The anticipated Spanish Film Festival, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA, is returning to Makati in Ayala Triangle Gardens and Powerplant Mall from October 10 to 16, 2025 for its 24th edition. Since its creation in 2002 by Instituto Cervantes, PELÍCULA has become a much-awaited annual event in Philippine theaters. This year’s Festival will showcase over 20 acclaimed films from Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines.
The Festival will open on October 10 at Ayala Triangle Gardens with the screening of El 47 (Marcel Barrena, 2024). Over the week, audiences will enjoy a variety of genres, including dramas such as Soy Nevenka (Icíar Bollaín, 2024) and Nosotros (Helena Taberna, 2024); documentaries such as Un hombre libre (Laura Hojman, 2024) and La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés (C. Tangana, 2024); and animations such as Mariposas negras (David Baute, 2024) and Robotia (Diego Cagide and Diego Lucero, 2024).
In addition to Spanish productions, the Official Selection will feature films from Latin America, including the Argentinian drama Por tu bien (Axel Monsú, 2024), the Brazilian Até que a música pare (Cristiane Oliveira, 2023), Uruguay’s Becho (José Infantozzi, 2024), and the Peruvian Reinas (Klaudia Reynicke, 2024). Filipino cinema will also have its place through the program En corto: Short films from the Philippines, Latin America, and Spain, which will be screened on October 16.
Like in previous years, spectators will decide the Audience Choice Award. Since 2004, this recognition has been one of the Festival’s most beloved traditions. Viewers may vote for their favorite films after each screening. The winning title will be announced on October 16 and will be screened again that evening at Power Plant Cinema 6 during the Festival’s closing ceremony.
Special sections and activities
Marking its return to Makati, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA will treat audiences to the extravaganza of Cine Maratón at Ayala Triangle Gardens on October 11, featuring a whole day of films such as Dalia y el libro rojo (David Bisbano, 2024), Tasio (Montxo Armendáriz, 1984), Solos en la noche (Guillermo Rojas, 2024), and Reinas (Klaudia Reynicke, 2024), from 11:45am to 11:00pm.
Since its first edition, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA has programmed activities aiming to showcase emerging Spanish and Filipino filmmakers. In line with this, on October 16 PELíCULA will be holding “Encuentros en el cine: En corto”, an activity which will feature three recent Filipino short films: Lip Sync Assassin, (Jon Galvez, 2025), Animal Lovers, (Aedrian Araojo, 2023), and Radikals (Arvin Belarmino, 2024). The movies will be presented by their directors.
The Festival also includes parallel activities. On October 11, Instituto Cervantes will also offer an activity related to films for children, where the Spanish Cultural Center will invite young participants to join fun and creative activities such as crafts and games that spark their imagination and curiosity.
On the following day, October 12, before the 2:00 p.m. screening of Robotia at Power Plant Cinema 6, children will have the chance to win several footballs and an official Real Madrid jersey signed by football legend Emilio Butragueño. These prizes are generously provided by Real Madrid C.F. through the Manila-based Peña Madridista Emilio Butragueño.
El 47 | The 47 (2024, Spain)
Director: Marcel Barrenada
Cast: Eduard Fernández, Clara Segura, David Verdaguer, Zoe Bonafonte, Salva Reina, Aimar Vega, Carlos Cuevas, Vicente Romero, Óscar de la Fuente, Betsy Túrnez
In 1978, Manolo Vital, a bus driver from Barcelona, challenged the official narrative: buses could not climb the steep streets of Torre Baró, a working-class neighborhood on the city’s outskirts. Tired of this repeated lie by the City Council, he took control of the line 47 bus to prove otherwise. This peaceful act of defiance sparked a neighborhood movement that transformed the suburbs and laid the foundations of modern Barcelona, highlighting both working-class pride and the strength of collective solidarity.
Dalia y el libro rojo | Dalia and the Red Book (2024, Argentina)
Director: David Bisbano
Cast: Agustina Cirulnik, Mora Kind, Gustavo Barrientos, Mariana Correa, Andrés Burecovics, Natalia Rosminati
When Dalia was a child, her father includes a character in the novel he's writing as a tribute to her: a goat, inspired by her favorite stuffed toy. Years later, after her father dies and leaves the book unfinished, Dalia is kidnapped by the characters from the novel, who pull her into the world of fiction through a portal.
