Film screenings, poetry readings at Instituto Cervantes

Instituto Cervantes holds a screening of Jamón Jamón on Feb. 14, 6 p.m. at Instituto Cervantes. The movie — directed by Bigas Luna, and which features Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz — tells the story of Jose Luis, an executive at his parents’ underwear factory where his girlfriend Sylvia works on the shop floor. When Sylvia becomes pregnant, Jose Luis promises her that he will marry her, most likely against the wishes of his parents. Jose Luis’ mother is determined to break her son’s engagement to a girl from a lower-class family, and hires Raul, a potential underwear model and would-be bullfighter, to seduce Sylvia. 

Last October, Instituto Cervantes in Manila, in collaboration with the Fil-Hispanic Friendship Day Committee, the National Historical Institute, LRT and MRT launched “Berso sa Metro,” a reading campaign in Metro Manila. This year is the second phase of the promotional reading campaign, to be held on Feb. 18 at the MRT Taft Ave. Station. It will gather all the print and audiovisual designs of last year and even add more verses to read along the trains.

Como agua para Chocolate will be shown on Feb. 21, 6 p.m., at Instituto Cervantes. The movie — directed by Alfonso Arau, and which features Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos, Regina Torné, Ada Carrasco, Yareli Arizmendi, Mario Iván Martínez, and Claudette Maille, among others — is about how life used to be in Mexico. It is a love story between Pedro and Tita, about why they coudn’t get married because Tita’s mother wanted her oldest daughter to get married first, and have Tita to stay and take care of her.

Fuera de Carta will be shown on Feb. 28, 6 p.m., at Instituto Cervantes.

Instituto Cervantes is at 855 Kalaw St., 1000 Ermita Manila. For information, call 526-1482 and 526-1449, or visit http://manila.cervantes.es.