BITE ME: Cinema Mentir

About BITE ME: Cinema Mentir

Cinema Mentiré’s first-anniversary screening & party presents:

PURE BLOOD | PURA SANGRE + LATIN MIXTAPE PERREO PARTY by DJ BENZO

at SET Social Peckham: 55a Nigel Rd, London SE15 4NP

One year and one week since the birth of the outlandish, fabulous, glamorous (and any other adjective that might tickle your fancy!) Cinema Mentiré, we want to celebrate in the most traditional Latin American style: with sweaty dancing! After seeing an absolutely wonderful film, of course.

Join us for an electrifying evening at the funniest of venues (it even has a garden!), SET Social Peckham. Get ready for Luis Ospina’s classic Pure Blood, the first Colombian vampire film seminal to the tropical gothic genre. Released in the 1980s, its (then) commercial failure would give ground to a Latin American cult, whose restored copy in 2K is being shown in the UK for the first time!

PURE BLOOD | PURA SANGRE by Luis Ospina, 1982, Colombia, 98min.

Pure Blood is a biting satire on vampirism at the heart of capitalism in Colombia, made in the guise of a B-movie and mixing references that go from Citizen Kane to Murnau, George Romero, Howard Hughes, Dracula, and local urban legends. Horror, exploitation, and comedy are blended in this portrait of an old and bedridden sugar tycoon stricken by a rare disease that requires him to undergo an increasing number of blood transfusions, which will be obtained through aberrant stratagems.

Colombian filmmaker Luis Ospina (1949 - 2019) is very close to our hearts at Cinema Mentiré since we are named after a concept he created: in opposition to cinema verité (truthful cinema), he advocated for a cinema mentiré (lying cinema). For Ospina, cinema is telling a bunch of lies to reveal one truth, playfully disrupting any certainties and making us suspicious of what images offer us. His self-styled cinematic punk rocker, his accurate and humorous vision, reflected in over 30 brazen films made over 50 years, and his fierce commitment to preserving Latin American film heritage, have made the director a key figure in film history.

The evening follows with the peachy DJ Benzo (made in Brazil, mad in Britain), who will make us rumbear with a special birthday selection of Brazilian funk. Living in London since their 18s and experiencing diverse night scenes, especially the techno queer one, Benzo started to miss their Latin roots and music. That was when they decided to become a DJ to express themselves and celebrate the contrasts of the worlds they coexist musically, the electronic and the baile funk.

We are deeply grateful to some people who have been fundamental in making this screening happen: Amanda Garay, from Zona A, the holder of the film’s rights; Lina González, for her unwavering support; and Karen Lamassonne, for her beautiful video introduction.

Also, huge thanks to our friends and audience who have been enjoying Latin American films with us this year. We love you! Gracias, obrigada <3