamics, muting the nuances, and drying up the jazzy accents. Even with Golez's encore, Frédéric Chopin's Etude Op. 10, No. 5 in G flat major, "Black Key Étude", the fluttering notes' subtle nuances were lost.

The full effect of the Met's handicap was evident with the performance of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Even with a full army of strings, the overall sound was not full and vibrant. With the lower strings hardly audible, there was a notable lack of depth and roundness. The piece is meant to be a musical experience of viewing an exhibit with majority of the movements representing a piece of artwork. But it felt like each artwork was just a print reproduction losing the stroke textures and other finer details that can only be seen in the originals.

The encore, which was a repeat of La Grande Porte de Kiew, shed a light onthe ongoing invasion of the Russian forces in Ukraine. It also served as a reminder of how music has played a role in difficult moments in world history.

The wonderfully curated program offered a glimpse to Zur's sensitivity and outlook towards the music which incidentally gave the concert more meaning and significance. Program notes also included information on how Zur chose to perform revised versions of the Rossini and Mussorgsky pieces that are actually closer to these composers' intention based on original and more authoritative manuscripts. This is why it was such a pity that the Met's subpar acoustics made a disservice to Zur, Golez, and the entire Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

A desperately needed acoustic shell should be in place by January 2023, or else face the risk that the anticipation for the remaining half of this season falls flat and dull as the Met's current acoustics.

A bit of music trivia to lighten things up, the PPO performed Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition way back in the January 2011 season concert. Robert Ryker, who conducted that time, had a pre-concert lecture where he explained the various parts of this work. Assisting Ryker at this lecture was no other than Rudolf Golez, who played excerpts of the piece on the piano using Mussorgsky's original score. So it was quite fitting that both Rudolf Golez and Pictures at an Exhibition found their way back to the PPO stage at the latest concert.

Friday, October 28, 2022

Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time, illustrated by Stéphane Heuet exhibit at Alliance Française de Manille


As part of the ongoing 75th Anniversary of the Philippine-French Diplomatic Relations celebrations, the Embassy of France and Alliance Française de Manille present the Marcel Proust: In Search of Lost Time exhibit featuring the illustrations of French artist, Stéphane Heuet, currently ongoing at the Alliance Française de Manille Gallery until October 31, 2022.


Marcel Proust's In Search of Lost Time is the story of author's life told in seven volumes. It is considered as the major work of French fiction of the early 20th century.

Reihane Zitounie, Stéphane Heuet, Ambassador Michèle Boccoz

In adapting Proust's work into a graphic novel, French illustrator Stéphane Heuet has built his drawings as visual transcriptions of the text. He has worked on re-cutting and scripting from passages of the novel in order to reconstitute a narrative that works in comics.


The exhibit features a total of 26 one of a kind and limited edition prints of the illustrations from Heuet's graphic novel adaptation of Proust's novel. The prints on exhibit are for sale.


Compared to American superhero comics or Japanese manga that highlight action sequences, Heuet's illustrations are picturesque scenes, with the human characters having clean, simple lines placed among highly detailed backgrounds, typical of the ligne claire style.


Limited copies of the graphic novels, both in French and in English were available for sale at the exhibit opening but they quickly sold out. Heuet said that the AFM library will have copies of them soon.


Marcel Proust: In Search of Lost Time exhibit, a part of the 75th Anniversary of Philippine-French Diplomatic Relations celebrations, is organized by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Alliance Française de Manille, sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, Fairmont Makati, Filmloft OPC, and in partnership with Komiket and Philippine International Comics Festival.

Marc Piton, Reihane Zitounie, Ambassador Michèle Boccoz, Stéphane Heuet,
Xavier Leroux, and Pierre Malvache

Affiliate Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, this post contains affiliate links. A small commission is earned when purchasing through these links with no additional cost to the consumer.

Swann's Way

In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower
Place Names: The Place

Monday, October 24, 2022

French choreographer Redha Benteifour to debut new work in CCP Dance Series' Premieres and Encores


The commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Philippine-French Diplomatic Relations continues with CCP Dance Series' Premieres and Encores this October 28-29, 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).

Co-presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Premieres and Encores will feature artists of the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) and the Artists of CCP's Professional Artist Support Program (PASP) performing pieces by French choreographer Redha Benteifour and young Filipino choreographers.

Front: Redha Benteifour
Back: Alice Reyes and Eva Marie Salvador

The show sees the premiere Benteifour's L'espoir Des Lendemain/The Hope of Tomorrow and the restaging of L'homme Assis Dans Le Fauteuil/The Man on the Armchair.

