MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Starting March 14, in celebration of Women’s Day, Instituto Cervantes will be presenting “Espacio Femenino: Spanish Female Filmmakers”, a film cycle featuring movies by female directors to be held every Saturday of March at 2:00 pm, with the aim of highlighting the contribution of women in the industry. Likewise, to honor Spanish–Filipina artist Betsy Westendorp, the art exhibit “Creadoras” will be held, feature her painting Passage, together with other paintings by other female artists. Both events are taking place at the Intramuros branch of Instituto Cervantes.
Espacio Femenino will open on March 14 with the Spanish documentary film Young and Beautiful (2018) by Marina Lameiro. It is a story of four Spanish young adults who live on their own terms but, as they approach their thirties, realize they are still far of being the independent, self-confident and passionate adults they always dreamed to be. While society pushes them to abandon ‘egotistical’ aspirations, each has to examine their identity through dialogue.
On March 21, the film cycle will continue with a Galician documentary film All the Women I Know (2018) by Xiana do Texeiro, which features the everyday experiences of diverse women, and reflects how masculinized and violent the streets still are nowadays. In three revealing conversations with friends, collaborators and high school students, the director aims for a discourse about fear, which is not fearsome, and a discourse on violence that is not itself violent.
“Short films by Female Directors”, will be shown on March 28. The selection of films is based on the criterion of an annual contest. The series consists of three fiction films titled: Dúctiles, Centrifugado and Don’t Wake Me Up, and one documentary titled: Quand j’étais petit.
On the same day, at 3:30pm “Espacio Femenino” will close with the movie La filla d’algú (2019), a collaboration of eleven filmmakers (Marcel Alcantara Flores, Julia De Paz Solvas, Sara Fantova Barrena, Enric Vilageliu Arnella, Alejandro Marín, Carlos Villafina Peláez, Gerard Vidal Cortes, Celia Giraldo Lozano, Guillem Gallego Bertran, Valentín Moulias, Pol Vidal Rivas). The film features Eli, a lawyer from upper class who is pregnant at her thirties. On the same day the Oral Hearing of a media trial was taking place, her father, a renowned lawyer from Barcelona, disappears.
A Tribute to painter Betsy Westendorp
Apart from female cineastes, female painters will also be in the spotlight in the art exhibit “Creadoras: A Tribute to Betsy Westendorp”. Ms. Westendorp is a contemporary Spanish–Filipina artist who, together with Fernando Zobel, perhaps best represent the fusion between Spanish and Filipino. The exhibit will put on display Ms. Westendorp’s painting Passage, a work donated by the artist to Instituto Cervantes in 2018, with paintings by other female painters from the Philippines and Spain –namely Ivy Avellana-Cosio, Marivic Rufino, Carmen Brías, Eva Baró, Cristina Grisar, Phyllis Zaballero, and Vicky Zubiri. They all will give tribute to Betsy by displaying their works of art alongside Passage. The exhibit will be available for viewing starting March 14 until April 19, 2020.
The film series Espacio femenino and the exhibit “Creadoras: A Tribute to Betsy” are initiatives of Instituto Cervantes, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, AECID and Intramuros Administration. Both are FREE ADMISSION on a first-come, first-served basis. All films are subtitled in English. Instituto Cervantes Intramuros is located at 385 Calle Real, Plaza San Luis Complex, Intramuros. For further information please log on to Instituto Cervantes’ website (http://manila.cervantes.es), Instituto Cervantes Facebook page www.facebook.com/InstitutoCervantesManila. You may also send an email at cultmni@cervantes.es.
