The B-RETINA Festival delves into the most transgressive and undergroundtransgressor and underground sexual cinema with the screenings of Mamántula’ and “Sexión Continua”.
The most transgressive and underground sexual cinema is coming to the ninth edition of B-RETINA, Festival de Cinema Sèrie B de Cornellà, with such radical proposals as ‘Mamántula‘ (2023) by Ion de Sosa (‘Sueñan los androides‘, 2014), a disturbing story about an alien spider and ‘Sexión Continua‘ (2024), a new project by the irreverent Marta (‘Delirio Profundo‘, 2022), a collection of short stories described by its creators as ‘crude, provocative and rapturous’. Both films will be screened at the Auditori Sant Ildefons (Carles Navales Square) on 19 and 21 September, respectively.
In the words of David Bravo, head of communications at B-RETINA, ‘Mamántula‘ (2023) has has become ‘in a very short time an authentic cult title; it is one of the most savage works of Spanish cinema in recent years’.The film, which caused controversy at festivals like Sitges and San Sebastián, could be described as ‘a singular mixture of styles, which fearlessly combines the universes of David Lynch and John Waters, with the structure and narrative of an episode of ‘X-Files‘, adds Bravo with enthusiasm.
The official synopsis reads: ‘In an alternative present where brutalist saunas, endless subway corridors, and trench-coated, hat-wearing detectives dominate the landscape, Mamantula is the boy everyone wants, but he hides a dark secret: he’s actually a giant cross-dressing tarantula disguised as a human. Spawned in a brief encounter in a faraway paradise, Mamantula launches herself into a maelstrom of lust, blood and semen, weaving a stellar spider’s web that will take him back to the dimension where he belongs. Every lover who succumbs to his desire is one more victim in this complex web of horror and sensuality’.
Ion de Sosa is an important name on the Spanish auteur film scene. Trained at the ECAM, his first feature film, ‘Sueñan los androides‘ (2015), had its debut at the Berlinale and was screened at variousscreened at various internationally renowned festivals and art venues, such as the Viennale, the Lincoln Center and the Museo Reina Sofia.
Su estilo distintivo, que se caracteriza por el uso del formato de 16mm, encuadres frontales y abiertos, y una peculiar fusión de costumbrismo con elementos de ciencia ficción, ha marcado su carrera.
De Sosa ha colaborado estrechamente con otros cineastas, como Chema García Ibarra, siendo especialmente importante su participación en ” Espíritu Sagrado‘ (2021), a film that was presented at Locarno and won several awards, including the Feroz Arrebato Award for Fiction.
AN AUDACIOUS AND PROVOCATIVE SENSORIAL COLLAGE
The screening of ‘Sexión Continua’ at B-RETINA is intended for the true enthusiasts of the most daring and provocativeand provocative cinema. Marta Montes, a filmmaker who has left her mark on the Spanish underground scene with works like ‘Delirio Profundo‘ (2022), winner of the Audience Award at the 12th edition of the CutreCon Film Festival in Madrid, now returns with a proposal that promises to exceed all expectations.
“Sexión Continua” is presented as a “sensorial collage” that invites the spectator to confront their deepest perversions. The film is structured in a series of episodes introduced by the enigmatic John Villanuevaby the enigmatic John Villain, played by Juan Sánchez, who guides the audience through different plots that together build a unique biography of Martanuelle, the main character.
The creators describe this work as an unusual cinematic journey, combining elements of German expressionism, film noir, cinema verité, high comedy and retro-futurism. Shot on abudget of only 666 euros and using a mobile phone, ‘Sexión Continua‘ is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of its filmmakers.
This 5G Films production, the result of a collaboration between Marta Montes and Miguel Guirado (‘Pirámdes Murcianas‘, 2019), seeks to revive the spirit of the episodic films, but with a hedonistic and playful approach, condensed into little more than an hour of footage. Its explicit content has led to a warning that it could offend the sensibilities of the viewer, and it is prohibited for people under 18 years of age.
With these two proposals, B-RETINA continues to consolidate itself as an exhibition space for the most transgressive films, with films that defy the limits of convention and explore the depths of the sublime.