Tasio (1984, Spain)
Director: Montxo Armendáriz
Cast: Patxi Bisquert, Isidro José Solano, Garikoitz Mendigutxia, Amaia Lasa, Nacho Martínez, José María Asín, Paco Sagarzazu, Enrique Goicoechea, Elena Uriz
Since the age of fourteen, Tasio has worked as a charcoal burner in the Urbasa mountains. His life unfolds between the forest, his family, and the hardships of artisanal labor, always in close contact with nature. The film portrays with realism and sensitivity the daily life of a man deeply rooted in his land and a traditional craft on the verge of extinction, offering a reflection on a way of life that defies time.
Solos en la noche | Alone in the Night (2024, Spain)
Director: Guillermo Rojas
Cast: Pablo Gomez Pando, Andrea Carballo, Alfonso Sánchez, Félix Gómez, Paula Usero, Beatriz Arjona, Jacinto Bobo, Vicente Vergara
A group of politically active labor lawyers take refuge in a remote house during the attempted coup d'État of February 23, 1981 in Spain. Amid uncertainty, they debate whether to flee, remain hidden, or take action to defend the fledgling democracy. A dramedy blending tension, humor, and conviction, offering a critical yet affectionate take on the dilemmas of that era.
Reinas (2024, Peru, Spain)
Director: Klaudia Reynicke
Cast: Abril Gjurinovic, Luana Vega, Jimena Lindo, Gonzalo Molina, Susi Sánchez
Summer 1992 in Lima. Lucía, Aurora and their mother Elena are preparing to leave their country. They are apprehensive about saying goodbye to their loved ones and especially to Carlos, a father and ex-husband who has practically disappeared from their lives. In the midst of the social and political chaos that reigns in Peru at that time, this announced exile generates contradictory feelings, revives old regrets and generates new illusions. The future is impregnated with uncertainty. In a maelstrom of hope, fear, frustration and expectation, Lucía, Aurora and Elena are forced to confront everything that leaving implies.
Robotia (2024, Spain, Argentina)
Directors: Diego Cagide, Diego Lucero
Cast: Annabel Gallardo, Ariel Cister, Valeria Stilman, Florencia Rosemblit, Diego Recagno
In a world inhabited by androids who live, dream, and grow, Alex and Bibi are two robots built in the same factory with the same materials and at the same time, yet their paths diverge from the very beginning. Alex, born with a factory defect, is sent to a small village; Bibi grows up in a conservative household where she is forbidden to play football. Despite their differences, they share a passion for the sport. Fate brings them together on the football field with quirky robotic friends, and when the chance to enter a children’s championship arises, they will do everything possible to include Bibi and prove that dreams can overcome all obstacles through friendship and teamwork.
Una quinta portuguesa | The Portuguese House (2025, Spain)
Director: Avelina Prat
Cast: Manolo Solo, Maria de Medeiros, Branka Katić, Rita Cabaço
The sudden disappearance of his wife plunges Fernando, a calm and methodical geography professor, into disarray. Unable to cope with the void she leaves behind, he assumes the identity of a gardener and begins working in a Portuguese estate. There, he forms an unexpected friendship with Amalia, the enigmatic owner, and slowly finds peace and renewal in a life that isn’t his own.
Segundo premio | Saturn Return (2024, Spain)
Directors: Isaki Lacuesta, Pol Rodríguez
Cast: Daniel Ibáñez, Cristalino, Stéphanie Magnin Vella, Mafo, Chesco Ruiz, Edu Rejón
Granada, late 90s. In the midst of artistic and cultural effervescence, an indie music group is going through its most delicate moment: the bass player breaks up with the band looking for his place outside music and the guitarist is immersed in a dangerous spiral of self-destruction. Meanwhile, the singer is facing a complicated process of writing and recording his third album. Little does anyone know that this album will forever change the music scene across the country. This is (not) a film about los Planetas
Un hombre libre | A Free Man (2024, Spain)
Director: Laura Hojman
The documentary brings back the figure of Andalusian writer Agustín Gómez Arcos, whose work, censored in Spain during Franco’s dictatorship, gained international acclaim during his exile in France. Through his writings, interviews, and archival material, the film recovers the memory of a free, uncompromising and committed creator. An intimate and necessary portrait of an author whose voice resonates more powerfully than ever today.
