Arquivo / 49th mostra

Pere Portabella was a great and highly original Spanish filmmaker. His films “No Compteu amb els Dits” (1967), “Nocturne 29” (1969), “Cuadecuc, Vampir” (1971), “Umbracle” (1972), “Warsaw Bridge” (1990), and “The Silence Before Bach” (2007), have been fundamental links of an alternative and influential film culture. As a producer, we owe him Marco Ferreri’s “El cochecito” (1960) and Buñuel’s “Viridiana” (1961). Portabella has also been a relevant politician: he was elected senator in the Spanish Constituent Cortes and his signature is on the 1978 Spanish Constitution. “Portabella Constellation” is developed from fragments of his own films and debates, conferences and interviews with Portabella himself in different media throughout his career as a filmmaker and politician. Framing all this are twelve interviews with critics, directors, and film and art historians who have dealt with his work or participated in its creation. Thanks to them, we can penetrate into the challenges behind Portabella’s creative choices.

Presented at the Venice International Film Festival.