Other works to be performed are Visayan Suite of Dances by John Ababon, AL Abraham, Erl Sorilla, and Ronelson Yadao and I Wanna Say Something by JM Cabling.

Alice Reyes, Eva Marie Salvador, and Redha Benteifour 

Premieres and Encores will have its Gala Night on October 28, 2022, 8:00 PM. Other performances will be on October 29, 2022, 3:00 & 8:00 PM.

A class act by Polish conductor Grzegorz Nowak at PPO concert

Violinist Vincent Owen Romanban and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra season concert for October saw a class act performance by Polish conductor Grzegorz Nowak making the big stage debut of young violinist Vincent Owen Romanban a memorable one.

Vincent was a bundle of nerves at the start, as if the task of playing Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E flat minor, Op. 64 with the orchestra would overwhelm him. But Nowak's exemplary conducting guided the inexperienced soloist with such care and sensitivity, enabling him to gain more confidence with every measure. By the time of the second movement, Vincent was clearly more at ease up until the end of the concerto.

It is the same deft touch that Nowak exhibited in the service of the other pieces in the program. Without any unnecessary flashiness, Nowak's take on Lucio San Pedro's Lahing Kayumanggi and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture highlighted the flowing narrative as well as the clarity of the form and structure of these two programmatic pieces.

Conductor Grzegorz Nowak and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 

With Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1919), Nowak displayed a mastery of the piece's complexity showcasing the wide range of dynamics and different rhythms of this suite He remained unfazed despite the wailing of a young boy who got rattled by the sudden, jolting bass drum. Just like how he managed to make the nervous Vincent feel at ease with the violin concerto, Nowak was also successful in making the audience feel the same with Firebird.

The way Nowak worked with Vincent, despite the latter's inexperience, bodes well for the Polish conductor's chances to be the next Music Director/Principal Conductor of the PPO.

Friday, October 14, 2022

RAd views Película 2022: A tale of two Javiers

Javier Galván, Amb. Marcela Ordoñez, Amb. Miguel Utray, and Joy Polloso

After two years of online editions, the 21st Película Spanish Film Festival had a festive opening night at Shangri-La Plaza Mall with movie buffs getting to see contemporary Spanish language films on the big screen once again at the mall's Red Carpet Cinema.

Shang Properties Inc. EVP Joy Polloso 

This year, Película offers two Javiers: Javier Bardem and Javier Cámara. These two leading Spanish actors have become favorites by Philippine audiences owing to several of their films being part of the festival's since its inception way back in 2002.


The opening night saw the Javier Bardem starrer El buen patrón/The Good Boss, a dark comedy of the corporate world. Bardem stars as Julio Blanco, the seemingly benevolent boss of a family owned industrial scale factory that is up for a business award. But when problems with his employees start popping up and threaten his chances of snagging the much coveted award, Blanco resorts to manipulative schemes.

Directed by Fernando León de Armoa, this film is clearly a Javier Bardem vehicle. Even as the movie's final quarter plods too long and plot holes appear, Bardem's magnetic performance as Blanco manages to keep the film from tipping off the scales.


The film starring the other Javier is the romantic comedy Sentimental/The People Upstairs directed by Cesc Gay.

In this film that happens in real time, Javier Cámara stars Julio (coincidentally, the Bardem and Cámara's characters are both named Julio) whose marriage with Ana (Belén Cuesta) has been lacking spice. Add to the couple's frustrations are their upstairs neighbors Salva (Alberto San Juan) and Laura (Griselda Siciliani) whose night time noises are a source of discomfort for both Julio and Ana.

Instituto Cervantes Director Javier Galván 

When Ana invites their neighbors over, she and Julio debate on how to open up the sensitive subject to them. Once the ice is broken though, a lot more than just noises from night time activies are brought out on the open.

For a film that is basically a little over 80 minutes of just four people talking inside an apartment, the witty banter of each character and their respective reactions to the twists and turns that come along the way truly engage the viewer. One cannot help but to stick it out until the end to see where these two couples will end up by the time the credits roll.

Spanish Ambassador Miguel Utray

Sentimental can still be seen as the closing film of Película on October 16, 2022. There may still be a chance to see El buen patrón of this ends up as this year's Premio del Publíco/Audience Choice Award. Catch the final weekend of Película Spanish Film Festival at the Red Carpet Cinema, Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Repertory Philippines' brings contemporary take, 21st century perspective with Carousel


A few years ago, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel came to my attention with the news that opera superstar Renée Fleming has made her musical theater debut in the 2018 Broadway revival of this musical. I also learned that her character, Nettie, is the one who actually gets to sing You'll Never Walk Alone, which for the longest time, is the only thing I know about this musical.

