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The Chunta interview on OPB
Host April Baer (L) and director Genevieve Roudané (R) on the air for Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “State of Wonder.”
“The Fiesta Grande can be surreal. The streets are very narrow and there can be thousands of dancers filling the streets, like a river of people. It’s an incredible experience that people from the town describe as a sense of overflowing joy and passion.”
Check out this fantastic interview about The Chunta on Oregon Public Broadcasting’s “State of Wonder”! Listen into minutes 1:30- 10:30 for a conversation with director Genevieve Roudané about the story behind the film.
Click on the audio above or visit the OPB website to listen to the show.
The Chunta film and Queer Latinx community panel coming to NW Film Center
The Chunta film and Queer Latinx community panel coming to NW Film Center
The Chunta is a documentary film about identity, belonging, and transformation in the heart of a Mexican tradition. Here in Portland, LGBTQ Latinx community members have a long history of creative expression and resilience. Join us following the screening of The Chunta for a conversation with special guest speakers Joaquín López, Kaina Martínez, and Cambria Herrera, as they discuss their work and visions for the future. The director of The Chunta, Genevieve Roudané, will also be in attendance.
NW Film Center presents The Chunta at the Whitsell Auditorium, Portland, OR
Thursday, August 15th, 2019
Reception 6:00PM, Film screening 7:00PM, Panel 8:00PM
Panelist bios:
Joaquin Lopez. Photo credit: Gary Norman
Joaquín Lopez is a performing artist, storyteller, and musician raised in Aloha, Oregon, whose work is committed to personal freedom, Latino queer identity, self-expression, and community transformation. Joaquin is the Unid@s Program Coordinator at Latino Network, an organization that works to positively transform the lives of Latino youth, families, and communities. Joaquin received his B.F.A. in Theatre Arts from Southern Oregon and he holds a Masters in Counseling from Portland State University. Joaquin runs a counseling private practice specializing in men’s issues, personal development, and the bicultural Latinx experience.
Kaina Martinez. Photo credit: Aaron Lee
Kaina Martínez is a Venezuelan drag entertainer living in Portland. She competed in several pageants including the national competition Miss Gay America. Currently, she hosts Latin Flavor – A Queer Latin Dance Party, a space for the Latino community to showcase their talent.
Cambria Herrera. Photo credit: Piper Tuor
Cambria Herrera is a Xicana stage director, performance artist, and community organizer based in Portland, Oregon. All of her work rises from her core inspiration: women and femme artists of color from the past and present. She currently works with two of Portland’s finest non-profit communities: AGE’s Women of Color in PDX Theatre Collective (co-founder & facilitator) and PDX Latinx Pride (Leadership Committee Member) to curate events featuring and serving brown women and non-binary folx.
Director bio:
Genevieve Roudané. Photo credit: Elena Martinez.
Genevieve Roudané is a queer filmmaker who has worked as director, cinematographer, editor, educator, and organizer on diverse productions across the Americas over the past decade. She is the director of the documentary film The Chunta, the story of a queer gang of gender-bending dancers fighting to exist in southern Mexico. Roudané’s work focuses on the intersection of art and activism, and she has been a part of grassroots media organizing projects in Mexico and Central America. Roudané is a member of Film Fatales, Women in Film, Couch Film Collective, the Mexican Documentary Filmmakers Network, and the Women Behind the Camera cooperative; co-founder of the Ocote Film Festival. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Media contact: Genevieve Roudané, Director, The Chunta film 971-336-9397 chuntachiapas@gmail.com
For more info on the film, including photos, press kit, and more, visit http://www.laschunta.com
Tickets: https://nwfilm.org/films/la-chunta/
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1986703831438763/
Poster
Reed College Magazine Review
“The Chunta” was reviewed in the Reed College Magazine. Read it online here, or view image below.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Gender-bending Mexican Film Challenges Stereotypes
Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico, July 26, 2019
“We don’t know why men began dressing up as women,” says Gerardo Madrigal, as he looks out over the river running through his hometown in Mexico. He is one of thousands of men who undergo stunning transformations during a traditional festival held every year, known simply as the Fiesta Grande. Later, his wife puts the finishing touches on his makeup before he steps out into a cheering crowd.
Those gender-bending dancers call themselves the Chunta, and they’re the subject of a new documentary film, The Chunta, which has screened at festivals around Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. When filmmaker Genevieve Roudané moved from Oregon to Mexico, she searched for fellow members of the GLBT community, and was invited to the Fiesta Grande. What at first appeared to be an oasis of acceptance later revealed itself to be a complex story of conflict, and even violence.
Surprisingly, despite the central role that gender-bending plays in the Fiesta Grande, gay and transgender dancers are often met with rejection. Most Chunta dancers are straight men who take their tradition seriously. “I get a lot of criticism because I allow gays in my gang,” says Esther Noriega, the leader of a rival group of dancers, known locally as “gangs.”
