Pere Portabella (1929, Figueres, Spain) is known as one of the most acclaimed Spanish film directors and producers. After Franco's death, he followed a political career. With 'Vampir-Cuadecuc' he put in 1970, the demands of "nuevos cines" - the cinema supported by the Franco regime - aside. Filmed on the set of Jess Franco's "Count Dracula" (starring Christopher Lee and Herbert Lom) 'Vampire-Cuadecuc' can be best described as an 'avant-garde making-of', where the behind-the-scenes footage is used to bring an equally tragic and funny story about vampirism.

Ben Rivers went to work in a similar way with the recent 'A Distant Episode'. He was filming on the set of the London artist Shezad Dawood and refers not only to Portabella's 'Vampire-Cuadecuc' by using the same method, but also by returning to the electronic soundtrack written by Carles Santos.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center's annual nonfiction showcase, founded on the most expansive possible view of documentary film, returns with new work from around the world and in a variety of genres. This year’s festival includes a retrospective of a titan of the avant-garde film world, Bruce Baillie; New York premieres of new films by Roberto Minervini, Ben Rivers, José Luis Guerín, and Thom Andersen; as well as the usual eclectic, globe-spanning host of discoveries by artists who are reenvisioning the relationship between cinema and reality. With many filmmakers appearing in-person with their work, Art of the Real continues to be one of the essential showcases for boundary-pushing nonfiction film.