Lorenz Martinez, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, Karylle, and Gian Magdangal

Considering that Time Magazine has deemed Carousel as "The Greatest Musical of the 20th Century", my extremely limited knowledge of this musical is simply embarrassing.

So when Repertory Philippines (REP) announced that they would stage Carousel for their comeback season opening on November 26, 2022, it was the perfect opportunity for me to widen my knowledge of musical theater especially those by the duo of Robert Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. And knowing that this production will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' newly unboxed Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (CCP Blackbox Theater) sweetened the deal for me, since Makati has become a lot farther for me with the worsening Metro Manila traffic.

Karylle and Gian Magdangal

With this in tow, I was able to savor the announcement of the cast led Karylle and Gian Magdangal who are both making their REP debut playing Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow respectively. REP veterans Lorenz Martinez and Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante join the two leads as Enoch Snow and Carrie Pipperidge.

Obviously I highly anticipated who would play the role of Nettie, eventually revealed to be Mia Bolaños, one of the few in the country who has both musical theater and opera credits under her belt. Other familiar faces in the cast are Viva Voce members Roxy Aldiosa and Roby Malubay, who like Bolaños also have musical theater and opera experience, and Ballet Philippines Company Artist Gia Geguinto who is making her theater debut with Carousel.

Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante and Lorenz Martinez

Rounding out the cast are Red Nuestro, Julio Laforteza, Gia Gequinto, Noel Rayos, Paula Paguio, Steven Hotchkiss, Cara Barredo, Czar Decena, and Kyla Rivera-Soong.

Sealing the deal for me is director Toff de Venecia's vision for Carousel. His staging will come from a 21st century perspective dealing with the misogyny, violence, and other "landmines" in the text. Also piquing my interest is the music direction under Ejay Yatco. A 2 piano reduction of the orchestral score, with a technical difficulty similar to a concerto, will be used instead of the usual orchestra/band. The two pianists will be Yatco and Jed Balsamo.

This edgy and contemporary take on a classic material is reflective of Repertory Philippines' bold new direction as the company moves forward under Artistic Direction of Liesl Batucan-del Rosario.

Toff de Venecia, Lorenz Martinez, Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante, Karylle,
Gian Magdangal, Liesl Batucan-del Rosario, and Ejay Yatco

Repertory Philippines' production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel opens in November 26, 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. It will run on weekends until December 18, 2022. Tickets are available at TicketWorld outlets and at the CCP Box Office.

Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Trombone player Ricson Poonin performs at the CCP Special Concert Series


The Cultural Center of the Philippines presents trombonist Ricson Poonin for the second installment of the Special Concert Series 2022 happening on October 20, 202, 7:30 PM at the CCP's Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez (Black Box Theater).

Ricson's program includes Joseph Guy Marie Roparts' Piece in E flat minor, Jacques Castérède's Sonatine for Trombone and Piano, Carolina Calvache's Trombonsillo, Vicente Marqueses' Milagros, Leopoldo Silos, Sr.'s Lagi Kitang Naalala, and the world premiere of Herminigildo Ranera's Pandemic Concert Piece for Trombone and Piano. Pianist Madeline Jane Banta will be the evening's collaborating artist.

The Pandemic Concert Piece was specifically composed by Ranera, Ricson's long time mentor, for this concert.

“Sir Hermie has been a big influence in my career,” Poonin said. “As my mentor, I would like to pay tribute to him by featuring his work here."

Trombonist Ricson Poonin 

Ricson is currently teaching trombone at St. Scholastica's College and at the University of Santo Tomas.

He also took part at the International Trombone Association's performance that set a Guinness Book of World Records for most number of trombone players performing at a single event at the Lincoln Center in New York.

A day prior to the concert, Ricson will conduct a Trombone Masterclass on October 19, 2022, 2:00 - 6:00 PM to be held also at CCP Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez. For inquiries on the Masterclass, email artist.training@culturalcenter.gov.ph or call at 8832-1125 local 160.

Wednesday, October 05, 2022

Orchestra of the Filipino Youth to perform in 10th anniversary concert


The National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), in celebration of its 49th Anniversary, presents the Orchestra of the Filipino Youth in a special 10th anniversary concert on October 8, 2022, 5:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).