Through the eyes of dancers in both groups, we begin to see just how much is at stake. Anger flares as men race to create exquisite hand-embroidered dresses and delicate paper crowns. The Chunta film is a funny, joyous celebration of outcasts finding their chosen family and daring to be themselves, even in the face of bigotry.
“I made this film as part of my dream of breaking down the wall between queer communities in the U.S. and Mexico,” says Roudané. “We need stories about LGBT people from around the world– their hopes and dreams, everyday lives and everyday struggles. We need to challenge stereotypes about Latinx identity and sexuality. I hope that this story can part of the fight for LGBT visibility, rights, and happiness.”
One of the dancers in the film, Mexican gay rights activist José Eliezer Esponda Cáceres, is featured in the film as he recounts the violence faced by trans women organizing for their rights and their lives in the 1990s: “Homosexuality has always existed. In Chiapas, like many parts of the world, people kept it secret. In 1989, under Governor Patrocinio González Garrido, the fear began. We started to see violent killings against the trans community: even two or three murders per night. We’re still searching for our identity as a community, because of all the secrecy that used to exist, and that still exists.” For many LGBT dancers, the Fiesta Grande can be an important space to find that community and identity, despite enduring homophobia.
Fellow Chunta dancer Isauro Vidal has also faced homophobia and exclusion when he don’s the women’s gowns, but he keeps coming back: “I like dressing as a Chunta because to me it represents the god of fertility, the duality between man and woman. That duality creates a moment in the Fiesta, when we’re all together, and you see the ideal world you wish existed. It’s about accepting ourselves just as we are. Respecting each other, and dancing with joy. For me it’s a very emotional thing to do a fertility dance. It means belonging to the earth, belonging in this world.”
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Contact:
Genevieve Roudané
Director, The Chunta
(971) 336-9397
More information:
Facebook & Instagram: @thechunta
Electronic press kit: https://laschunta.com/explore /press
Quotes
“They think we’re enemies. Why? We’re all trying to make our town beautiful, with our traditions, with our ways of thinking and feeling. There’s love and kindness for everyone. So why do they want to attack us? We’re not hurting anyone.”
– Esther Noriega Molina, leader of a gang of Chunta dancers
“The Fiesta takes place during the Dead Days, between the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. The Chunta is a unique ritual representation that reflects the Chiapanecan culture’s perception of time. The Chunta is a symbolic representation of the restructuring of the world. And in that restructuring, the world turns upside down.”
– Mario Nandayapa, academic from Chiapa de Corzo
“There’s a cost for the Chuntas going against gender roles and machismo, and coming out as homosexual.People don’t like it because it makes them uncomfortable. Traditional celebrations like the Fiesta Grande can help us to raise consciousness about this.”
– José Eliezer Esponda Cáceres, LGBT activist and Chunta dancer
“There are still some very traditional people who don’t accept the gay community. I don’t understand how it affects them. It doesn’t affect them at all. It’s like they feel that this town has to stay traditional. They don’t want it to change. We are living in a time of transition, and we should evolve with the times. Of course the other group will always say we’re breaking with tradition, but it’s not like that. We’re just wearing stylized dresses. Maybe they’re upset because we get more attention in our stylized clothing. But the more they gossip, the more famous they make us, right? They’re doing us a favor, because it means we’re really doing something. It means we exist.”
– Saraí Hernández Hernández, hairstylist and transgender Chuntá dancer
“Culture is a dynamic phenomenon. When it’s alive, it’s changing and transforming. It’s full of positives and negatives. To me, it’s interesting that it has stayed alive even through those transformations. I mean, that’s better than just staying behind in our collective imagination. It’s better that it’s a living representation, and not a memory.”
– José Domingo Flores, artist and Chuntá dancer
“I like dressing as a Chunta because to me it represents the god of fertility, the duality between man and woman. That duality creates a moment in the Fiesta, when we’re all together, and you see the ideal world you wish existed. It’s about accepting ourselves just as we are. Respecting each other, and dancing with joy. For me it’s a very emotional thing to do a fertility dance. It means belonging to the earth, belonging in this world.”
– Isauro Vidal, Chuntá dancer
“If they’re looking for trouble, just step aside. I’m begging you kindly, please don’t fight.”
– Esther Noriega Molina, leader of a gang of Chunta dancers
“It’s about joy. It’s about waking up the earth and its seeds, waking up color, waking up life itself.”
– José Eliezer Esponda Cáceres, LGBT activist and Chunta dancer
Photos at screenings
Album 1: Chiapas, Mexico
The Chunta screening in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. January 2018. Photo credit: Elena Martinez. Photos of director Genevieve Roudané presenting with Chunta dancers Isauro Vidal and Josue Moises.
Genevieve Roudané. Photo credit: Elena Martinez.
Genevieve Roudané. Photo credit: Elena Martínez.
Album 2: Mexico City
The Chunta world premiere in Spanish at the Cineteca Nacional and Cine Tonala in Mexico City, Mexico, as part of the Muestra Internacional de Cine con Perspectiva de Género (MICGénero).
