Manila — Filipino film and television actor Ronnie Lazaro will receive the Galardón XXV Aniversario (XXV Anniversary Award) at the 25th edition of PELÍCULA>PELIKULA, the Manila Spanish Film Festival, in recognition of his significant contribution to Philippine cinema and his role in strengthening cultural ties between the Philippines and the Spanish-speaking world.
With an illustrious career spanning decades, Lazaro is known for his versatility across film, television, and theater. His notable performances include Yanggaw, which earned him the Gawad Urian Award for Best Actor, as well as Heneral Luna, and The Gospel of the Beast, among others. He has also worked as a producer and art director, contributing to Philippine filmmaking both on and off screen.
The award comes as PELÍCULA>PELIKULA celebrates its 25th anniversary, putting the spotlight on Lazaro’s long and notable career in Philippine cinema. From October 4 to 11, 2026, Instituto Cervantes de Manila, in collaboration with the Embassy of Spain, AECID Cultura, and other institutions, will present the 25th edition of PELÍCULA>PELIKULA at Power Plant Cinema in Makati City.
Established by Instituto Cervantes in 2002, PELÍCULA>PELIKULA has grown into the most anticipated showcase of Spanish-language cinema in Southeast Asia. This year's festival will feature 23 acclaimed films from Spain, Latin America, and the Philippines.
The festival's main program will run from October 5 to 11 at Power Plant Cinema 2. Ahead of the official opening, audiences will be treated to La Previa, a special four-film marathon on Sunday, October 4, at Instituto Cervantes' Intramuros branch.
All screenings are free of charge. The Official Selection spans a wide range of genres, including dramas such as Los domingos (Alauda Ruiz de Azúa, 2025), documentaries such as We the Hispanos (José Luis López-Linares, 2026), classic films such as El desencanto (Jaime Chávarri, 1976), and animated features such as Olivia y el terremoto invisible (Irene Iborra, 2025).
Thanks to the collaboration of the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España, this year's edition will also present "Premios Goya on Tour," a special section featuring seven recently awarded Spanish productions: Sirāt (Oliver Laxe, 2025), Maspalomas (Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi, 2025), La cena (Manuel Gómez Pereira, 2025), The Room Next Door (Pedro Almodóvar, 2024), Los Tigres (Alberto Rodríguez, 2025), El cautivo (Alejandro Amenábar, 2025), and Mariposas negras (David Baute, 2024).
Beyond Spain, the festival will showcase notable films from across Latin America, including the Brazilian drama Cyclone (Flavia Castro, 2025), the Argentine animated feature Gigantes, una aventura extraordinaria (Gonzalo Gutiérrez, 2024), the Argentine comedy Mensaje en una botella (Gabriel Nesci, 2025), the Costa Rican drama Tengo sueños eléctricos (Valentina Maurel, 2022), and the Peruvian film Vino la noche (Paolo Tizón, 2024).
One of the festival's core objectives is to strengthen cultural ties between the Philippines and the Spanish-speaking world through the "Encuentros en el cine: En corto". This year's program brings together five short films from the Philippines, Latin America, and Spain: the Filipino films Agapito (Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero, 2025) and Elenita, Elena, Elaine (Gabriela Serrano, 2025); the Chilean short Voz de trompeta (Pilar Smoje Gueico and David Monarte Serna); the Spanish production Gilbert (Arturo Lacal, Alex Salu, and Jordi Jiménez, 2024); and the Mexican film ¡Abre las piernas!, directed by Águeda V. Flores (2025). The five short films will be screened on October 11 at 5:00 p.m.
All films will be presented in their original languages with English subtitles for wider accessibility. For more information about the festival, visit the official Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/106038945970560
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