18th MOTELX Lisbon International Horror Film Festival Line-Up

The 18th edition of the MOTELX – Lisbon International Horror Film Festival is set to return to Cinema São Jorge from 10th to 16th September 2024. With a programme brimming with exclusive premieres, revisits of classics, and innovative horror experiences, this year’s festival promises to be a spectacular celebration of the genre.

Among the highlights is the world premiere of Sasquatch Sunset, directed by David and Nathan Zellner and executive produced by Ari Aster. This unique film offers a bizarre and rigorous portrayal of the daily life of a Bigfoot family. Another major highlight is In a Violent Nature by Canadian director Chris Nash and Oddity, a paranormal nightmare by Irish director Damian Mc Carthy, both premiering in Portugal.

This year’s festival also marks the debut of Edgar Pêra’s Telepathic Letters, an AI-driven documentary-essay that explores the connections between Fernando Pessoa and H. P. Lovecraft. Additionally, the festival will feature Cuckoo, a creepy thriller by German director Tilman Singer, set in an Alpine resort and starring Hunter Schafer (Euphoria).

MOTELX continues its tradition of celebrating Portuguese horror with several significant events. The Lost Room section will showcase The Fault (1980), the cinema debut of composer and maestro António Victorino D’Almeida, as well as As Desventuras de Drácula Von Barreto nas Terras da Reforma Agrária (1977), a short film developed by the Portuguese Communist Party’s Cinema Cell.

In a nod to Portugal’s cinematic history, the festival will screen a selection of horror films that were banned during the Portuguese dictatorship. These include Il Demonio (Italy, France, 1963), The Plague of the Zombies (United Kingdom, 1966), 10 Rillington Place (United Kingdom, 1971), and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (Czechoslovakia, 1970). These films are part of the “For the Sake of the Nation: Horror Films Prohibited by the Portuguese Dictatorship” cycle, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 25 April Revolution.

The festival will also showcase innovative and experimental works in its SectionX, featuring medium-length films such as Mamántula (Germany, Spain) by Ion De Sosa and Anapidae (Call Me) (France) by Mathieu Morel.

For younger audiences, the Big Bad Wolf section will feature sensory horror and the post-apocalyptic animated fable Flow by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis, along with the usual Short Scares session.

The MOTELX Lab will present the feminist encyclopaedia I Spit On Your Celluloid: The History of Women Directing Horror Movies by Heidi Honeycutt, with a panel moderated by the MUTIM – Association of Women Workers of the Moving Image. This panel will include Welsh director Prano Bailey-Bond, whose psychological horror film Censor (United Kingdom, 2021) will also be screened.

Adding to the excitement, the festival will collaborate with Liquid Sky Artistcollective for the MOTELX AV Lab, scheduled for 6th and 7th September. This event, part of the festival’s Warm-Up, will take place at the Beato Innovation District and will feature a fusion of electronic music and horror cinema, bringing together musicians, directors, sound designers, and VJ artists for workshops, jam sessions, performances, and underground film screenings.

MOTELX continues to grow, supported by sponsors such as ADLC, BNP Paribas, Seaside, TVCine, Cerveja Coruja, and FilmTwist.

For more information and tickets, visit the official MOTELX website. Prepare for a hauntingly unforgettable experience as MOTELX takes over Cinema São Jorge this September.

MOTELX 2024