Instituto Cervantes, Spain's cultural organization in the Philippines, screens free Spanish movies with English subtitles every Saturday (6 p.m.) at the Instituto Cervantes Salón de Actos in Ermita, Manila.
Europe, the old continent with a long and complex history, aims to reformulate itself in a political union that just celebrated 50 years. This cycle offers five films featuring some aspects of contemporary Europe.
Instituto Cervantes presents five full-length films this June under the theme "Europa On Europe."
Free Admission.
The City of the Sun (La Ciudad del Sol)
Director: Martin Sulík (Czech Republic, 2005)
Cast: Oldrich Navrátil, Ivan Martinka, Lubo Kostelný, Igor Bares, Anna Cónová
95 min.
In Czech with English subtitles
Date: June 2
Time: 6:00 pm
This film is a story of four friends who suddenly find themselves out of work. Since they're too proud to register at the labor office they decide to deal with this unpleasant situation in their own way. Using their last money, they buy a lorry and start a business of their own. Nothing is as easy as it seems, not only in business but also with their loving, squabbling and sad wives as well as misbehaving children.
In This Tricky Life (En la puta vida)
Director: Beatriz Flores Silva (Spain, 2001)
Cast: Mariana Santangelo, Silvestre, Josep Linuesa, Andrea Fantoni, Fermi Herrero
97 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles
For Adults Only
Date: June 9
Time: 6:00 pm
Elisa, 27, dreams of opening her own hairdressing salon in one of the rich districts of the Uruguayan capital. A bit of a rebel, one day Elisa finds herself jobless and without money. Her best friend finds her a job—in the brothel run by Doña Jacqueline. And without really being aware of it, Elisa slides into prostitution, which leads her to Barcelona. She falls in love, she is exploited, she gets involved in transvestite gang wars, and meanwhile just dreams of earning money for her little beauty salon back home.
Sud Express
Director: Chema de la Peña, Gabriel Velázquez (Spain, 2006)
Cast: Gerald Morales, Tino Guimarães, German A. Joao, Lidia Pinville, Javier Delgado
103 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles
Date: June 16
Time: 6:00 pm
Named after the legendary train that travels from Lisbon to Paris, Sud Express is a rare cinematic pleasure. Co-directed by Chema de la Peña and first-time filmmaker Gabriel Velázquez, this beautifully shot film travels through southwestern Europe on the celebrated Sud Express, explores cultural differences and similarities at a time when Europe is trying to forge a politically and economically united future. Enacted in five languages (Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Basque), this ambitious work is a tender and sincere human drama.
One Day in Europe (Galatasaray - Depor)
Director: Hannes Störh
Cast: Megan Gay, Luidmila Tsvetkova, Luis Tosar, Boris Arquier
95 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles
Date: June 23
Time: 6:00 pm
Moscow: Day of the Champions League finals between Galatasaray and Deportivo de La Coruña. A business woman in Moscow, a backpacker in Istanbul, a Dutch pilgrim in Santiago de Compostela, and a French couple in Berlin are involved with the police all at the same time. Four cases of luggage theft, four police stations, four times the Champions League, football mania is everywhere and the Euro is already in circulation.
Crossing Borders (Un franco, 14 pesetas)
Director: Carlos Iglesias
Cast: Carlos Iglesias, Javier Gutiérrez, Nieve de Medina, Isabel Blanco, Iván Martín, Tim Frederik
105 min.
In Spanish with English subtitles
Combining gentle comedy and social criticism, the film revolves around the journey of two Spaniards to Switzerland in search of work. In Franco's Madrid of 1960, mechanic Martín (Iglesias) and his family live in a miserable basement flat. When he loses his job, Martín decides, along with his best friend Marcos (Javier Gutiérrez), to head for Switzerland, where a franc is worth 14 pesetas. They arrive in an almost impossibly picturesque Swiss town and are quickly confronted by what for them are the mysterious habits of the locals. Just as they seem to be setting in, their families arrive, and the process of assimilation begins all over again.
For inquiries, call Instituto Cervantes at 5261282 - 85.
Free admission.
Venue: Instituto Cervantes, 855 Kalaw St., 1000 Ermita, Manila