Billed as OFY X: Celebrating 10 Years of Music, this concert is the orchestra's first live performance since the pandemic.

Conducted by Gerard Salonga, the OFY will perform Mikhail Glinka's Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila, Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, Antonino Buenaventura's Mindanao Sketches, Lucio San Pedro's Lahing Kayumanggi, and Ryan Cayabyab's Tsismis.

The Orchestra of the Filipino Youth is a non-profit organization founded in 2012, institutionally funded by First Philippine Holdings and First Gen Corporation. Its program structure is inspired by El Sistema, which originated in Venezuela as an alternative after school activity to help at-risk children and to spark social change through music. OFY supports the musically talented, less privileged youth, and provides programs that focus on orchestral training and instrument support. It has performed in local and international venues and events. Currently, OFY is led by Gerard Salonga, Ang Misyon’s Music Director and Chief Conductor of Orchestras.

Roi Aldric Trawon
OFY gave me an opportunity to develop as a leader by challenging me to step up when the conductor is not present the organization as a whole also motivated me to see music education as a vehicle for social change.
-Roi Aldric Trawon, OFY Concertmaster 2012-2015
Admission to the concert is for free but tickets have already been committed. Additional tickets may be released to the public if ticket holders do not come.

Tuesday, October 04, 2022

Conductor Grzegorz Nowak, violinist Vincent Romanban to perform at PPO's October concert


Polish conductor Grzegorz Nowak leads the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in their upcoming Metamorphosis 38th season concert this October 7, 2022, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).

Pieces to be performed are Lucio San Pedro's Lahing Kayumanggi, Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor Op. 64, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, and Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite (1919).

Violinist Vincent Owen Romanban is the featured soloist for the Mendelssohn violin concerto.

Nowak is the permanent associate conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, UK. He was music director of the Polish National Opera, Warsaw, Poland from 2017-2020 and other orchestras in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. He has conducted orchestral music recorded in over 80 CDs that have received awards and 5-star ratings.

Nowak is one of the five shortlisted conductors for the position of PPO's next Music Director/Principal Conductor.

Violinist Vincent Owen Romanban

Romanban is an active member of the UST Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Herminigildo Ranera. He was part of the Pundaquit Virtuosi under Coke Bolipata. 
He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance under Noel Martin at the University of Sto. Tomas.

Monday, October 03, 2022

Película Spanish Film Festival returns to cinemas


After two years of online editions, Película Spanish Film Festival makes its way back to the big screen this October 5-16, 2022 at the Red Carpet Cinema, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Cine Adarna in UP Diliman, and at Instituto Cervantes's Intramuros branch.

Javier Bardem, Antonio Banderas, Penelope Cruz, and Javier Cámara are among the internationally renowned actors with films showing in the 21st edition of Película that boasts a mix of contemporary films of different genres, classics, documentaries, and shorts.

Javier Galván, Director Instituto Cervantes de Manila

This edition boasts a selection of more than 20 films, the majority of which will be shown on cinemas with a number only available to view online from anywhere in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Australia.

Audiences will also get to rate movies that they've seen, with the highest rated film winning this year's Premio del Publíco/Audience Choice Award and be screened once again on the final day of the festival.


Here is the lineup for the 21st Película, Spanish Film Festival. All films will be shown in Spanish or in their original language with English subtitles.

A las mujeres de España. María Lejárraga/To the Women of Spain. María Lejárraga (2022)


Director: Laura Hojman
Cast: Kiti Mánver, (Narrator), Cristina Domínguez, Antonina Rodrigo, Rosa Montero, Vanessa Montfort, Juan Aguilera

In her new film, director Laura Hojman tells the story of María Lejárraga, a writer and pioneer of feminism in Spain during the 1920s, whose production came to light under the name of her husband, theater impresario Gregorio Martínez Sierra. The most prolific Spanish playwright of all time, author of works such as Cradle Song, made into films five times, or the libretto of El amor brujo, by Falla, was also a deputy for the Second Republic and founder of pioneering projects for women's rights and freedoms. Those dreams of progress were dashed by the outbreak of the Civil War.", "author": "Laura Hojman. After graduating with a degree in Art History, she developed her career as a screenwriter, documentary film maker and producer with Summer Films. In 2018 she made her debut as a director with Tierras Solares, a documentary feature film inspired by the work of the poet Rubén Darío that premiered in the official section Doc España of the International Film Week in Valladolid and was selected at festivals such as the Seville Festival, the Festival de Cine Iberoamericano of Huelva, Alcances or IberoDocs. Antonio Machado. Los días azules is her second feature film as a director.

