Between secrets, pig head-shaped cakes and some other delicacies, the 11th edition of MOTELX was presented. Three red devils from Vinhais were the guests of honour, who will surely be a recurring presence at Cinema São Jorge, from September 5th to September 10th. After having turned Sebastian of Portugal into a zombie, the organisation plunges itself yet again into the Portuguese tradition in order to conceive the image (and one that is often part of the programme) of the festival.

As has been customary in the last few years, MOTELX starts a week before with a warm up that includes the already renowned screening projections at Largo de São Carlos and Rua da Moeda, right in front of Lounge bar. From August 31st to September 2nd, several music shows and parties will also take place and a parade with several monsters on the streets of Lisbon is also promised. Besides being already a tradition of this festival, this year’s parade will be different as it will morph into a tribute to George Romero, the director of Dawn of the Dead, who passed away recently. A guest of honour of the festival’s 10th edition, Romero remains a cherished person by MOTELX, not only due to his body of work, but also for the generosity and warmness that he showed to everyone who crossed paths with him in Lisbon. A tribute is also expected to happen during the festival, however it still has to be defined.

For 2017, the presences of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Roger Corman are already confirmed. After having missed last year’s edition, Corman will finally receive the honours of Master of Horror and will have a chat with fans in a masterclass. Jodorowsky, the Chilean master of surrealism, is part of the partnership between of MOTELX and the programme of Lisbon, Ibero-American Capital of Culture.

In addition to his presence and the screening of some of his films, there is also a retrospective on this genre of cinema made in Portugal, Spain and South American countries: O Estranho Mundo do Terror Latino [The Strange World of Latin Horror]. The special session dedicated to Jean Garrett, the Brazilian director associated with exploitation, must be emphasised, and also the movies of the section Quarto Perdido [Lost Room] two co-productions between Portugal and Spain: Crime de Amor (1971) of Rafael Moreno, and O Espírita (1976) of Augusto Fernando.

Still under the scope of Latin Horror, one of the strong titles is The Bar, of the Spanish Alex de la Iglesia. This horror comedy also sets the tone for the section Serviço de Quarto [Room Service], one that, this year, is sprinkled with this genre from all corners of the world.

Still in Room Service, we put the spotlight on the re-emergence of two realms of cinematography cherished by the festival: the Asian and the Australian. Meatball Machine Kodoku, of Yoshihiro Nishimura (also a comedy) and Hounds of Love, of Ben Young, are two of the films already announced.

Taking into account the younger audience, between workshops and other activities scheduled to take place at Cinemateca Júnior and Museu Berardo, the section Lobo Mau [Bad Wolf)] displays the first indoor screening of O Livro da Vida. Directed by Jorge R. Gutiérrez and produced by Guillermo del Toro, the movie finds inspiration on the Mexican tradition of Dia de Los Muertos, hence being perceived as the final piece of this puzzle dedicated to Latin horror.

Finally, in addition to the Best Portuguese Horror Short Film (this time with a prize money even bigger), the 11th edition of MOTELX also retrieves the competition for the Best European Horror Feature Length Film, launched last year.

At MOTELX Lab one can still find workshops, conferences and masterclasses, all set up so that people spend their days from September 5th to September 10th walking up and down the Avenue, having Cinema S. Jorge as its epicentre.

For further information and the complete programme: www.motelx.org