MANILA, Philippines - Maxi is an excellent chef, his restaurant is one of the best in town, and he?s openly gay. He only wants one thing, though?a Michelin star.
But when his two children from a sham marriage suddenly reappear, things start to get complicated. And when a good-looking former football star from Argentina moves in next door, he is forced to re-examine his morals.
The Málaga Spanish Film Festival Best Film winner ?Fuera de Carta (Chef?s Special)? gets the ball?and the laughter?rolling on the opening night of Película, the biggest Spanish-language film festival in Asia.
The director, Nacho Velilla, will present the film to the invitation-only event on Sept. 30 at the Greenbelt 3 Cinema.
If ?Fuera? is merely an appetizer to what cine aficionados can expect, then the festival should be a feast as the best multi-genred films from Spain and Latin America highlight the festival, which is organized by the Instituto Cervantes and runs Oct. 1-12.
Widely acclaimed films that will make their Philippine premiere are ?Siete Mesas de Billar Francés (Seven Billiard Tables),? ?Bajo las Estrellas (Under the Stars),? ?El Pollo, el Pez y el Cangrejo Real (The Chicken, the Fish, and the King Crab),? and ?Mataharis.?
Other films to be shown are ?Miguel & William,? an imagining of what happens when William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes meets, and ?La Torre de Suso (Suso?s Tower),? a comedy about a group of friends who get together to bury one of their own.
Mexican films
Película honors the Mexican film industry on Oct. 7 with the Mexican Cinema Night. Headlining this evening are 2007 Cannes Jury Prize winner, ?Luz Silenciosa (Silent Light),? a story about forbidden love; and ?El Violin (The Violin),? a drama about a father and his son and grandson who make their living as traveling musicians.
?La Caja (The Wooden Box),? ?Yo Soy la Juani (My Name Is Juani),? ?Concursante, (The Contestant),? ?Lo Mejor de Mí (The Best of Me),? ?Fados,? ?Los Crimenes de Oxford (The Oxford Murders), the 2008 Goya Award-winning animated film ?Nocturna,? and the horror movie ?El Orfanato (The Orphanage)? will also be shown.
Closing night will feature ?Todos Estamos Invitados? with the film?s writer, Ángeles González Sinde, as special guest. González Sinde is also an award-winning film director and the president of the Academía del Cine Español (Spanish Film Academy).
?Todos Estamos Invitados,? which won a Silver Biznaga at the 2008 Málaga Spanish Film Festival, is about a man who loses his memory.
Película is not just about films, explains José Rodríguez, Instituto Cervantes director, as mime group Teatrofia from Tenerife, Spain, will perform during the festival.
Teatrofia will stage ?Aquí Estamos. Eso va a ser que Hemos Venido (Here we are. That shows we have come),? which focuses on the paradoxes, annoyances and surprises that happen to people when they go on trips. Teatrofia will perform at the Cinema 1 of Greenbelt 3 on Oct. 10, 11 p.m., and on Oct. 11, 11 a.m.
Photos by celebrated Spanish photographer Óscar Fernández Orengo will also be on display on Oct. 1 at the Greenbelt 3 Cinema lobby. Titled ?A Través de Mis Ojos (Through My Eyes),? the exhibit presents directors of Hispanic films in black-and-white photos.
Película is organized by Instituto Cervantes, in cooperation with the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines; AECID; Ministerio de Cultura; the Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation; Qatar Airways; Telecinco Cinema; Cine Europa; Light Rail Transit Authority; Greenbelt, Ayala Malls Cinemas; Alba, Casa Armas, Gaudí and Espa-Fil.
Ticket price at P65. For more information, call 526 1482 loc. 115 or visit www.manila.cervantes.es or www.pelicula.ph.
E-mail the author at dxmatilla@yahoo.com