Algo azul/Something Blue (2021)


Director: Mariel Garcia Spooner
Cast: Elizabeth Grimaldo, Carlos Torres, Andrea Pérez Meana, Robin Duran, Andrés Morale, Fabiola Sánchez, Ash Olivera, Mike Martinez, Samuel Ibarra, Juanxo Villaverde, Claudia Lamboglia, Mike Pérez

By accident, Ana loses her wedding dress a week before the wedding. In a room of the hotel where she works she finds the dress of her dreams. Tempted, she decides to try it on, but the owner of the dress discovers her. Ana runs away from the hotel dressed as a bride and decides that she must get married that same day. She will now start a race against the clock to convince her fiancé and manage to put everything together before she is caught, while becoming a media phenomenon.

Bertsolari (2011)


Director: Asier Altuna
Cast: Miren Amuriza, Maialen Lujanbio, Joseba Zulaika, John Miles Foley, Jon Sarasua

The "bertsolari" is a kind of minstrel who improvises verses and sings them in Basque. This oral tradition has evolved and adapted to the times, connecting with the younger generations, reaching up to 14,000 people in the final round of the last championship. It is an art form of austere aesthetics that surprises in this time of spectacularism and special effects.

Competencia oficial/Official Competition (2021)


Directors: Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Oscar Martínez, José Luis Gómez, Manolo Solo, Nagore Aranburu, Irene Escolar

A billionaire businessman in search of fame and social prestige decides to make a unique, groundbreaking film. To achieve this goal, he hires the best of the best: A stellar team consisting of famous filmmaker Lola Cuevas and two well-known actors who boast not only an enormous talent, but also an even bigger ego: Hollywood star Félix Rivero and aging theater thespian Iván Torres. They're both legends, but not exactly the best of friends. Through a series of increasingly hilarious tests set by Lola, Félix and Iván must confront not only each other, but also their own legacies.

Con quién viajas/Carpoolers (2021)


Director: Martín Cuervo
Cast: Salva Reina, Ana Polvorosa, Pol Monen, Andrea Duro

Four strangers meet in Madrid’s city center to go by car to Cieza, Murcia, through a share-ride app. During the journey, passengers chat about aspects of their lives to break the ice. Everything flows normally, but the driver seems to be hiding something and is behaving strangely. The trip will turn out to be very surreal and more fun than they expected.

Dosena (2022)*


Director: Kyla Romero
Cast: Andrew Figueroa (Ajay), Michael Odono (Chito), Shalomar Binamira (Isay), Aaron Alcoran, Vee Rolle, Alli Maw, Shieka Aljunaibi, Jhon Lopez, Peso Ratschild, Rich Ignacio, Daniella Sison Torres, Pong Sarcilla, Christian Louie Espiritu, Arvin Belarmino

A timid young boy who grew up with misfits deals with confusion and tragedy on the night of his 12th birthday.

El buen patrón/The Good Boss (2021)


Director: Fernando León de Aranoa
Cast: Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo, Almudena Amor, Óscar de La Fuente, Sonia Almarcha, Fernando Albizu

Básculas Blanco, a Spanish company producing industrial scales in a provincial Spanish town awaits the imminent visit from a committee that holds its fate in their hands as to whether they merit a local Business Excellence award: everything has to be perfect when the time comes. Working against the clock, the company’s proprietor, Blanco pulls out all the stops to address and resolve issues with his employees, crossing every imaginable line in the process.To win the competiton, the manipulative “good boss” shamelessly meddles in his employees’ private lives and crosses every line imaginable, unknowingly starting an explosive chain reaction with wild consequences.

El olvido que seremos/Forgotten We'll Be (2020)


Director: Fernando Trueba
Cast: Javier Cámara, Nicolás Reyes Cano, Patricia Tamayo, Juan Pablo Urrego, Laura Londoño, María Teresa Barreto

Based on Hector Abad Faciolince’s cult novel, Forgotten We’ll Be portrays the life of Héctor Abad Gómez, a prominent doctor and human rights activist in the polarized, violent Medellin of the 70s. A family man who is worried not only for his own children but those of the underprivileged classes as well, his home was imbued with vitality and creativity, the result of an education based on tolerance and love. Nothing could foretell that a terrible cancer would take the life of one of his beloved daughters. Driven by sadness and rage, Héctor devoted himself to the social and political causes of his time. But Medellin’s intolerant society would harass him until he was finally silenced. This is an intimate story seen through the eyes of his only son, Héctor Abad Faciolince, one of the most outstanding writers in modern Spanish-language literature.

