An intimate portrait of Ocaña, a performance artist, painter, and Spanish LGBT rights activist who defied he conventions that prevailed in Barcelona during the final years of Franco's dictatorship.
- -
This Spanish documentary, the debut of Ventura Pons (1945–2024), offers a striking and intimate portrait of post-Franco Barcelona through the life and voice of José Pérez Ocaña (1947–1983), an Andalusian artist and LGBT rights activist.
Premiered in the Un certain regard section at the 1978 Cannes Film Festival, the film unfolds through Ocaña’s own words and presence, recounting an unconventional life that openly explores religion, fetishism, sexuality, and the challenges of living outside societal norms. At its heart, the documentary is both a self-portrait and a chronicle of Barcelona in the early years of the Transition, capturing the fragile visibility of a gay community still persecuted under the “social dangerousness” law, a Francoist instrument of repression that lingered after the dictator’s death.
With a mix of candour and theatricality, Ocaña confronts convention at every turn. Identity is presented as resistant to classification, with the declaration: “I only believe in people.” The film interweaves Ocaña’s considerations with public performances as well as with visual work as a painter and sculptor. Equally unorthodox are the reflections on religion and politics. Formal institutions, from political parties to the Catholic Church, are kept at a distance, while a libertarian spirit emerges – rooted not in doctrine but in Andalusian folk culture and the festive rituals of popular devotion.
Ventura Pons – Ocaña, retrat intermitent
1978, 80 minutes, colour, Spanish spoken, English subtitles
Screening in the context of BAFF – Brussels Art Film Festival (12-16 November 2025)
More info: www.baffestival.be
--
'𝘌𝘜𝘙𝘖𝘗𝘈𝘓𝘐𝘈 𝘌𝘚𝘗𝘈Ñ𝘈: 𝘐𝘷á𝘯 𝘡𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘵𝘢, 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨-𝘎𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴. 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘣𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘢 𝘈𝘻𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘻𝘢 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘰, 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘰 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘻 𝘓𝘰𝘣𝘰' 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘢, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘜𝘙𝘖𝘗𝘈𝘓𝘐𝘈 𝘌𝘚𝘗𝘈Ñ𝘈.
𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢 𝘊𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘭.
𝘐𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘢 𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘢ñ𝘰𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘤𝘪ó𝘯 𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘥𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘰 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢 𝘥𝘦 𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘢ñ𝘢.
𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘰 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰 𝘥𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘦 𝘋𝘰𝘴 𝘥𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘰, 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘰 𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪ó𝘯 𝘌𝘴𝘱𝘢ñ𝘰𝘭𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘒𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘯.
You may also like the following events from Contour Series:
- Next Saturday, 11th October, 01:00 pm, Contour Series | EUROPALIA ESPAÑA: Iván Zulueta, Through the Looking-Glass in Mechelen
- This month, 16th October, 01:00 pm, [Nocturne] Contour Series | EUROPALIA ESPAÑA: Iván Zulueta, Through the Looking-Glass in Mechelen
- This month, 16th October, 08:00 pm, Contour Series | Un, dos, tres ... el escondite ingles (1969) - IVÁN ZULUETA in Mechelen
Also check out other
Entertainment events in Mechelen,
Arts events in Mechelen,
Festivals in Mechelen.
