Jul
24
Wed
1898. Our Last Men in the Philippines @ Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston
Jul 24 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Country: Spain 2016
Plots keywords: War| 19th Century | History | Colonialism
Language: Español – English subtitles
Director: Salvador Calvo
Writer: Enrique Cerezo P.C. / 13 TV / CIPI Cinematografica S.A / ICAA
Runtime: 129 min.
Cast: Luis Tosar, Álvaro Cervantes, Javier Gutiérrez, Karra Elejalde, Carlos Hipólito, Eduard Fernández, Patrick Criado, Miguel Herrán, Ricardo Gómez, Emilio Palacios, Alexandra Masangkay, Maykol Hernández, Pedro Casablanc, Ciro Miró
Awards: 2016: Premios Goya: Mejor diseño de vestuario. 9 nominaciones

 

1989. Los Últimos de Filipinas

A finales del siglo XIX, en la colonia española de Filipinas, un destacamento español fue sitiado en el pueblo de Baler, en la isla filipina de Luzón, por insurrectos filipinos revolucionarios, durante 337 días. En diciembre de 1898, con la firma del Tratado de París entre España y Estados Unidos, se ponía fin formalmente a la guerra entre ambos países y España cedía la soberanía sobre Filipinas a Estados Unidos. Debido a esto, los sitiados en Baler son conocidos como “los últimos de Filipinas”.

1898. Our Last Men in the Philippines

Death, violence, blood, desperation, fear and starvation. This is the plight of the last fifty men of the Spanish Empire as they defend the last of its colonies to the death: the Philippines. These Spaniards, drifters rather than soldiers, barricade themselves inside the church in the small village of Baler against the incessant offensive by the country’s native Tagalogs. Over 300 days go by, and day in and day out, they suffer all kinds of illness and miseries. Between the arrows they receive and their own return fire, these Spaniards, far from home, take on the adventure of their lives in an inhospitable jungle crawling with crocodiles and other dangers. They battle onslaught after onslaught from the natives; they sneak out at night to steal food and they smoke opium to drown their sorrows. And above all, they entrust themselves to a God and Country who, to their disbelief, abandoned them long ago….

FILM SERIES:  The History Through Cinema

Sep
27
Fri
Ismael Torres in Concert @ Institute of Hispanic Culture
Sep 27 @ 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm

Ismael Torres is an artist, Singer and songwriter from Rosario, Argentina. He is 32 years old and already has 3 albums, 3 EPs and 1 DVD.

He began his professional career at the age of 16, accompanying with his voice and his guitar artists of the so-called “Trova Rosarina”. At age 18 he released his first solo album “Ciudad Manantial (spring city)”. Today with more than 14 years of experience he has toured multiple cities around the country and the world. He has shared stage and songs with Argentine artists such as León Gieco, Luis Alberto Spinetta, Lito Nebbia, Javier Malosetti, and from other countries: Jaime Ross, Ruben Rada (Uruguay), Ismael Serrano, Pedro Guerra (Spain), Leonel Soto, David Aguilar , Miguel Inzunza (Mexico), Roly Berrío, Augusto Blanca, Vicente Feliú, Amaury Pérez (Cuba) among others.

In 2015, Ismael released his third album titled “Vivo en Cuba (live in Cuba)”

recorded live in the city of Havana and published worldwide by the Mexican label Casete. With this album he toured the stages of Argentina, Cuba, Mexico, USA, Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Uruguay.

In 2016, a tour of Mexico and the USA included concerts such as the “Festival Quimera 2016”, the ”Aula Magna Theater of the Civil College“ in Monterrey, the ”RockWood Music Hall“ in New York and the ”Blackerby Recital Hall“ in Austin among many others.

In 2017, the consolidation of Ismael as a Latin American singer-songwriter expanded the horizons of an important tour called “Una sola América 2017 (Only one America 2017)” touring numerous cities in Mexico, Costa Rica, USA, Panama and Guatemala with more than 60 concerts. The closing of the year was marked with the artistic collective “Rosario 50 years of Rock in Castellano” in a memorable concert at the prestigious “Trovafest” festival in the city of Querétaro (Mexico) with more than 5,000 people, a festival that also hosted artists like Ismael Serrano, Armando Manzanero, Pedro Guerra, Amaury Perez, among others.

We can hear Luis A. Spinetta, Fito Paez, Charly Garcia, Sting, John Mayer, and Djavan as his main influences among others.

The essence of Ismael, though, is that he presents his art and talent via the stories in which he immerses us, through the beauty reflected in his music, and by inviting us to join his collective optimism. In his shows, he presents himself with a unique style and warmth.

This character is present whether he is alone on stage with his guitar, or with a powerful band of musicians without losing his essence.

Nov
13
Wed
Even the Rain @ Institute of Hispanic Culture of Houston
Nov 13 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Country: Spain 2010
Plots keywords: Drama | Social | Cochabamba | Christopher Columbus
Language: Español and Quechua – English subtitles
Director: Icíar Bollaín
Writer: Paul Laverty
Production Co: Coproducción España-Francia-México; Morena Films
Runtime: 104 min.
Cast: Luis Tosar, Gael García Bernal, Karra Elejalde, Juan Carlos Aduviri, Raúl Arévalo, Cassandra Ciangherotti, Carlos Santos, Dani Currás, Vicente Romero
Awards:
2011: Festival de Berlín (Sección Panorama): Premio del público
2011: Premios del Cine Europeo: Nominada a Premio del Público
2010: 3 Premios Goya: Actor de reparto (Elejalde), Música original, Dir. de producción
2010: Premios Ariel: Mejor película iberoamericana (ex aequo)

 

También la Lluvia

Cochabamba, Bolivia. Año 2000. Sebastián (Gael García Bernal) y Costa (Luis Tosar) se han propuesto hacer una película sobre Cristóbal Colón y el descubrimiento de América. Mientras que Sebastián, el director, pretende desmitificar al personaje presentándolo como un hombre ambicioso y sin escrúpulos; a Costa, el productor, sólo le importa ajustar la película al modesto presupuesto del que disponen; precisamente por eso elige Bolivia, por ser uno de los países más baratos y con mayor población indígena de Hispanoamérica. La película se rueda en Cochabamba, donde la privatización y venta del agua a una multinacional siembra entre la población un malestar tal que hará estallar la tristemente famosa Guerra Boliviana del Agua (abril del año 2000). Quinientos años después del descubrimiento de América, palos y piedras se enfrentan de nuevo al acero y la pólvora de un ejército moderno. Pero esta vez no se lucha por el oro, sino por el más imprescindible de los elementos vitales: el agua.

Even the Rain

Spanish director Sebastián, his executive producer Costa and all his crew are in Bolivia, in the Cochabamba area, to shoot a motion picture about Christopher Columbus, his first explorations and the way the Spaniards treated the Indians at the time. Costa has chosen this place because the budget of the film is tight and here he can hire supernumeraries, local actors and extras on the cheap. Things go more or less smoothly until a conflict erupts over the privatization of the water supply. The trouble is that one of the local actors, is a leading activist in the protest movement.