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Cult Room reopened for MOTELX 2025
Sala de Culto surprises again at MOTELX 2025 with a unique selection that travels from pre-April 25th Lisbon to the mystical heart of the Madeira Archipelago, exploring espionage, superstition and the independent spirit of cult cinema.
We open the door to the Worship Room for the second time, and enter two more "rarities" worthy of this room where the MOTELX film-worshiping community gathers in culty adoration of those unusual objects that only genre cinema can deliver: a classic and a more recent work, because worship is essential in our lives. This year, the journey takes place from pre-April 25th Lisbon to the Madeira Archipelago.
Well known and highly regarded by Italian popular film producers, Catalan director Joan Bosch was renowned for his professionalism and his ability to adapt to the demands of Euro-Exploitation, competently handling any film genre.
"Los mil ojos del asesino" is a spy thriller with giallo elements, inspired by the James Bond phenomenon and the success of Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Lisbon was chosen as the setting for being an economically accessible city, where the political leaders of the time were eager to project a positive image abroad.
Filmed just a few months before 25 April 1974, "The Killer with a 1000 Eyes" was among the last productions to benefit from permits to shoot in locations now virtually inaccessible — privileges that even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters would likely fail to secure today. Adding to its significance, this screening marks the first time Joan Bosch’s film has ever been shown in Portugal.
A black comedy fresh from the Madeira archipelago, "Crendices – Quando o Medo vem das Crenças" is a production by the 4Litro collective, a group of young creatives from Ponta do Pargo, in the municipality of Calheta — a village celebrated here as the centre of the film’s absurd action, in contrast to the Funchal metropolis. For almost two decades, 4Litro has built a name on its offbeat humour across multiple formats. This time, they dive into the world of mysticism and folk beliefs from Madeira and mainland Portugal, weaving a patchwork narrative inspired by witchcraft, prayers, and every kind of evil eye. A cast mixing amateur actors with local villagers delivers a glorious cinematic stew of magical realism, blood, and kitsch, using superstition as a lens to comment on the human condition.
The mainland premiere is set for MOTELX, where it promises to win over audiences with its raw, unashamedly insular authenticity. We knock on wood — also called “madeira” in Portuguese — that this fiercely independent maverick spirit never fades.
Come worship cult cinema at MOTELX!
Well known and highly regarded by Italian popular film producers, Catalan director Joan Bosch was renowned for his professionalism and his ability to adapt to the demands of Euro-Exploitation, competently handling any film genre.
"Los mil ojos del asesino" is a spy thriller with giallo elements, inspired by the James Bond phenomenon and the success of Hong Kong martial arts cinema. Lisbon was chosen as the setting for being an economically accessible city, where the political leaders of the time were eager to project a positive image abroad.
Filmed just a few months before 25 April 1974, "The Killer with a 1000 Eyes" was among the last productions to benefit from permits to shoot in locations now virtually inaccessible — privileges that even the biggest Hollywood blockbusters would likely fail to secure today. Adding to its significance, this screening marks the first time Joan Bosch’s film has ever been shown in Portugal.
A black comedy fresh from the Madeira archipelago, "Crendices – Quando o Medo vem das Crenças" is a production by the 4Litro collective, a group of young creatives from Ponta do Pargo, in the municipality of Calheta — a village celebrated here as the centre of the film’s absurd action, in contrast to the Funchal metropolis. For almost two decades, 4Litro has built a name on its offbeat humour across multiple formats. This time, they dive into the world of mysticism and folk beliefs from Madeira and mainland Portugal, weaving a patchwork narrative inspired by witchcraft, prayers, and every kind of evil eye. A cast mixing amateur actors with local villagers delivers a glorious cinematic stew of magical realism, blood, and kitsch, using superstition as a lens to comment on the human condition.
The mainland premiere is set for MOTELX, where it promises to win over audiences with its raw, unashamedly insular authenticity. We knock on wood — also called “madeira” in Portuguese — that this fiercely independent maverick spirit never fades.
Come worship cult cinema at MOTELX!