Els 5 QK's
Biography
Their films centred on seemingly “comic” stories with a sharp ideological edge. Hyper-effeminate or cross-dressing men ("Els ocellots agafen l’ultim tramvia"), bourgeois macho types flaunting their heterosexuality only to be sodomised in public toilets, and priests using alms to pay for gigolos ("También encontré mariquitas felices") are just a few of the anti-heroes who populate one of the most politically charged and provocative filmographies in Spanish cinema history.
However, the legacy of Els 5 QK’s extends beyond their films and camp aesthetic to encapsulate ethics and integrity. Despite packing out cinemas and receiving offers from commercial producers and TV networks, they never compromised on their founding aim of creating countercultural films. That meant remaining fully independent. When personal circumstances eventually took them in different directions, preventing them from continuing as a collective, they simply “disappeared” along with their films, never attempting to launch solo careers.
Fortunately, 30 years after their work came to an end, a new generation has begun to discover their work. Writer Alberto Berzosa devoted an entire chapter to them in his book "Homoherejías fílmicas: cine subversivo en España en los años setenta y ochenta" [Cinematic Homoheresies: Subversive Film in Spain in the 1970s and 1980s], and Venezuelan filmmaker Ricardo González created a documentary featuring the two surviving members, Escribano and Marti, titled "Maricones" (2018). The film sparked renewed interest in their filmography, leading to retrospectives at film festivals such as Mostra FIRE!! in Barcelona, LesGaiCineMad in Madrid, and even across the Atlantic at the Asterisco Festival in Buenos Aires. González also co-curated a selection of their work as part of the collective exhibition "Hard Gelatin: Hidden Stories from the 80s" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona. In 2022, he directed the short film "Un día de amor", written by and starring Lluís Escribano and José Romero Ahumada, one of the lead actors in the original films by Els 5 QK’s.
* The phrase “queer faggots” reflects Lluís Escribano’s use of the Spanish word maricones, a reclaimed slur historically directed at gay men. During the filming of the documentary "Maricones: el cine de Els 5 QK’s "(Ricardo González, 2018), he was quoted saying: «Gays? Queers? LGBTs? We faced the system as maricones; we risked our lives as maricones, fighting for the rights of maricones. So we’re going to die as maricones.»
Methodology
For these five young Catalan men, filmmaking became a vital means of expressing their discontent with the rigid sociocultural and political norms of the time. They were active participants in the fight to abolish the infamous Ley de Peligrosidad Social [Social Danger Act], which criminalised homosexuality. José Romero Ahumada, a key figure in Els 5 QK’s extensive filmography, directed the documentary "Abajo la Ley de Peligrosidad Social". Each year, the film commemorates the queer community’s occupation of Barcelona’s streets on 26 June 1977—an action in which Els 5 QK’s, of course, took part. This landmark moment would later be recognised as Spain’s National LGBTQI+ Pride Day.
Lluís, Ramón, Enric, Cesc and Alfons all had day jobs, pooling their earnings to come together at weekends to write, pre-produce, shoot and edit their films. Direction, production, lead roles and editing were rotated among the five men depending on their connection to the script—usually written by Lluís Escribano. Art direction, including costume design, set design, make-up, titles and posters, was primarily handled by Cesc. The rest of the work was carried out with the help of friends and lovers.
Everything about their stories was radical: Franco makes an appearance in the feature film "También encontré mariquitas felices"; its hero turns tricks for a priest and leads a kind of Gay Justice League; and in "Els ocellots agafen l’últim tramvia", they even reimagined A Streetcar Named Desire as a drag performance. Because of this, their films had to be screened clandestinely (one reason so little biographical information exists about the collective) and were advertised only by word of mouth (“after the Superman screening”, “after Star Wars”...).
Els 5 QK’s also produced sketches (very short films), which they compiled into titles such as "Cucarrecord" (1977) and "Cuquicidis" (1980). They would show these in public squares using portable projectors, allowing them to pack up and flee quickly before the police arrived.
«Our filmography is an example for young people that cinema can be entertaining, but also useful.» – Cesc Marti in "Maricones: el cine de Els 5 QK’s".
Filmography
This filmography is partial, approximately half of the audiovisual production of Els 5 QK's is lost.
FEATURE FILMS
Cartas sin destino (45’ – 1979)
A thriller driven by intense passion, jealousy and blackmail, set in a world where homosexual relationships are the sole norm and heterosexuality is entirely absent. This setting perfectly exemplifies the cinematic intent of Els 5 QK’s, namely to subvert the heteronormative nature of mainstream cinema by reproducing its conventions through a queer lens.
