A limited number of wheelchair accessible spaces may still be available for this screening. Please contact bampfa@berkeley.edu if you would like a ticket for a wheelchair accessible space.



Chavela

Catherine Gund, Daresha Kyi
Mexico/United States, 2017

Introduction

  • Introduction
    Jenni Olson

    Jenni Olson is a Berkeley-based queer film historian, writer, and filmmaker who is the proud proprietor of Butch.org, which features more information about all of her work as a longtime champion of LGBTQ+ cinema.

  • Marcia Ochoa

    Marcia Ochoa is an associate professor in the Theater Arts and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies departments at UC Santa Cruz, and is the cofounder of El/La Para TransLatinas in the Mission District of San Francisco, a social justice organization that promotes transgender Latina participation and reflects the style and grace of translatina survival.

A trailblazing free spirit whose appetite for tequila and women was as legendary as her soul-stirring vocals.

Hollywood Reporter

This is a tremendous portrait of legendary Mexican lesbian singer Chavela Vargas. The world-famous performer was a gun-toting, tequila-loving, macho butch rumored to have had dalliances with Frida Kahlo and Ava Gardner. The film follows her life, from being the toast of Mexico City in the 1960s and 1970s to falling into obscurity in the 1980s and returning to the world stage as muse to Pedro Almodóvar—culminating in her Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys in 2007. Friends, colleagues, and ex-lovers discuss her legacy, and the film is packed with amazing archival material. It is a joy to watch from first frame to last.

FILM DETAILS 
Cinematographer
  • Catherine Gund
  • Natalia Cuevas
  • Paula Gutiérrez Orío
Language
  • Spanish
  • English
  • with English subtitles
Print Info
  • B&W/Color
  • DCP
  • 93 mins
Source
  • Music Box Films

Event Accessibility

If you have any questions about accessibility or require accommodations to participate in this event, please contact us at bampfa@berkeley.edu or call us at (510) 642-1412 (during open hours) with as much advance notice as possible. More information on accessibility services.