Nosotros | The Story of Us (2025, Spain)
Director: Helena Taberna
Cast: María Vázquez, Pablo Molinero
Ángela and Antonio meet in their youth and, like so many couples, fall in love and begin to build a shared life. Over the years, they experience the different stages of a relationship: passion, routine, doubts, loss, and the need to reinvent themselves in order to move forward together. With an intimate and sensitive perspective, the film portrays how love evolves and transforms without losing its essence. A universal story about the bond that unites two people as time goes by.
Los aitas (2025, Spain)
Director: Borja Cobeaga
Cast: Quim Gutiérrez, Juan Diego Botto, Mikel Losada, Iñaki Ardanaz, Laura Weissmahr, Ramón Barea, Sofía Otero, Irati García Pérez, Irati Goitia Arraibi, Mara Garcés Renedo, Josean Bengoetxea
In the working-class suburbs of Bilbao in 1989, a children’s rhythmic gymnastics team is preparing to take part in a championship in Berlin. Since the mothers are unable to accompany their daughters, the task unexpectedly falls to the fathers. What begins as a reluctant responsibility soon turns into a transformative journey, as these men—accustomed to the routines of factory life and to traditional family roles—discover new ways of connecting with their daughters and with each other. Blending pride, clumsiness, and genuine emotion, The Dads offers a tender and humorous portrait of fatherhood, friendship, and the winds of social change in a Spain moving steadily toward modernity.
Mariposas negras | Black Butterflies (2024, Spain)
Director: David Baute
Tanit lives in Turkana, northern Kenya, where extreme drought forces her to move to Nairobi with her family. Valeria, from the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, must flee after the devastating impact of Hurricane Irma. And Shaila, on the Indian island of Ghoramara, sees her home and crops destroyed by rising sea levels, compelling her to migrate to the city. These moving stories of loss are bound by the shared experience of climate migration—fragile like butterflies, they struggle to survive in a world that no longer sustains them. A necessary look at the human impact of climate change
Sorda | Deaf (2025, Spain)
Director: Eva Libertad
Cast: Miriam Garlo, Álvaro Cervantes, Elena Irureta, Joaquín Notario
Angela, a deaf woman, is going to have a baby with Hector, her hearing partner. The pregnancy brings to the surface her fears about motherhood and how she will be able to communicate with her daughter. The arrival of the child generates a crisis in the couple and leads Angela to face the upbringing of her daughter in a world that is not made for her. Feature film based on the 2021 short film of the same name.
Becho (2024, Uruguay)
Director: José Infantozzi
Cast: Santiago Infantozzi, Quico Grecco, Piero Dátole, Santiago Moreira, Moré, Diego D'Angelo, Lucila Rada
Becho is a boy with a unique gift: he can see passion as a golden, radiant energy flowing from people and special moments. One day, during a concert, that force transports him into a magical world where La Cumparsita resides. There he discovers that he can also generate this inner light, and with his horse Skat he embarks on adventures that lead him from joy to devastating loss. When all seems lost, Becho sets out on a journey of rediscovery—of his gift and of himself. A poetic fable about courage, music, and hope.
La guitarra flamenca de Yerai Cortés | The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés (2024, Spain)
Director: C. Tangana
When Antón Álvarez, C.Tangana, meets Yerai Cortés he is completely fascinated by his talent and intrigued by his family history. Yerai is an unusual figure within flamenco; as respected by the more traditionalist gypsies as he is by the avant-garde artists of the new wave of which he is a part. They decide to embark on a journey together to record an album in which the songs are marked by a great sorrow, where the artistic process itself confronts him with his past and pushes him to explore a family secret through which he tries to redeem the relationship with his parents. The result is a film that develops a unique musical experience to immerse us in a story of passion, love and forgiveness.
Até que música pare | Until the Music is Over (2023, Brazil)
Director: Cristiane Oliveira
Cast: Cibele Tedesco, Hugo Lorensatti, Nicolas Vaporidis, Elisa Volpatto, Teti Tedesco, Tamara Zanotto Padilha, Jonas Piccoli
Chiara is the matriarch of an Italian-descendant family torn apart. After her youngest son moves out, she decides to go along with Alfredo, her husband, on his trips as a salesman in the bars of Serra Gaúcha. Their trust in each other breaks down when Chiara finds out about Alfredo’s life on the road and he realizes she hides something. A turtle and decks of cards will put to the test their 50-years relationship.
