MOTELX celebrates 20 years with record horror film program

The 20th edition of MOTELX, the International Horror Film Festival, will take place in Lisbon from September 3 to 13. Organized by the non-profit cultural association CTLX, this milestone edition features a record-breaking program including over 170 films from more than 40 countries, spread across more than 145 sessions.

The festival will be hosted at Cinema São Jorge and the Cinemateca Portuguesa. The opening film is ‘Drag’, a production by Danny DeVito starring Lizzy Caplan and Lucy DeVito. The closing session on September 12 will feature ‘Fall 2: Deadpoint’ by Michael and Peter Spierig.

Key highlights include the ‘Serviço de Quarto’ section, featuring titles such as ‘Hope’ by Na Hong-jin and ‘DreamQuil’ starring Elizabeth Banks. Additionally, seven films will compete for the Méliès d’Argent for Best European Feature, including the Portuguese entry ‘BodyHackers’ by Carlos Conceição. The festival will also honor Italian director Sergio Martino with a ‘Master of Horror’ award.