MANILA, Philippines - This March, film and music will come together in the FDCP Cinematheques across the country as Instituto Cervantes of Manila and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in cooperation with the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines and the Film Archives of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), present the film series “El Musical Español.” Movie and music enthusiasts will enjoy the best Spanish musical films with free admission. The screening schedule is as follows: March 4 to 8 in Cinematheque Iloilo; March 11 to 15 in Cinematheque Baguio; March 18 to 22 in Cinematheque Zamboanga; and March 25 to 29 in Cinematheque Davao.
The film lineup for “El Musical Español” at all cinematheques includes Habana Blues, Flamenco de Raiz (Flamenco from the Roots), Tango, Fados, and El Milagro de Candeal.
Habana Blues, directed by Benito Zambrano, is a film that focuses on the musical connection between two friends, Ruy and Tito.
Carlos Saura’s FadosSTAR
Flamenco de Raíz (Flamenco from the Roots), a documentary by Spanish director Vicente Pérez Herrero, explores the unglamorous realities of flamenco, a Spanish folk-music-and-dance form, as a cultural industry.
Tango, directed by legendary Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura, revolves around the heartbroken theater director Mario Suárez, who distracts himself with a new project after his girlfriend leaves him.
Fados, a Spanish film also directed by Carlos Saura, focuses on the musical genre fado, which is part of Portugal’s musical heritage. It is not only a musical journey but a visual one as well, as the director utilizes mirrors, lighting and projection effects, and color to make the music manifest through image.
El Milagro de Candeal (Miracle of Candeal), directed by Fernando Trueba, is an exploration of Afro-Brazilian music. It centers on Candeal, a marginal area in the heart of the capital of Bahia in Brazil, and its legendary Grammy-Award-winning percussionist Carlinhos Brown.
For details, visit www.manila.cervantes.es, www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila, or (www.fdcp.ph).