Por tu bien | For Your Sake (Argentina)
Director: Axel Monsú
Cast: Sabrina Melgarejo, Jabes Alatiel Mulka, Gastón Ricaud, Cynthia Krawczyk, Camila Kreinibig, Gicela Méndez Ribeiro, Juan Ramón Núñez
Zulma is a teenager growing in a rural town and assuming the mandates her family and religious community impose on her, until something happens that prompts her to take the reigns of her own destiny.
Soy Nevenka | I'm Nevenka (2024, Spain)
Director: Icíar Bollaín
Cast: Mireia Oriol, Urko Olazábal, Ricardo Gómez, Carlos Serrano, Lucía Veiga
Nevenka Fernández, a municipal finance councillor in Ponferrada, is subjected to sexual harassment by the mayor—a powerful man used to exerting control both politically and personally. Despite facing emotional and professional persecution, Nevenka bravely decides to speak out. She confronts ostracism from her community, a public trial in the media, and pays a high price for breaking the silence. A true story that catalyzed change and left a lasting impact on Spain's battle against harassment.
Encuentros en el cine: En corto
Lip Sync Assassin (2025, Philippines)
Director: Jon Galvez
Cast: Precious Paula Nicole, Peewee O’Hara, Argel Saycon, Erin Espiritu, Angel Galang, Mrs. Tan, Hana Beshie, Jel Tarun
Sampaguita, a fabulous drag queen moonlights as a hired killer to earn extra money and provide a good life for her talented daughter and sickly mother. Just when she thought she could handle any contract killing mission, her new target tests how far she can go to support her loved ones.
Animal Lovers (2023, Philippines)
Director: Aedrian Araojo
Cast: Iana Bernardez, Karl Medina, Ryanne Murcia
A pregnant woman, suspicious of her husband’s romantic relationship with his carabao, schemes to banish her beastly rival and reclaim her title as the fairest creature of the land.
Radikals (2024, Philippines)
Director: Alvin Belarmino
Cast: Elora Españo, Timothy Castillo, Ross Pesigan
A young rookie from a bizarre chicken-dance group faces a heckler after being the worst dancer at a performance -- leading him to a series of strange events that reveal what the group does to their weakest link.
Below is the schedule of screening.
Ayala Triangle Gardens
October 10, 2025
7:30 PM El 47
October 11, 2025
11:45 AM Dalia y el libro rojo
2:00 PM Tasio
4:00 PM El 47
6:00 PM Solos en la noche
8:30 PM Reinas
Power Plant Cinema
October 12, 2025
2:00 PM Robotia
5:00 PM Una quinta portuguesa
7:30 PM Segundo premio
October 13, 2025
2:00 PM A Free Man
5:00 PM The Story of Us
7:30 PM Los Aitas
October 14, 2025
2:00 PM Black Butterflies
5:00 PM Deaf
7:30 PM Becho
October 15, 2025
2:00 PM The Flamenco Guitar of Yerai Cortés
5:00 PM Until the Music is Over
7:30 PM For Your Sake
October 16, 2025
2:00 PM I’m Nevenka
5:00 PM Encuentros en el cine: En corto
7:30 PM Premio del Público
PELíCULA>PELIKULA 2025 is a project of Instituto Cervantes in Manila, presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, the AECID, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Intramuros Administration, the Embassy of Argentina in the Philippines, the Embassy of Brazil in the Philippines, the Embassy of Perú, the Embassy of Uruguay, QCinema, the Quezon City Film Commision, Make it Makati, Power Plant Cinema, University of Santo Tomas, De La Salle University--College of Saint Benilde, the Department of European Languages of the University of the Philippines, UP Círculo Hispánico, Far Eastern University, CIIT College of Arts and Technology, Mapúa University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Mint College, Ateneo de Manila University-Modern Languages, Peña Madridista de Manila Emilio Butragueño. Sponsored by Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Acciona, Ayala Corporation, Fundador, and Boysen.
All screenings are free of charge with films presented in their original language and accompanied by English subtitles.
For more updates on the Festival, you may visit the website of Instituto Cervantes de Manila (https://manila.cervantes.es) or facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila.
