Lisbon will host the 20th edition of MOTELX from September 3 to 13, marking the festival’s anniversary with an expanded ten-day schedule. For the first time, the event utilizes two venues: the traditional Cinema São Jorge and the Cinemateca Portuguesa, accommodating a significantly broadened programme.
Directed by João Monteiro and Pedro Souto, the festival has evolved substantially since its inception in 2007. The opening night features the American film Drag, directed by Raviv Ullman and Greg Yagolnitzer and produced by Danny DeVito.
Honorary tributes this year include Italian giallo master Sergio Martino, who will receive the Master of Horror statuette, and a celebration of the centenary of Roger Corman’s birth, represented by his widow Julie Corman. Additionally, the Noémia Delgado Award, established last year to recognise outstanding women in the genre, is being presented to Portuguese-Swedish filmmaker Solveig Nordlund.
The ‘Room Service’ strand highlights prominent new releases such as Fuck My Son! by Todd Rohal and AnyMart by Yusuke Iwasaki. Two Belgian-French co-productions, Species_ by Marion Le Correller and The Birthday Party by Léa Mysius, compete for the Meliès d’Argent for best European film alongside entries from Germany, Portugal, Italy, Denmark, and the UK/Spain/Norway.
Special programming also includes Lost in Europe: Terror Behind the Iron Curtain, showcasing horror films from the USSR, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany. Audience members can also view restored classics, including Werner Herzog’s Nosferatu and Jörg Buttgereit’s NEKromantik.
Love that they added a second venue! The expanded lineup looks absolutely stellar this year.
Is Drag really the best choice for an opening night? Hope there’s actual substance behind the hype.
A dedicated horror documentary strand celebrating Sergio Martino is a huge win for giallo fans everywhere.
Ironically, a ten-day festival in Lisbon sounds like a lovely autumn vacation rather than pure terror!