El siglo de Galdós/The Century of Galdós (2020)


Director: Miguel Ángel Calvo Buttini

This documentary is about Benito Pérez Galdós, an extraordinary narrator of his era and a man committed to his time, which spans from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th. He is a prestigious writer and a politician, yet very little is known as far as his private life is concerned. He was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize, but never received the award. Through his letters, his illustrations, interviews with personalities, along with archival material which has never been published, and exploring the places where he spent his life, the documentary narrates the existence, the work and the century that Galdós lived. A century, the century of Galdós, fierce and interesting.

El sur/The South (1983)


Director: Víctor Erice
Cast: Omero Antonutti, Sonsoles Aranguren, Icíar Bollaín, Lola Cardona, Rafaela Aparicio, Germaine Montero, Aurore Clément, María Caro, Francisco Merino, José Vivó

Based on a novel by Adelaida García Morales, the film is about Estrella's relationship with her parents —Agustín and Julia—, with whom she lives in a house in the north. Agustín is a doctor and a dowser. Julia was a teacher and was retaliated after the Republican defeat. The girl is attracted by the mysterious personality of her father, who one distant day leaves the south and has never wanted to return.

El test/The Test (2022)


Director: Dani de la Orden
Cast: Alberto San Juan, Miren Ibarguren, Blanca Suárez, Carlos Santos, Antonio Resines, Luna Fulgencio

What would you choose, one hundred thousand euros now or one million in ten years’ time? Héctor and Paula, overwhelmed by serious economic problems that threaten their own marriage, face a dilemma proposed by their rich friend, Toni, to help them. Héctor wants €100,000 to try to turn his unprofitable bar into a successful business, but Paula prefers to wait for the grand prize.

Esa pareja feliz/The Happy Couple (1953)


Directors: Juan Antonio Bardem, Luis García Berlanga
Cast: Fernando Fernán-Gómez, Elvira Quintillá, José Luis Ozores, Félix Fernández, Matilde Muñoz Sampedro, Rafael Alonso

Juan and Carmen live in a humble Madrid neighborhood. He works as an electrician in a movie studio and she takes care of the housework, while daydreaming about a better life. Her dreams of prosperity come true when they win a contest sponsored by a soap brand. They have been chosen "the happy couple" and must meet the prize requirements: for 24 hours the winning couple must receive all kinds of invitations and gifts.

España, la primera globalización/Spain: The First Globalization (2021)


Director: José Luis López-Linares
Cast: Antonio Valero, Rubén García Benito, Alicia Relinque, Abigail Horro Rodríguez, Lou Hiling, Carlos Martinez-Shaw, Marcelo Gullo

The "black legend" has caused that much of the history of Spain, America and the Philippines is poorly known, especially in its commercial and scientific aspects. This documentary focuses on correcting certain stories of that "black legend", a propaganda operation so persistent and effective that it has managed to firmly establish itself in the collective imagination. With the intervention of thirty-nine historians from around the world, the documentary offers new readings on the exciting historical period that began with the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, the discovery of America and its future, dismantling the black legend and spreading a more balanced picture of those times.

Handia/Giant (2017)


Directors: Jon Garaño, Aitor Arregi
Cast: Joseba Usabiaga, Eneko Sagardoy, Ramón Agirre, Iñigo Aranburu, Aia Kruse, Iñigo Azpitarte

After having fought in the First Carlist War, Martín returns to his family farmhouse in Gipuzkoa and discovers to his surprise that his younger brother, Joaquín, is much taller than normal. Convinced that everyone will want to pay to see the tallest man on Earth, both brothers embark on a long journey through Europe in which ambition, money and fame will forever change the fate of the family. The story is inspired by real events.

Jinetes del Paraíso/Horseman of Paradise (2020)


Director: Talía Carolina Osorio Cardona
Cast: Cholo Valderrama, Daniel Triviño, Yuri Alvarado, Juan Galvis

In Colombia, a farmer has won a Grammy and few know the landscapes that inspire his songs. El Llano provides a paradise, a delirious experience where nature shows its enigmatic beauty in couplets. Here, music, landscape, horsemen and horses are the protagonists of a vibrant culture, brought to the stages of the world through the verses and the voice of the narrator Orlando "El Cholo" Valderrama, but whose greatness is not known by the inhabitants of the city.

