Manila, PHILIPPINES — From October 4 to 11, 2026, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, AECID Cultura, and other institutions, will present the 25th edition of PELÍCULA>PELIKULA, the Manila Spanish Film Festival, at Instituto Cervantes’ Intramuros branch (Casa Azul) and Power Plant Cinema in Makati City.
Established by Instituto Cervantes in 2002, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA has grown into the most anticipated showcase of Spanish-language cinema in Southeast Asia. This year’s festival will feature 23 acclaimed films from Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines.
This edition’s festival poster, a question that we have consistently cared for over the years, is based on a photograph by renowned Spanish artist García de Marina, depicting a mannequin wearing both a forward-facing and a backward-facing mask. In the artist’s words, one mask is “looking towards the past 25 years, and one looking towards the future,” symbolizing the festival’s milestone anniversary.
25TH ANNIVERSARY
To mark its 25th anniversary, the Festival has established the Galardón XXV Aniversario (XXV Anniversary Award), presented to a film professional whose work has contributed significantly to strengthening ties between the Philippines and the Spanish-speaking world. The Festival’s management has decided to bestow this distinction upon the Filipino actor Ronnie Lazaro.
The festival’s main program will run from October 5 to 11 at Power Plant Cinema 2. Ahead of the official opening, however, audiences will be treated to La Previa, a special four-film marathon on Sunday, October 4, at Instituto Cervantes’ Intramuros branch.
All screenings are free of charge. The Official Selection spans a wide range of genres, including dramas such as Los domingos (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, 2025), documentaries such as We the Hispanos (José Luis López-Linares, 2026), classic films such as El desencanto (Jaime Chávarri, 1976), and animated features such as Olivia y el terremoto invisible (Irene Iborra, 2025) All screenings are free of charge.
Thanks to the collaboration of the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, this year’s edition will also present “Premios Goya on Tour,” a special section 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).
Beyond Spain, the festival will showcase notable films from across Latin America, including the Brazilian drama Cyclone (Flavia Castro, 2025), the Argentine animated feature Gigantes, una aventura extraordinaria (Gonzalo Gutiérrez, 2024), the also Argentenian comedy Mensaje en una botella (Gabriel Nesci, 2025), the Costa Rican drama Tengo sueños eléctricos (Valentina Maurel, 2022), and the Peruvian film Vino la noche (Paolo Tizón, 2024).
One of the festival’s core objectives is to strengthen cultural ties between the Philippines and the Spanish-speaking world, and the section “Encuentros en el cine: En corto” reflects that commitment.
This year’s program brings together five short films from the Philippines, Latin America, and Spain. The selection includes the Filipino films Agapito (Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero, 2025) and Elenita, Elena, Elaine (Gabriela Serrano, 2025); the Chilean short Voz de trompeta (Pilar Smoje Gueico and David Monarte Serna); the Spanish production Gilbert (Arturo Lacal, Alex Salu, and Jordi Jiménez, 2024); and ¡Abre las piernas!, directed by Mexican filmmaker Águeda V. Flores (2025). The five short films will be screened on October 11 at 5:00 p.m.
As is tradition, festivalgoers will choose the recipient of the Audience Choice Award by voting for their favorite film after each screening. Since its introduction in 2004, the award has become one of the festival’s most cherished traditions. The winning film will be screened again during the festival’s closing ceremony.
All films will be presented in their original languages with English subtitles.
MORE THAN MOVIES
In addition to screenings, the festival will offer a diverse program of complementary activities, including lectures, workshops, and concerts.
PELÍCULA>PELIKULA will officially open 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 1:00 p.m., film historian Nick Deocampo will deliver a talk at Power Plant Cinema 2, exploring Spanish influences on Philippine cinema.
Mexican artist Juan Pablo Chipe will conduct a series of film-inspired art workshops, using modeling clay or collages. Participation is free, although slots are limited. Registration and further information are available through the following links:
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, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, the Film Academy of the Philippines, the National Book Development Board, Intramuros Administration, QCinema, Quezon City Screen Commission (Screen QC), the Embassy of Argentina in the Philippines, the Embassy of Brazil in the Philippines, the Embassy of Chile in the Philippines, the Embassy of 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, the UST Department of Modern Languages, and SOFA Design Institute. The Festival is sponsored by Acciona, Boysen, and Fundador.
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