Offscreen 2010

A selection of 10 new unconventional, non-conformist films. On the cutting edge of contemporary cinema, these movies were realized in an independent artistic and economic context, and are radically innovative in both form and content.

The Spanish cult filmmaker Jesús Franco (°1930) was 29 when he made his directorial debut. Since then, he has over 200 features to his name... or to his numerous pseudonyms. His films span a variety of genres, most of which combine horror with a dash of eroticism, resulting in a back-catalogue that ranges from magnificent B to hilarious Z movies. His indomitable urge for total artistic liberty meant that he often had to work with very low budgets. Franco's inimitable and instantly recognizable style, with his trademark whooshing zooms and pans, is at once surreal, sensual and oddly abstract. The wandering camera draws the spectator straight into a dream world of night clubs, monsters, psychopaths, Sadean violence and pubic hair. Many of his obsessive-voyeuristic films feature the talents of his muse, the actress Lina Romay. She will join the master of European exploitation film for this tribute in Cinema Nova and Bozar.

Offscreen presents eight films -all in vintage 35mm- that will take you on an unusual journey through the Japanese exploitation cinema of the 70s, where grindhouse, arthouse, avant-garde and exploitation come together in an ingenious way. Join us for a cinematographic trip filled with pop art images, daring visuals, anti-establishment provocation and pure political anarchy. If topless girl gangs and sword-wielding virgins out to get revenge are your thing, you're in for a treat.

Like in most countries, Japanese cinemas suffered immensely with the advent of television in the late 60s. While Hollywood tried to lure in audiences by developing new technologies like Technicolor, the Japanese film industry found its own solution, namely to shock audiences with things that were too controversial for the small screen! Major studios like Toei and Nikkatsu averted financial disaster by venturing into what was until then the playground for smaller production companies: "Pink eiga", or "pink films".

Nikkatsu launched a series of bizarre erotic films, "Roman-Porno", characterized by dreamy atmospheres and softcore S&M scenes. Toei responded by creating the more action-oriented "Pinky Violence" films; exploitation cinema with a healthy dose of violence and nudity! Most recognizable for their strong-willed and independent female protagonists, as sexy as they are lethal, these films walked a fine line between pure exploitation and female emancipation and empowerment.

The genre's hey-day was in the 70s, when these films could count on elaborate production value and commercial success among male and female audiences alike. A whole new generation of filmmakers like Norifumi Suzuki, Teruo Ishii, Kinji Fukasaku and Shunya Ito were given the opportunity to create a new and innovative style whose influence is still felt today, while actresses like Meiko Kaji, Reiko Ike and Miki Sugimoto continue to be cult icons.

In collaboration with the Cinematek and Nova, the festival will revive the glory of the Spaghetti Western on the big screen. We've selected the finest films out of 500 Westerns from across the Alps, all made between 1964 and 1971. Their razor-sharp style will get your heels and spurs tapping to the rhythm of blazing bullets.

"Spaghetti Western" was originally a pejorative term invented by journalists who appreciated the genre, which was considered inferior to the Westerns made in America. Although these films received little attention at first, their reputation grew over the years, allowing filmmakers such as Sergio Leone to emerge as forerunner directors of the genre. His Dollar trilogy blossomed in the art's birthplace (and starred a very young Clint Eastwood as the "Man with No Name"). Directors like Sergio Sollima and Sergio Corbucci, actors like Franco Nero or Tomas Milian, and the composer Ennio Morricone defined the Spaghetti Western through their use of baroque images, gratuitous fighting, elegant soundtracks and politically incorrect storylines with strangely named anti-heroes such as Ringo, Sartana or Django. These low-budget films were shot in the desert sands of Almeria, Spain, and persisted in breaking every possible convention of the genre. Italian culture was a heavy influence, infusing their visual aesthetic and storylines with Roman Catholic iconography and biblical references.
Keeping with the political climate of the times, some directors and screenwriters used this popular genre as a vehicle for their Marxist and anti-imperialist sentiment. Such was the case with the famous "Zapata" Westerns, which played out against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution.

Two notorious connoisseurs and Spaghetti Western aficionados, Gian Lhasa and Alex Cox, will be present to introduce some of the films from this enticing selection.

Anarchist, iconoclast and outsider: Alex Cox is a filmmaker with real passion and a unique independent spirit. The films Repo Man (1984) and Sid & Nancy (1986) made Alex Cox one of the primary observers and chroniclers of the Punk generation. Cox was a good friend of The Clash's lead singer Joe Strummer, whom he entrusted with a prized role in the Spaghetti Western parody Straight to Hell (1987) as well as with the original soundtrack to Walker (1987), a film that succeeded in blacklisting Cox from several big studios. While shooting in Nicaragua, Cox donated a part of Universal's budget to the Sandinista National Liberation Front. A gesture worthy of this uncompromising man whose strong political conscience definitively banished him from “mainstream” productions. He went on to direct a number of more or less successful independent films in collaboration with his wife, the producer Tod Davies: Highway Patrolman (1992), Death and the Compass (1996) and the Jacobin drama Revengers Tragedy (2002). In recent years, Cox has dedicated his time to creating “Microfeatures”: films with a budget of less than 100,000£. For the festival, Cox will do us the honor of presenting a selection of his own movies as well as sharing his insight into one of his favorite genres: the Spaghetti Western.

A Night in the Cas'l'

*"You and I know animation is the most important thing in the world."*

Bruce Bickford is a legendary self-thought animator, a man who has never stopped playing with toy soldiers and believing in his imaginary world. He has been making films at home for almost 40 years, always breathtaking, technically inventive and taking us deep into a strange universe.
Frank Zappa, with whom he worked in the 70’s, called him the “Amazing Mr. Bickford”, rightfully so! He works with a meticulousness and patience that defy an ants’ work, animating frame by frame dozens of minute figurines, making them, and the backgrounds, live with continuous morphing of one thing into another. The dimensions blend in the same way, everything is organic, things change wherever your eyes can watch. The stream of information that gets to the spectator is like dreaming in fast forward, or maybe like living a Svankmajer film on LSD! Have your eyes ready and wide open, Bruce Bickford will be with us for one night, after which he will give a workshop in RITS and leave for a mini-tour of Northern Europe.