FÚTBOL: World Cup film cycle.

¡Hola a todos! The diversity of language and culture are all linked by one game: football. With the much- anticipated World Cup kicking off this month in Johannesburg, South Africa, Instituto Cervantes de Manila is joining the football fever as it presents FÚTBOL, a film cycle which showcases movies and a documentary about the world’s most popular sport.

As part of its celebration of Spain’s presidency in the European Union (EU), Instituto Cervantes’ FÚTBOL has a special four-film line-up that offers the best Spanish and Latin- American films on the “beautiful” sport. Screenings will be held every Saturday,6 p.m. at the center’s Salon de Actos.

FÚTBOL opens on June 5 with “Amando A Maradona (Loving Maradona),” a documentary that follows the life story of Argentina´s legendary football player, Diego Armando Maradona. In this film, Maradona narrates his beginnings – from his impoverished childhood to his remarkable rise to stardom. The soccer star also bares details about the controversial ¨Hand of God¨ goal, as well as the places that have been part of his life such as Naples, Barcelona, Cuba, Rio de Janeiro, among others. This documentary is directed by Javier Vázquez.

On June 12, David Serrano’s comedy flick “Días de fútbol (Soccer Days),” about a group of unsuccessful men who find refuge in football as a solution to their problem, will be shown, while Hannes Stöhr’s “Galatasaray Dépor (One Day in Europe)” – a humorous story of the misunderstandings caused by intercultural differences and language barriers – will be screened on June 19.

And no football festival would be complete without a film about the most widely-viewed sporting event in the world: the World Cup Final. “La gran final (The Great Match),” showing on June 26, is a comical insight consisting of three parallel stories about the trials and tribulations of a group of men who have things in common: they live in remote regions of the planet and are determined to watch the final match of the 2002 World Cup between Germany and Brazil.

FÚTBOL is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines, and Spanish International Cooperation Agency for Development (AECID).

Admission to all the screenings is FREE on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED basis. For more information, please call 5261482 or visit http://manila.cervantes.es Instituto Cervantes de Manila is at 855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila.

Y tú, ¿qué opinas? ¡Hasta pronto!