Lives of Transgenders in Latin America Shown at The Palm Springs Film Festival

For the Palm Springs Film Festival this year, two documentary films depicting the lives of transponders and gays in Latin America were featured.

According to Latino Fox News, these documentaries mainly deal with the struggles and enjoyment of the so-called third sex who are living in this region.

One film is by Flavio Florencio called "Made in Bangkok." The same report detailed that its story centres on a transgender named Morgana Love.

Love embarked on a journey to Thailand since she wanted to attend an international beauty contest made exclusively for people like her. She also wanted to have a sex reassignment procedure

IMDB noted that the main character in the documentary aimed to prove to the world that transgenders are important in society and that they should not be seen as lesser beings.

Florencio told Latino Fox news that he wanted to create a character who would symbolize that a transgender woman could still prove that she is strong, despite being transgendered.

"I wanted to try to help in some way, to show that [members of the] transgender community have lives, a voice, and they deserve to be respected," the filmmaker added.

Meanwhile, the other documentary entitled "Viva" deals with a Cuban gay man who went soul searching.

Latino Fox News said Paddy Breathnach's film tackles on the transformation of Jesus, who was disowned by his father because of his sexual preference.

In a separate IMDB page, it was discussed that Jesus had always dreamed of performing on stage but on the day he fulfills his dream, his father ruins it all when he rushed on the stage and punched him.

The director claimed that he was inspired by the drag queens performing in Cuba.

"[The country] has a lot of potential and wants to express itself. Much as the country itself, Jesus is going through change and is using his art through drag shows to discover his inner voice," Breathnach added in the Latino Fox News report.

He claimed that his film also exposed issues on prostitution in the country which he claimed is already part of the lives of Cuban transgenders.

According to The Guardian's review, the story was able to clearly show the problem of prostitution in the country. This social predicament has forced not only members of the LGBT community but other also other citizens to migrate to other countries.

But Jesus did not think like the rest. He wanted to pursue his dreams in his native land.