On the occasion of A WORM’S TAIL VIEW IS OFTEN THE TRUE ONE: FILMS BY PERE PORTABELLA – the most complete and ambitious retrospective of radical Catalan filmmaker Pere Portabella’s work – the ICA Cinema launches the first event of the season: a screening of Portabella’s Vampir-Cuadecuc (1971) alongside his short film Acció Santos (1973).

Made during the final years of Franco’s dictatorship, Vampir-Cuadecuc is an astonishingly creative assault on the regime and, arguably, Portabella’s most influential work. Filmed behind the scenes during the production of Jesús Franco’s Count Dracula (1970), Vampir-Cuadecuc is a highly experimental deconstruction of the illusions of narrative cinema, and, by extension, the political deceptions of government.

Acció Santos stars Portabella’s lifelong collaborator, the late conceptualist Carles Santos, who performs and records Chopin’s Prelude in C-sharp minor, Op.45.

To coincide with the retrospective, ‘anti’ record label purge.xxx are releasing a vinyl edition of Carles Santos’ soundtrack for Vampir-Cuadecuc. Produced in a limited edition of 130 copies, the record will be available to buy at the screening.

More information on the full season can be found at purge.xxx/portabella.