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Juchitan Queer Paradise
| Length: | 64 min |
| Released: | 2003 |
| Ages: |
High School College Adult |
This is fascinating portrait of Juchitan, a small Mexican city near the Guatemalan border where homosexuality is fully embraced and gay individuals are considered a third gender. If a boy shows a predisposition toward homosexuality, his family rejoices and gives thanks for this blessing. In Juchitan, a man who wants to be a woman only has to dress like one to be considered and treated as such by the community. The film documents this culture through profiles of three gay people: a teacher, a hairdresser, and a shop owner.
The Zapotec Indians who reside in Juchitan resist the homogeneous trends of globalization. While many native languages worldwide face the threat of extinction, in Juchitan, the Zapotec language is spoken proudly at home, at municipal meetings, and in poetry, song, and theatre. Juchitan Queer Paradise chronicles this thriving culture and captures the community’s colorful fiesta, the "Vela des folles" which the film’s subjects organize each year.
The Zapotec Indians who reside in Juchitan resist the homogeneous trends of globalization. While many native languages worldwide face the threat of extinction, in Juchitan, the Zapotec language is spoken proudly at home, at municipal meetings, and in poetry, song, and theatre. Juchitan Queer Paradise chronicles this thriving culture and captures the community’s colorful fiesta, the "Vela des folles" which the film’s subjects organize each year.
"As a Latin American specialist, I think it is an important film . . . contrasting the mainstream Latin American ethos of machismo and marianismo with the indigenous traditions of complementary gender roles."
‒Jeanette E. Sherbondy, Acting Chair, Gender Studies, Director of the Anthropology Program, Washington College, Maryland
"Recommended for Senior high through adult. . . An honest film documenting the life of a unique location."
‒John Degon, Emmanuel d¹Alzon Library, Assumption College, Worcester for Educational Media Reviews Online
‒Jeanette E. Sherbondy, Acting Chair, Gender Studies, Director of the Anthropology Program, Washington College, Maryland
"Recommended for Senior high through adult. . . An honest film documenting the life of a unique location."
‒John Degon, Emmanuel d¹Alzon Library, Assumption College, Worcester for Educational Media Reviews Online
Award of Merit, Latin American Studies Association 2004
Latin American Studies Association, 2004
Outfest, Los Angeles 2004
San Francisco Gay Film Festival, 2003.
Latin American Studies Association, 2004
Outfest, Los Angeles 2004
San Francisco Gay Film Festival, 2003.