“There’s a cost for the Chuntas going against gender roles and machismo, and coming out as homosexual.People don’t like it because it makes them uncomfortable. Traditional celebrations like the Fiesta Grande can help us to raise consciousness about this.” – José Eliezer Esponda Cáceres
Album 3: Stockholm
The Chunta world premiere in English at the Panoramica Latin American Film Festival in Stockholm, Sweden. September 2018. Photo credits: Alexis Jimenez.
Album 4: Los Angeles
The Chunta’s Los Angeles premiere at Outfest on July 22, 2019. Photo credits: Outfest
The Chunta director Genevieve Roudané at Outfest LGBTQ Film Festival
Audiences at Outfest participating in a Q&A about The Chunta
Press Release October 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gender-bending Mexican Film Premieres at Portland Film Festival
Portland, Oregon – October 9, 2018
“We don’t know why men began dressing up as women,” says Gerardo Madrigal, as he looks out over the river running through his hometown in Mexico. He is one of thousands of men who undergo stunning transformations during a traditional festival held every year, known simply as the Fiesta Grande. Later, his wife puts the finishing touches on his makeup before he steps out into a cheering crowd.
Those gender-bending dancers call themselves the Chunta, and they’re the subject of a new documentary film premiering at this year’s Portland Film Festival. Local filmmaker Genevieve Roudané directed The Chunta after moving to Mexico and searching for fellow members of the LGBT community.
Surprisingly, gay and transgender dancers in the Fiesta Grande are often met with rejection, and sometimes violence. Most Chunta dancers are straight men who take their tradition very seriously, and not everyone welcomes outsiders. “I get a lot of criticism because I allow gays in my gang,” says Esther Noriega, the leader of a rival group of dancers, known locally as “gangs.”
Through the eyes of dancers in both gangs, we begin to see just how much is at stake. Anger flares as men race to prepare their hand-embroidered dresses and delicate paper crowns. Ultimately, the story is a funny, joyous celebration of outcasts finding their chosen family and daring to be themselves, even in the face of bigotry.
Following celebrated screenings in Latin America and Europe, The Chunta will open the Portland Film Festival on October 23rd. Director Genevieve Roudané will be in attendance, and will also present on an October 26th panel beside other female filmmakers creating new work in the Pacific Northwest. For more information, visit the Portland Film Festival’s website at https://portlandfilmfestival.com.
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Contact:
Genevieve Roudané
Director, The Chunta
More information:
Title: The Chunta
Genre: Documentary
Duration: 61 minutes
Language: Spanish with English subtitles
Facebook and Instagram: @thechunta
Film FAQ: https://laschunta.com/explore/learn/
Credits
Special thanks to Esther Noriega Molina and Gerardo Madrigal Nigenda
And all of the Chuntá from Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas.
Director: Genevieve Roudané
Editors: Genevieve Roudané and Madely Trujillo
Producers: Genevieve Roudané, Catalina Ausin, Cecilia Monroy Cuevas, Kristian Sibast
Principal interviews with: Esther Noriega Molina, José Domingo Flores, José Eliezer Esponda Cáceres, Saraí Hernández Hernández, Isauro Vida, Mario Artemio Aguilar Nandayapa, Gerardo Madrigal Nigenda
Additional interviews with: Esteban Madrigal, Edilberto Molino Santiago, Josué Moises Borbolla, Juan Carlos Rodríguez Soriano, Cruz Manuel Centeno Camas, Martín Aníbal Vázquez Jiménez, Rutilo Vila Pérez
Traditional music interpreted by: Daniel y sus Tamborileros de Cunduacán
Cinematography: Genevieve Roudané, Catalina Ausin, Cecilia Monroy Cuevas
Production Assistants: Madely Trujillo, Alma Valeria Ruíz, Cristina Megchun, Raquel Hernández, Alejandro René Gómez Aldama, Sam Smith, Ana Hernández, Nestor Jimenez, Marissa Revilla, Gladis Hernández
Audio postproduction: Manuel Antonio Durán Cruz
Script advisors: Madely Trujillo, Alejandro René Gómez Aldama, Cecilia Monroy Cuevas, Medhin Tewolde Serrano
Technical support: ProMedios de Comunicación Comunitaria, Koman Ilel, Kinoki Foro Cultural Independiente, Cecilia Monroy Cuevas, Tim Russo, José Manuel Gómez Aldama, Eloy Orantes
Hospedaje, transporte, y alimentación: María Alejandra Aldama Pérez, Esther Noriega Molina, Domingo Flores, Isauro Vidal
Postproduction coordinator: Madely Trujillo
Postproduction volunteers: Sam Smith, Katherine Wu, Rosemary Sokolov, Caroline Blair, Sam Law
Transcripts: Genevieve Roudané, Ana Isabel Guadarrama, Medhin Tewolde Serrano, Francisco Vázquez, Alma Valeria Ruíz, Néstor Jimenez
Subtitles and Translation: Genevieve Roudané, Francisco Vázquez
Copyright 2018: Genevieve Roudané
The Chunta 