La boda de Rosa/Rosa's Wedding (2020)


Director: Iciar Bo llain
Cast: Candela Peña, Sergi López, Nathalie Poza, Ramón Barea, Paula Usero, Xavo Giménez, Paloma Vidal

About to turn 45, Rosa comes to realize that her full life has always been devoted to please others and decides to shake things up and grab hold of the reins of her life. But first, she wants to get married to herself. But Rosa will soon discover that changing her life is going to be anything but easy. Getting married, even with herself, is going to be the hardest thing she’s ever done.

La hija/The Daughter (2020)


Director: Manuel Martín Cuenca
Cast: Javier Gutiérrez, Patricia López

Irene is a fifteen-year-old who lives in a center for juvenile offenders. She just got pregnant and is determined to turn her life around with the help of Javier, an educator at the center. Javier offers her to secretly come live with him and his wife Adela in the house they have in a remote and rugged spot in the mountains so she can hide and comfortably carry out her pregnancy. The only condition is that in exchange, she agrees to give them the baby she is carrying in her womb. This feeble pact will be put in jeopardy when Irene starts to feel like the life growing inside her belongs to her.

Maixabel (2021)


Director: Icíar Bollaín
Cast: Blanca Portillo, Luis Tosar, María Cerezuela, Urko Olazabal, Tamara Canosa

In the year 2000, Maixabel Lasa’s husband, Juan María Jaúregui, was killed by ETA. Eleven years later, she receives an incredible request: one of the men who killed Juan wants to meet with her in the Nanclares de la Oca prison in Álava (Spain), where he is serving his sentence after breaking ties with the terrorist group. Despite her reservations and her immense pain, Maixabel Lasa agrees to meet face to face with those who ended the life of the person who had been her companion since she was 16 years old.

Mamá cumple cien años/Mama Turns 100 (1979)


Director: Carlos Saura
Cast: Geraldine Chaplin, Amparo Muñoz, Fernando Fernán Gómez, Norman Briski, Rafaela Aparicio, Charo Soriano, José Vivó

The grandmother is about to turn one hundred years old and all the members of the family travel to the farm for her birthday party. The two sons, Fernando and Juan, with their respective wives and daughters, as well as Ana, the former governess, arrive at the old mansion. All the children wait for the old woman to die in order to sell the farm and thus come out of ruin.

Muerte de un ciclista/Death of a Cyclist (1955)


Director: Juan Antonio Bardem
Cast: Lucia Bosè, Alberto Closas, Otello Toso, Bruna Corra, Carlos Casaravilla, Manuel Alexandre

Juan and María José, lovers in a past prior to the Spanish Civil War, meet after a few years of separation, the conflict having ended a long time ago, and they resume their love. But now María José is no longer free and their love turns into adultery.

Muga deitzen da Pausoa/Border Crossing (2018)


Director: Maider Oleaga
Cast: Antón Mendizabal, Kontzita Beitia, Miren Tirapu

Two women meet in an old house in San Sebastián. One is alive and is a filmmaker; the other is called Elvira Zipitria Irastorza who died in 1982. The filmmaker discovers that she lives in a place charged with an invisible presence, with multiple barely salvageable echoes. Some resonate from the Franco dictatorship, a time when Elvira, a pioneer in the teaching of Basque, created a clandestine school to teach the language. The former tenant of the house was an important figure in 20th-century Basque culture and politics. However, she remains in the shadows. The filmmaker, driven by the need to know more about her, begins to investigate. A search that is not easy at all that will soon become performative. Making the film represents the ultimate way of approaching Elvira.

Oreina (Ciervo)/The Deer (2018)


Director: Koldo Almandoz
Cast: Laulad Ahmed Saleh, Patxi Bisquert, Ramón Agirre, Iraia Elias, Erika Olaizola

Khalil is a displaced young man who lives on the outskirts of the city, where the industrial estates meet the river and the marsh. Khalil makes a living as best he can and spends his days with an old poacher who shares a house on the riverbank with a brother he hasn't spoken to in years. On the shores of the marsh, the tides mark the time of love and heartbreak, of friendship and revenge.

