Contemporary Argentine films at Instituto Cervantes
MANILA, Philippines - Instituto Cervantes, in collaboration with the Embassy of Argentina in the Philippines, presents a film cycle on contemporary Argentine cinema, one of the most dynamic and interesting cinematography of the Spanish-speaking world, this month of August.
Captivating audiences from all over the world, Argentina’s cinema has a long tradition dating back to the late 19th century, and has played an important role in their culture for more than a century. Throughout the last few decades, the industry has produced some of the most exciting and diverse films that made the Argentine cinema one of the most important in the Spanish- speaking world.
The film cycle, in Spanish with English subtitles, opened at Instituto Cervantes’ Salon de Actos with director Héctor Olivera’s lush biopic The Mural about David Alfaro Siqueiros, the passionate and sensual artist who, with the help of Argentine artists Lino Enea Spilimbergo, Antonio Berni, John Carlos Castagnino and Uruguayan Enrique Lazarus, paints a famous mural in the fifth Los Granados property of Natalio Botana.
On Aug. 11, 2 p.m., Fernando Spiner’s noire drama Aballay, the Man Without Fear will be screened.
A profile of the Argentine writer Julio Cortázar, encompassing his boxing career, literary work, political radicalism, and personal exile in Europe will be depicted in Tristán Bauer’s Cortázar showing on Aug. 18, 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the 1984 Argentine drama film directed by María Luisa Bemberg, based on the story of the 19th-century Argentine socialite Camila O’Gorman will be screened on Aug. 25, 2 p.m.
The film cycle closes on Aug. 30, 6 p.m., with The Internal Debt, which follows the story of the life of an Indian boy, Veronico Cruz, from his birth in one of the most remote parts of Argentina, until his death in the far-off south Atlantic during the Falklands/Malvinas War.
The Contemporary Argentine film cycle is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila in collaboration with the Embassy of Argentina, the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines, FILMOTECA, and Spanish Agency International Cooperation for Development (AECID).
Admission to all the screenings is free on a first-come, first-served basis. For information, call 526-1482 or visit http://manila.cervantes.es. Instituto Cervantes de Manila is at 855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila.
