Offscreen 2010

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.