Rendir los machos/Our Father (2021)


Director: David Pantaleón
Cast: Alejandro Benito, Lili Quintana, José Mentado, Julio César, Lucifer Rodríguez, Lionel Cepa, Aurelio Carnero Hernández, Emilia Cazorla, Carlos Luis Monzón

The plot revolves around a more than 100-kilometer journey across barren lands with the seven most reputed male goats in the island of Fuerteventura… and two brothers who hate each other. Alejandro and Julio are the two sons of the Cabreras, the most respected goat raisers and cheese producer family in the North of the island. Don Guillermo, the family patriarch, and his two sons have not talked to each other for many years. After the rift, the burden of taking care of the father and the family business falls on Alicia, the only daughter. When their father dies, he leaves one particular last wish in his will which must be fulfilled before the inheritance can be shared out among his children. Alejandro and Julio must travel with the male goats across the island on foot, which they see as a punishment, and hand them to the historical antagonist family of the Cabreras.

Sentimental/The People Upstairs (2020)


Director: Cesc Gay
Cast: Javier Cámara, Belén Cuesta, Alberto San Juan, Griselda Siciliani

Julio and Ana have been together for over fifteen years. They don’t look at each other or touch each other anymore and daily conflicts have become the norm. This evening, Ana has invited the upstairs neighbors over. Salva and Laura are slightly younger than them and welcomed them with open arms when they moved into the building, but the constant moaning and groaning coming from their apartment has become a source of arguments for Julio and Ana... perhaps it’s jealousy, they wish their own sex life was as spicy. This evening, the neighbors will become both the instigators and victims of an emotional tsunami, brought on by an unusual and surprising proposal. The four neighbors can’t help but get caught up in an evening of excess and catharsis.

Totem loba/She Wolf (2020)*


Director: Verónica Echegui
Cast: Isa Montalbán, Delia Brufau, Usúe Álvarez, Almudena, Hinarejos, Elena Ábalos, Elisa Drabben, Fátima Baeza, Sofía Alberola

Estíbaliz accepts her friend Raquel’s invitation to attend her village’s festivities. What initially seems like an exciting weekend turns nightmarish as Estíbaliz finds out these festivities involve the men dressing up as wolves and hunting the women during the night.

*Shorts

Here is the schedule for the cinema screenings. Admission is free, on a first come, first served basis.

October 5, 2022, Shangri-La
7:30 PM El buen patrón

October 6, 2022, Shangri-La
2:30 PM Muerte de un ciclista
5:00 PM El test
7:30 PM Con quién viajas

October 7, 2022, Shangri-La
2:30 PM A las mujeres de España. María Lejárraga
5:00 PM Algo azul
7:30 PM El olvido que seremos

October 8, 2022, Shangri-La
2:30 PM Maixabel
5:00 PM Sentimental
7:30 PM El buen patrón

October 9, 2022, Shangri-La
2:30 PM La hija
5:00 PM Competencia oficial
7:30 PM La boda de Rosa

October 10, 2022, IC Intramuros
2:30 PM Jinetes del Paraíso
5:00 PM Bertsolari

October 11, 2022, IC Intramuros
2:30 PM Muerte de un ciclista
5:00 PM Oreina (Ciervo)

October 12, 2022, IC Intramuros
2:30 PM España, la primera globalización
5:00 PM Sentimental

October 13, 2022, UPFI
2:30 PM A las mujeres de España. María Lejárraga
5:00 PM Handia
7:30 PM Muga deitzen da Pausoa

October 14, 2022, Shangri-La
2:30 PM Shorts
5:00 PM La hija
7:30 PM Rendir los machos

October 15, 2022, Shangri-La
2:30 PM La boda de Rosa
5:00 PM El test
7:30 PM Competencia oficial

October 16, 2022, Shangri-La
2:30 PM El olvido que seremos
5:00 PM Premio del Publíco
7:30 PM Sentimental

Here is the online screening schedule available at www.pelikula.org. Films will be available for viewing for 48 hours from the beginning of their accessibility. 

October 11, 2022
4:00 PM Esa pareja feliz

October 12, 2022
4:00 PM Muerte de un ciclista
6:00 PM España, la primera globalización

October 13, 2022
4:00 PM Mamá cumple cien años
6:00 PM El siglo de Galdós

October 14, 2022
4:00 PM El sur
6:00 PM A las mujeres de España. María Lejárraga

Película 2022 is a project of Instituto Cervantes in Manila and Sydney, the Embassies of Spain in the Philippines and Australia, and the AECID, in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Shangri-La Plaza, Instituto Etxepare, Filmoteca Vasca, the Embassy of Colombia in the Philippines, the Embassy of Panama in the Philippines, the UP Film Institute, the University of the Philippines, Intramuros Administration, Vibal Foundation, Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Acciona, Rustan’s, Arthaland, La Pícara, and Emperador.