PELÍCULA celebrates 25 years of Spain-PH cinema ties

Celebrating 25 years of bringing Spanish-language cinema closer to Filipino audiences, Instituto Cervantes de Manila will stage the silver anniversary edition of PELÍCULA>PELIKULA, the Manila Spanish Film Festival, from October 4 to 11, 2026.

Presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, AECID Cultura, the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, and other cultural and film institutions, the festival will take place at Instituto Cervantes’ Intramuros branch (Casa Azul) and Power Plant Cinema in Makati City.

Established by Instituto Cervantes in 2002, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA has become a major showcase of Spanish-language cinema in Southeast Asia. Its 25th edition will feature 23 films from Spain, Latin America and the Philippines, spanning contemporary productions, documentaries, classics, animation and short films.

Looking back, looking forward

The festival’s silver anniversary poster is based on a photograph by renowned Spanish artist García de Marina, featuring a mannequin wearing two masks—one facing forward and the other backward.

The image reflects the festival’s 25-year journey while looking ahead to its future. As García de Marina describes it, one mask looks toward the past 25 years and the other toward what lies ahead.

To commemorate the milestone, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA has also established the Galardón XXV Aniversario (XXV Anniversary Award), recognizing a film professional whose work has contributed significantly to strengthening ties between the Philippines and the Spanish-speaking world.

The inaugural distinction will be conferred on Filipino actor Ronnie Lazaro.

From Spain to Latin America

The festival’s main program runs from October 5 to 11 at Power Plant Cinema 2, preceded by La Previa, a special four-film marathon on October 4 at Instituto Cervantes’ Intramuros branch.

All screenings are free of charge.

The official selection covers a broad range of genres, including the drama Los domingos (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, 2025), documentary We the Hispanos (José Luis López-Linares, 2026), classic film El desencanto (Jaime Chávarri, 1976), and animated feature Olivia y el terremoto invisible (Irene Iborra, 2025).

In partnership with the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, the festival will also present Premios Goya on Tour, featuring seven recently awarded Spanish productions: Sirāt (Oliver Laxe, 2025), Maspalomas (Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi, 2025), La cena (Manuel Gómez Pereira, 2025), The Room Next Door (Pedro Almodóvar, 2024), Los Tigres (Alberto Rodríguez, 2025), El cautivo (Alejandro Amenábar, 2025), and Mariposas negras (David Baute, 2024).

The festival also looks beyond Spain, showcasing films from across Latin America. Among them are the Brazilian drama Cyclone (Flavia Castro, 2025); Argentine animated feature Gigantes, una aventura extraordinaria (Gonzalo Gutiérrez, 2024); Argentine comedy Mensaje en una botella (Gabriel Nesci, 2025); Costa Rican drama Tengo sueños eléctricos (Valentina Maurel, 2022); and Peruvian film Vino la noche (Paolo Tizón, 2024).

Connecting Philippine and Spanish-speaking cinema

A key component of the festival is Encuentros en el cine: En corto, which brings together short films from the Philippines, Latin America and Spain as part of its effort to deepen cultural connections through cinema.

The section features the Filipino films Agapito (Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero, 2025) and Elenita, Elena, Elaine (Gabriela Serrano, 2025); Chilean short Voz de trompeta (Pilar Smoje Gueico and David Monarte Serna); Spanish production Gilbert (Arturo Lacal, Alex Salu and Jordi Jiménez, 2024); and Mexican filmmaker Águeda V. Flores’ ¡Abre las piernas! (2025).

The five shorts will be screened on October 11 at 5 p.m.

As in previous editions, festivalgoers will also have a say in the Audience Choice Award, voting for their favorite film after each screening. Introduced in 2004, the award has become one of PELÍCULA>PELIKULA’s longstanding traditions, with the winning film to be screened again during the closing ceremony.

All films will be shown in their original languages with English subtitles.

More than movies

Beyond the film screenings, the festival will feature lectures, workshops and musical performances.

The festival’s cultural program opens on October 2 at Ayala Museum with Musika ng Pelikula, a concert by Merienda Jazz inspired by memorable soundtracks and musical themes from Spanish cinema.

On October 6 at 1 p.m., film historian Nick Deocampo will deliver a lecture at Power Plant Cinema 2 exploring Spanish influences on Philippine cinema.

Mexican artist Juan Pablo Chipe will also conduct film-inspired art workshops using modeling clay and collage. Participation is free, subject to limited slots and registration.

For festival updates and registration details, audiences may visit the official PELÍCULA>PELIKULA event page and Instituto Cervantes’ official channels.

PELÍCULA>PELIKULA 2026 is a project of Instituto Cervantes de Manila, the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, and AECID Philippines, in collaboration with the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, Film Development Council of the Philippines, Film Academy of the Philippines, National Book Development Board, Intramuros Administration, QCinema, Quezon City Screen Commission (Screen QC), and participating embassies, universities, cultural institutions and cinemas.

Collaborating institutions include the Embassies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru in the Philippines; Power Plant Cinema; Ayala Museum; De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde; Mapúa University; MINT College; CIIT; FEU Manila – Institute of Arts and Sciences; UP Diliman Department of European Languages; UP Círculo Hispánico; UP Film Institute; UST Department of Modern Languages; and SOFA Design Institute.

The festival is sponsored by Acciona, Boysen and Fundador.