También encontré mariquitas felices (70’ – 1980)
This film stands as one of the high points in Els 5 QK’s’ filmography, notable for its incisive critique of heteronormativity and for its explicit references to the history of the Spanish homosexual liberation movement. It opens with a dedication “to all fronts”, a call for unity among activist homosexual collectives at a time when internal divisions had begun to undermine gay activism, following five years of struggle for visibility and the repeal of repressive laws. The film is particularly striking for its critique of the institutions that perpetuate the cultural stigma that has historically marginalised and condemned homosexuals (especially in the Spanish context), such as medical science, the education system, the Church and the family. However, the most compelling aspect of the film lies in the radical proposal put forward by the “Cucas” to end the oppression of homosexuals: the formation of a flamboyant, cross-dressing queer brigade called the Mariconas Street Band to confront homophobes with force.
Buscando el camino de tu amor (60’ – 1980)
A love story inspired by the romantic novels of Corín Tellado, to whose son the film is dedicated. Francisco, the film’s protagonist, embarks on a quest to find true love, moving from one lover to the next, driven by an overwhelming passion that plunges him into a noir-style plot in which he becomes the target of a deadly conspiracy. In this film, Els 5 QK’s play with the prototypical gender roles found in classic detective films by casting highly effeminate gay characters who occasionally take on the role of heart-throb or male hero, only to slip seamlessly into behaviours assigned to female characters in classic cinema, portraying them as fragile beings in need of male protection.
Al oeste de Rancho Culvert (45’ – 1982)
A cowboy film from an entirely queer perspective, and a spiritual forerunner to Brokeback Mountain.
Oscar for Murder (55’ – 1986)
A parody of detective films, this work stars Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson, who must solve the mystery of a string of murders targeting the most recent Oscar winners. In this Hitchcock-tinged thriller, the “Cucas” engage in a playful reappropriation of themes, music and imagery drawn from popular culture—particularly Hollywood cinema—to craft a mise-en-scène that stands as a bold example of the camp aesthetic that defined the collective. With sharp humour, Els 5 QK’s reinterpret classic suspense tropes through a queer lens, as was typical of their work. The film also features the added delight of a cameo by José María Nunes, a key figure in Spanish underground cinema since the 1960s.
MEDIUM-LENGTH FILMS
Els ocellots agafen l’ultim tramvia (30’ – 1982)
One of Els 5 QK’s’ finest works. Two formidable heroines—Alexandra del Lago (from Sweet Bird of Youth) and Blanche DuBois (from A Streetcar Named Desire)—brilliantly portrayed by Luis and Cesc, meet by chance after a car accident and join forces in a macabre game seemingly aimed at destroying everything these filmmakers despised: stylistic rules, social norms and sexual conventions.
Phalus (25’ – 1977)
A mysterious wooden phallus passes from hand to hand, transforming the lives of all who possess it—from a group of streetwise men to the nuns of a convent.
Un bateig (30’ – 1978)
SHORT FILMS
El ama de casa (15’ – 1976)
A critically toned portrait of the life of housewives in a patriarchal society.
Identitat (9’ – 1976)
A young man wakes up during Spain’s democratic transition with no memory of who he is. Little by little, he begins to reflect on his identity in political, sexual and social terms.
Aranprunyà (19’ – 1976)
Love, fantasy and legend are rare themes in the filmography of Els 5 Qk’s, which is why Aranprunyà is so unique. A poetic short film in which our hero arrives at the ruins of a castle, only to discover that he was a passionate princess in a past life.
7-70 MM/ / F1, 4 (15’ – 1977)
An amateur filmmaker becomes obsessed with a beautiful boy whom he follows day and night with his camera. A short film that captures the director’s relentless pursuit of perfection and beauty.
Cucarrecord (9’ – 1977)
A series of comic sketches that deconstruct the sexist ideology lurking behind the glossy allure of the advertising world. Through humorous vignettes, the film offers a sharp critique of machismo, using drag and parody of gender roles to draw attention to key features of consumer society that reinforce male-centred perspectives—presenting certain social behaviours and consumer habits as if they were natural, when in fact they stem from patriarchal frameworks.
El soroll / El ruido (16’ – 1977)
The collective’s first openly gay film. It explores the theme of communicative breakdown, a condition deeply embedded in daily life under Franco’s regime and persisting into the early years of the democratic transition.
L’espai - temps (13’27 – 1978)
A high-tension gay thriller that breaks the rules of space and time, set against the backdrop of transition-era Barcelona.
Cuquicidis (10’ – 1980)
A fresh set of comic sketches, continuing the style and spirit of Cucarrecord.
Servidora no és de pedra (10’ – 1981)
A playful piece structured in three scenes, encapsulating much of the sexual freedom that defined the group’s ethos in the 1970s.