Instituto Cervantes To Show Free Movies as Tribute To Spanish Actress Ángela Molina

MANILA, Philippines — Instituto Cervantes de Manila will launch a film series titled “Ángela Molina,” an online tribute to one of the main contemporary Spanish actresses, in February to treat Filipino film buffs. The said film cycle will be shown through the institution’s channel on Vimeo and is freely accessible for 48 hours from their start date and time.

Ángela Molina is one of the most outstanding actresses in Spanish cinematography. She started her career in the middle of Spain’s transition to democracy and has kept working until today. Her career has been marked by her participation in numerous international films, of which her collaboration with Buñuel was arguably the peak. In fact, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will award her the Goya Award of Honor this year.

The film series, composed of three movies that marked Molina’s career, will kick off on Feb. 13, Saturday, with the screening of “La sabina” (available for 48 hours until Monday, Feb. 15 at 3 a.m.). The movie, a Spanish co-production with Sweden, was directed by José Luis Borau in 1979. It follows an English writer who moves to a Spanish town with the aim of changing his life. There he decides to investigate the life of a wandering man who lived in the 19th century, since it is said that he was killed by a dragon woman known as “La Sabina.”

The film series will continue on Feb. 20 with the drama “La mitad del cielo” (1986), directed by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón — a fundamental director in Molina’s career — who will star in several of the films he made during the transition years, such as “Camada negra” (1977), “El corazón del bosque” (1979) and “Demonios en el jardín” (1982). “La mitad del cielo” follows Rosa, a woman who travels to Madrid after the Civil War to open a restaurant that transforms to a political and intellectual center of the capital. The movie bagged the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián Film Festival, and Molina received the Silver Shell award for best actress.

Finally, the musical “Las cosas del querer” (Jaime Chávarri, 1989) will conclude the film cycle on Feb. 27, which will be available for 48 hours until Monday, Feb. 29 at 3 a.m. When the Spanish civil war ends, Mario, a homosexual singer, a pianist and his girlfriend Pepita come together to form a group that will become famous throughout the entire Spain. Aside from playing Spanish folk music from the 1930s and 1940s, the film makes a poignant criticism to the moral and sexual subversion of the post-Civil War period.

The said films, presented by Instituto Cervantes in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, will be shown in Spanish with English subtitles. Interested viewers can watch the films for free. 

For further information and updates on the film series, please check out Instituto Cervantes de Manila’s Facebook site or the event’s page.

For further information about the cultural program of Instituto Cervantes, please visit Instituto Cervantes de Manila’s website or its Facebook page.

This is a press release. Minor edits have been made by the editor.