Abril Programa Cultural.

¡Hola a todos! As was mentioned in the last entry, we’re at the tail end of the month but it doesn’t mean that the activities stop here. In a few days, it’s already April and a new month means a new cultural calendar for Instituto Cervantes de Manila.

As was said in the last post, April is going to be an extension of Cine con Europa every Saturday night at the Salón de Actos, 6 pm at the Instituto grounds. Prior to this, a Chilean Film Cycle will be featured every 4pm in solidarity with Chile after the disastrous quake last February. This double feature of films will only be available this month, don’t miss this opportunity for a double-dose of Latin American cinema every Saturday!

La fiebre del Loco Loco Fever
10 de abril April 10
4PM Cine Chileno at Salón de Actos, Instituto Cervantes Amor Idiota Idiot Love
10 de abril April 10
6PM Cine at Salón de Actos

Berso sa Metro: La poesia viaja en Jeepney Berso as Metro: Poetry Jeepney Tour
17 de abril April 17
12PM – 10PM Instituto Cervantes, A Different Bookstore (Serendra), Powerbooks (Greenhills), Mag:net (Katipunan)

Taxi para tres A Taxi for Three
17 de abril April 17
4PM Cine Chileno at Salón de Actos, Instituto Cervantes

Lo que sé de Lola What I know of Lola
17 de abril April 17
6PM Cine at Salón de Actos, Instituto Cervantes

In our cultural calendar, April is significant as it is the month wherein we celebrate one of our most successful events: Día del Libro or International Book Day! This year’s edition of Día is going to be exciting; we have a lot of things in store for you for the rest of this month. April is going to be a month for books and roses, a month for your imagination to take flight—don’t be a stranger! Stay tuned here at Cultura en Manila for more updates and information on the April program.

Rosas y Libros Books and Roses
24 de abril April 24
10AM – 6PM Día del Libro or International Book Day at Instituto Cervantes

Pinta historias Color Your World
24 de abril April 24
10AM – 6PM Día del Libro or International Book Day at Instituto Cervantes

Bersong Europinoy 2
24 de abril April 24
4PM Día del Libro or International Book Day at Instituto Cervantes

Una casa de locos The Spanish Apartment
24 de abril April 24
4PM Cine at Salón de Actos, Instituto Cervantes

Canciones de la Revolución Filipina Songs of the Philippine Revolution
24 de abril April 24
6PM Día del Libro or International Book Day at Instituto Cervantes

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Julio Iglesias in Instituto Cervantes!

¡HOMBRE! OH MY GOOOOD! JULIO IGLESIAS, LATIN BALLADEER EXTRAORDINAIRE WAS HERE AT INSTITUTO CERVANTES! AAAAH! All the girls went wild! Julio is larger than life! Prior to his arrival, the atmosphere at the office was totally relaxed but the minute he reached the lobby the entire office and the students went ballistic. Some got hugs, some got besos. It was crazy, he was really nice and it proves that he is THE Latin Superstar! To see more pictures of Julio at Instituto Cervantes de Manila, add Icm Cultura on Facebook. ¡Qué suerte!

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!

Do you have what it takes to be CULTURED?

¡Hola a todos! Do you know what it takes to be cultured? Do you have the guts to be an all-knowing culture guru? Do YOU want to be all-knowing AND cultured? Instituto Cervantes de Manila is giving you the chance to be cultured, unfortunately not so much all-knowing—every Saturday night at the Salón de Actos at 6 PM, the Cultura department screens Spanish films absolutely free. Nothing says cultured like keeping abreast with avant-garde art house cinema culled straight from Europe. Trust me on this hombres, you could ask anyone.

All that aside, it really is true—you can still be cultured! Ha-ha, just kidding. Actually, the end of March signals the end of the first cycle of Cine con Europa. It has been a successful run of film gems co-produced between Spain and other member countries in the European Union. This is also in celebration of Spain’s presidency in the EU.

You’re in luck, however, the Instituto Cervantes de Manila will extend the screenings until April 24, 2010—the same date as Día del Libro 2010. This Saturday, March 27, we will be screening La caja, a collaboration between Spain and Portugal. The cycle will then continue on April 10 taking a short break for la semana santa. For more information on the films and/or the schedules, go to our main website Instituto Cervantes de Manila. Admission is free and is on a first-come first-served basis. Just stay tuned here for the rest of our upcoming events. Think culture, think Cultura en Manila. ¡Hasta pronto!

Día del Libro.

“It’s books and roses time once again...” the oft-quoted line that can only mean one thing, Día del Libro is coming back to Manila! The annual editions of our Día celebrations have become bigger and bigger each year, with the rise of the intense summer heat, there’s no better way to cool-off than a giant shower of books. Or maybe not, but you have to admit seeing mountains of books for very cheap prices does make you excited, right? Right.

Instituto Cervantes de Manila brought the celebration of International Book Day (Día Internacional del Libro) straight from Barcelona to Manila four years ago in 2006: a tradition of Catalonian origin that have men and women exchanging roses for books. That’s exactly the reason why in Instituto Cervantes, no book goes unsold without a rose in-between its pages. A novel idea based on historical fact, very romantic. Thus far, four editions of Día have been mounted, from the humble beginnings of a simple Feria de Libros or book fair in 2004 to a full-blown fiesta starting from morning till night in 2009.

In 2010, Día del Libro is going to be a huge event once again and it’s going to be on the 24^th of April. We’re going to have a ton of books that come directly from Spain, just like every year, sold at incredibly low prices. Cool contests such as old favorites like Foto del Día or the Photo of the Day contest and new ones like the Poetry in Motion competition designed to create more chances to win very awesome things. It’s going to be one whole day charged with a lot of creative spirit, the inspiration will be tangible. It is going to be epic. If last year was any indicator, Día 2010 is going to bring a lot of people to Instituto Cervantes and you better be one of them. Stay tuned here at Cultura en Manila for more information.

Cultura en Manila.

Hey guys! ¡Hola y Buenos días a todos! This is, drum roll, Cultura en Manila! Bienvenidos to our first ever post: this is going to be a blog for everything and anything that is Spanish culture in the Philippines. Presented to you by the Cultura Department, Cultura en Manila will keep you up to date on the cultural events and activities brought to you by Instituto Cervantes. As the cultural arm of the Spanish embassy, Instituto Cervantes has made a big contribution to the cultural scene in the Philippines by bringing you annual events such as Película Spanish Film Fest (the biggest Spanish film festival in Asia), Día del Libro (a celebration of International Book Day) and the well-received Berso sa Metro campaign. As far as cultural events around the Metro are concerned, we’ll give you an inside look from the concept board to the main stage.

On a regular basis, Instituto Cervantes de Manila brings musicians, dancers, poets, lecturers directly from Spain in the interest of bringing our Spanish cultural heritage to a wider audience. Ranging from musical concerts, film screenings, poetry recitals, dance exhibitions to round-table discussions, the Cultura Department makes it a point to bring renewed interest in Spanish culture through these events. From a weekly to a monthly basis, there’s always something up and coming. As of the moment, Saturday nights have you at the Salón de Actos auditorium, right here at the Instituto grounds, for screenings of Spanish cinema at 6pm. Admission is abierta y gratuita—open for all and is absolutely free!

Cultura en Manila is going to be an adventure. A chronicle of all-things Spanish and all-things culture in Manila. The site will feature online contests, talk about places of interest, review cool performances, make things happen from start to finish—basically do everything to keep you in the loop. From behind the scenes to the polished performance, Cultura en Manila will work hard to give you the big picture. Subscribe to us and don’t miss out! Hasta pronto.