EMBASSY
Most cultured October
Films, jazz, art, design, a little history. The Spanish Embassy has filled October with reasons to get out of the house.
From the return of the acclaimed Spanish film festival to an exhibition by a sculptor hailing from Bilbao and a closer look at Spain’s centuries-old presence in the south of the country, the Embassy of Spain in Manila — through Instituto Cervantes and its Cultural and Education Offices — offers this month fresh ways to explore the many connections between Spain and the Philippines.
Película > Pelikula is back! Featuring 23 films from Spain, Latin America and the Philippines, the festival will run from 5 to 11 October at Power Plant Cinema 2. With a film lineup as varied as its audiences, the festival has something for everyone: drama, documentary and animation. As in previous years, admission is free.
As it marks a milestone this year, Película > Pelikula offers much more than movie screenings. At the inauguration of its 25th edition on 2 October at the Ayala Museum, the films came alive in sound as a jazz ensemble reimagines their iconic soundtracks live on stage.
Meanwhile, Filipino film historian Nick Deocampo delivers a talk on Spanish influence on Philippine cinema on 6 October at Power Plant Cinema 2.
Juan Pablo Chipe, a Mexican-born artist based in Spain, turns film into art, leading a series of hands-on workshops where participants will bring cinematic inspiration to life through modelling clay and collage. Participation is free but requires advance registration, as places are limited.
Caza Azul in Intramuros plays host to Female Designers: (Re)designing the World, a creative journey bringing together 12 Spanish designers.
It is an invitation to contemplate the alliance between tradition and the future, between sustainability and imagination. The exhibit opens on 15 October.
Zamboanga will be the venue for the annual series of talks organized by UP Diliman marking Philippine-Spanish Friendship Day. On 14 October, Spanish researcher David Manzano Cosano will discuss the influence of Spain on the island of Mindanao.
He will also present and talk about his book El imperio español en Oceania on 16 October at Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros.
Galician-born designer Amalia Puga is set to grace the annual Design Week organized by the Design Center of the Philippines and will offer a workshop on 17 October to explore ideas on combining traditional practices and experimenting with raw and natural materials to tell stories.
Either in person or online, Spanish language professors are encouraged to join the VIII Jornadas de Español como Lengua Extranjera, which will be held on 23 and 24 October at the Ateneo de Manila University.
This year’s conference will focus on strategies for fostering oral and written interaction in the classroom.
After successful runs at the Instituto Cervantes and UST in 2024, Nebrija in the Philippines lands at the Lyceum of the Philippines, spotlighting Antonio de Nebrija’s legacy and its link to the first grammars of Philippine languages. It opens on 14 October.
Four exhibitions are still waiting to be discovered, including two permanent displays: Tagpuan by Boa Mistura, a permanent large-scale wall and floor mural at Fort Santiago, and Four Centuries of Spanish Engineering at the Centro de Turismo Intramuros, which can both be enjoyed throughout the year.
Meanwhile, it is not yet too late to visit Buen Camino at the San Agustin Museum and Returning to Manila: The Galleon Trade in Maps at the Museo del Galeón.