LatinoBuzz: 'Born Naked' Doc Plays NewFest, New York's LGBT Film Festival

Summer in New York City is the time of picnics in the park, lazy beach days, outdoor movie screenings, sweaty subway rides, and all-around fun. The summertime is also Gay Pride Parade season in most cities. Naturally, many gay film festivals take place around this time  of year as well. NewFest--New York's LGBT Film Festival--is no exception. Now in its 24th year--running July 27 through 31--the festival is taking over Lincoln Center with a compelling program of narratives, documentaries, shorts and panels. Last week, we blogged about what a great year it’s been for LatinoLGBTfilms. We continue to highlight Latino Queer Cinema in a series of posts that will lead up to NewFest’s Opening Night on July 27.

Born Naked (Madrid - London - Berlin)
Documentary Feature
Director: Andrea Esteban
Spain | 2011 | 96 mins
Mon, Jul 30th 5:00pm
Walter Reade Theater - Lincoln Center
Director Andrea Esteban in person July 30!

Spanish filmmaker Andrea Esteban and her girlfriend Paula criss-cross Europe hitting London, Berlin and Madrid, creating a video scrapbook of young lesbian and trans artists, activists, journalists, soccer players, and anarcho-feminists. Passing through queer artist collectives, friends’ homes, music festivals and bars--they create a time capsule of a community of women fiercely fighting to define themselves and create their own identity in the face of societal pressure to fit the norm. Avoiding the typical talking heads interviews that plague most documentaries--the women share their experiences through a series of casual conversations about having to keep their relationships secret, confronting stereotypes, coming out to their families, and what it means to be queer.

It’s verité style, quick edits, and use of split screens set to a soundtrack of indie pop make it a unique documentary that’s fun and informative but at the same time intimate and personal. The camera maintains enough distance to make you feel like you are present in the moment--as part of the conversation--and at times, like you are eavesdropping on a private chat amongst a close group of friends. Drawing its title from RuPaul's famous line “We're all born naked, and the rest is drag,” this doc will surely serve as cultural artifact, documenting a movement and a moment in time. It’s only screening once at NewFest and as happens with most documentaries--let alone a Spanish lesbian doc--it may be your only chance to see it. It’s definitely worth a look.

Screening with:

Queen of My Dreams

Fawzia Mirza & Ryan Logan | 2011 | USA | 3m

“As a young girl, Fawzia Mirza fell under the spell of Bollywood heroines and their promise of love and feminine perfection. As an adult, she looks back and re-imagines the epic romance in the classic film Aradhana in a queer light.”

Written by Juan Caceres and Vanessa Erazo, LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature onSydneysBuzzthat highlights emerging and established Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow@LatinoBuzzon twitter.