Festival highlights Spanish director’s movie on 1898 Baler siege

FROM October 5 to 15, Pelicula-Pelikula, the biggest annual Spanish film festival in Asia, will feature the best of contemporary Spanish cinema at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas, Makati. More than 20 films will be screened in this 16th edition, which is mounted anew by Instituto Cervantes, the Embassy of Spain-AECID, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and Ayala Cinemas.

Since its conception in 2002 by Instituto Cervantes, the festival has traditionally been graced by the presence of Spanish and Latin American filmmakers. In this edition, film director Salvador Calvo will fly to Manila to open the festival with his movie

. Produced in 2016, the film retells the story of the Baler siege, where in 1898 a group of Spanish soldiers resisted for 337 days without knowing that the war was over. Director Salvador Calvo will have a Q& A with the audience on October 6, at 9: 30 pm. ‘Los últimos de Filipinas’ Animation movie ‘Psiconautas’

Earlier that day, at 4:30 pm, Spanish director Sally Gutiérrez will present her documentary Produced in 2017, and selected by several festivals around the world like the Seminci ( Valladolid, Spain) and the Los Angeles Philippine Film Festival, the Manila screening will be the world premiere of Gutiérrez’ work.

The line- up of films shows a list of genres ranging from romance and comedy

. Besides its line- up of movies in different genres, the film festival will also give tribute to Latin- American cinema with movies from Argentina, México and Venezuela.

On October 10, in collaboration with the Embassy of Argentina, Película will focus on the Argentinean film industry with the showing of the documentary the multi- awarded comedy

, and the drama which will be played at 4: 30 pm, 7: 30 pm, and 9: 30 pm, respectively.

An “Audience Choice” Award will be given to the best- rated movie in the festival, to be decided by the audience. They will be given stubs on which they can rate the movies they have seen. Moreover, for every five movies, members of the audience qualify to join the raffle where they get a chance to win a round- trip ticket to Spain.

Finally in December, thanks to the collaboration of the Film Development Council of the Philippines ( FDCP), a selection of the films shown in the Festival will travel to other cities in the Philippines, and will have a second leg in Baguio, Ilo- ilo, and Davao. Director Salvador Calvo