SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 17th April. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Commencing tomorrow, Thursday, and running until the following Saturday, Multicines Tenerife will be the venue for the third edition of ‘CinemaTrans: Trans Cinema Exhibition’, an event organized by the Pedro Zerolo Foundation, Pedro Zerolo Cinemateca, and the Cinema Talks Association, with sponsorship from the Education, Youth, Museums, Culture, and Sports departments of the Cabildo of Tenerife, along with the City Council of Tenerife La Laguna, represented by the Equality and LGTBI and Culture Departments.
The Minister of Culture and Museums of the Cabildo of Tenerife, José Carlos Acha; the Insular director of Equality and Diversity, Patricia León Hernández; the president of the Pedro Zerolo Foundation, Conchi González Zerolo; The Councilor for Equality of the La Laguna City Council, Dailos González, and the person in charge of Film Talks, Manuel Díaz, took the stage to introduce this event.
José Carlos Acha emphasized that “culture should act as a unifying force, integrating all layers of society. No one should feel excluded from society or culture. Participation at every level – be it as creators, consumers, or critics – is essential. Events like CinemaTrans are vital for societal cohesion, where everyone contributes and adds value.”
Patricia León commented, “This initiative signifies progress, and the collaborative effort across various sectors and different government bodies is crucial. I hope that this event is a resounding success, and that everyone enjoys these three days of CinemaTrans.”
Conchi González Zerolo expressed pride in “this third edition of CinemaTrans, which aims to continue disseminating and highlighting the reality of the trans community through the medium of cinema, shedding light on a group that is often vulnerable and little understood. This exhibition seeks to humanise trans diversity, sharing stories of experiences, desires, daily lives, and valuing their audiovisual creations.”
Dailos González noted, “I am delighted to be here in support of this initiative, which we wholeheartedly backed from the outset. I want to underscore the importance of education and raising awareness about sexual and gender diversity. It’s imperative that we continue to champion initiatives like this.”
Manuel Díaz detailed that preceding and following the event, there will be a series of screenings in various municipalities across the island, as well as in educational institutions, auditoriums, and senior centres. The aim is to make educational and informative content more accessible across all spaces on the island. Additionally, there will be two supplementary screenings at TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes on May 14 and Espacio Diverse on May 21.
This year’s poster pays homage to ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, commemorating the centenary of Marlon Brando’s birth. Álex Jarami, a versatile individual involved in athletics, music, and activism, has been selected as the model for the reinvented poster.
This year, the event will confer its honorary award on two pivotal figures of Trans representation in cinema, Nacha Sánchez, one of the lead roles in the groundbreaking 1983 documentary ‘Vestida de azul’, and Juani Ruiz, an actress known for her roles in series such as ‘Veneno’, ‘Cardo’, and ‘Dressed in Blue’. The special activism award will be presented to Elsa Ruiz, a stand-up comedian, illustrator, YouTuber, and media collaborator. Elsa will also serve as the master of ceremonies for this edition, accompanied at the opening ceremony on May 16 by RTVC journalist Tomás Galván.
The programming for this year includes screenings of the feature films ‘Vestida de azul’ (1983) by Antonio Giménez Rico and ‘Mutt’ (2023) by Vuk Lungulov-Klotz. Additionally, the Portuguese short film ‘Una Pipa de Aguacate’ by Ary Zara, a contender in the Oscar race, will be shown. These screenings will be followed by discussions where, alongside honorees Nacha Sánchez, Juani Ruiz and Elsa Ruiz, guests such as actress Bimba Farelo (‘Vestida de azul’), director and screenwriter Benja de la Rosa (creator of the series ‘Terror’ and ‘Feria’, available on Netflix), Daniasa Curbelo and Álex Jarami will participate.
Beyond film screenings, this third edition will also include a performance by singer Alicia Ramos at the opening ceremony and the presentation of the monologue ‘Tamaralola’, created by Benja de la Rosa and Bimba Farelo on Saturday 18th. The winners of the II CinemaTrans Short Film Competition will also be announced on the same day, with screenings of the winning entries. In a new collaboration with the University of La Laguna, CinemaTrans will host a panel discussion on activism, cinema, and education in the Grado Hall of the Aulario de Guajara on Friday, May 17, in the morning.
As a preview, the film ‘My Vacuum and I’ by Adrián Silvestre, winner of the Special Jury Prize – ‘Biznaga de Plata’ at the 25th edition of the Malaga Festival in 2022, will be screened at TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes on May 14. On May 21, another special screening will take place at Espacio Diverse in La Laguna featuring ‘My Little Great Samurai’ by Arantza Ibarra. Both screenings will feature discussions involving LGTBIQ+ associations from Tenerife.
Organised by the Pedro Zerolo Foundation, Pedro Zerolo Cinemateca, and the Talks of Cinema Association, with the collaboration of Multicines Tenerife, the Cinema Classroom of the University of La Laguna, and TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, CinemaTrans is a cultural and activist event sponsored by the Education, Youth, Museums, Culture, and Sports departments of the Cabildo de Tenerife, as well as the La Laguna City Council, represented by the Equality and LGTBI and Culture Departments.
