“Travesía Travesti”, the film that brings together fundamental pieces of the trans-travesti memory of Chile
The documentary was filmed during the 2019-2020 social uprising in Chile. It has already premiered in its country and is participating in film festivals.
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SANTIAGO, Chile. “Don’t let them rob me anymore. May men be able to fall in love with trans women. Return. Strength. To love again. To travel, for myself and for all my companions.”
Anastasia Benavente holds a degree in Hispanic Literature and Linguistics, is an academic, and an activist with the Amanda Jofré sex workers' union . She writes this wish in a New Year's letter that she reads in one of the opening scenes of Travesía Travesti , a documentary film that revolves around the bonds of friendship, love, heartbreak, art, memory, politics, and the crises and urgent needs of the trans-travesti community in Chile.
This is the third feature film by Chilean director Nicolás Videla, known artistically as Amnesia Letal. It delves into the history and professional and personal relationship that Anastasia has with Maracx Bastardx, whose long-standing disputes ultimately lead to the disintegration of an artistic collective and its greatest theatrical success, the play "Cabaret Travesía Travesti."
The film was shot between 2019 and 2020. The cabaret's final performance coincided with the social uprising in Chile, just as the performers were trying to reunite the fractured cast to add their demands to that pivotal moment in the country's history. It premiered in June in theaters in Santiago and other cities, after a long run at international film festivals. It will debut in theaters in Argentina in September.
It's not just a document that raises questions about the social, political, and emotional organization of the trans and travesti community. In a country where there is no historical archive of the community, this piece also aims to begin building one, starting with the recovery of various audiovisual materials , especially those of Munique Fonguebertt, a fundamental artist in the history of Chilean drag, who is little known. Anastasia, one of her disciples and co-star of the film, spoke with Presentes .
– What does this document represent for you and for the entire trans-travesti community of Chile?
Trans women and transvestites have lived within a context of structural violence. We live in a web of discriminatory practices, transphobia, lack of opportunities, physical violence, and violence from the state, institutions, and families. But, in addition, we live amidst a violence that is rarely discussed: epistemic violence. This means that we have been deprived of the possibility of generating our own knowledge . On the contrary, the knowledge that has been generated about us has been based on cisgender logic, where there is almost always criminalization or sensationalization of our practices. What this film does is contribute to building a community memory through its own voices. Amnesia Letal, who directed it, is also part of the transvestite and drag queen spectrum and is someone who has experimented with her gender and expression.
Furthermore, she has been part of the collective that inspired the documentary. Their perspective is key to building a memory that moves away from the cis perspective and closer to that of their own community, which is ultimately the one that survives this context of violence.
-Your friendship and close relationship with Maracx Bastardx is the central thread of the story, but something breaks between you and we see a lot of disagreement stemming from each of your interests. Do you think it's good for the community to show these kinds of conflicts?
This has been a recurring theme since we started showing the film, and I really enjoy talking about it. As a community subjected to this epistemic violence, there is indeed a lot of violence among us as well. We have difficulties and problems organizing ourselves. I think that happens because we accumulate all the hatred we receive in our bodies, our daily lives, and our experiences. So, I wouldn't judge in binary terms whether it's good or bad to show differences or rivalries, because ultimately, these are practices inherited from a patriarchal and heteronormative system. What this film does is try to mend the fracture that exists within this artistic collective, and like fractures in life, it's relevant and necessary to show them. Especially because they occur within a group of people as deeply affected as ours.
-You traveled to many countries promoting the film, something that doesn't happen very often to a trans woman. What was that experience like?
At the Valdivia International Film Festival in Chile, we decided to screen the film for the first time because we considered it relevant in the context of the social uprising. But we had a very discriminatory experience and were treated terribly. There was a lot of disorganization in the middle of a rainy, chaotic day… I arrived at the theater straight from the airport, and they wouldn't let me use a bathroom to change or put on makeup, even though they saw I was completely soaked from the rain. I had to change in a corner. Some of my colleagues arrived five or ten minutes late to the screening and weren't allowed in. Most of them were trans women who had never been to the movies in their lives because culture isn't something our community has access to. It was a truly traumatic experience.
With that fear, I boarded a plane to Amsterdam, thinking that perhaps something like that might happen again at IDFA. It's the most renowned festival in the documentary film industry worldwide. But the experience was completely different. We were welcomed with a red carpet and served a glass of champagne. They took care of every detail and made sure we had everything we needed to feel comfortable. They constantly asked how we were and how we were feeling—simple yet so important questions. It was a beautiful experience. I never imagined I would have these opportunities after struggling so much to get ahead in life.
This has been the same at other festivals we've attended. And with this, I don't mean to say that trans people need special treatment, but rather dignified treatment. They understand that in other countries, but not in Chile.
– How do people from other countries react when they see the film?
They are very interested in the sociopolitical reality we are experiencing and in the entire process of change that came with the social uprising. The issues of the trans community that we address in the film are already largely resolved in Europe. The issue of life expectancy, which in Latin America is barely 35 years, is no longer a pressing concern in that part of the world. Even less so in a country as advanced as the Netherlands. There, the issues are different. For example, the film's premiere coincided with the apologies and reparations that the Dutch government was offering to trans citizens who, until 2014, were forced to undergo sterilization in order to change their gender identity. This occurred under a gender identity law, in effect since 1985.
It's a very interesting discussion. Because in addition to acknowledging a human rights violation, it opens the door to another debate that is very important to our community, such as that of motherhood and fatherhood. Starting a transition process doesn't necessarily mean that our possibilities of building a family, having children, raising and educating another human being are eliminated. In political terms, it's a discussion that Chile is light years away from.
-What are your expectations of the current government and a possible new Constitution for Chile regarding issues that affect the trans community?
With Alejandra Soto, president of the Amanda Jofré union, we had the opportunity to participate in the hearings of the Constitutional Convention. When we attended, we were allotted ten minutes to speak, but they allowed us to speak for more than 30 minutes because our testimony and the report we presented had a significant impact. We had never had that opportunity before, and we are deeply grateful. I believe the Convention was very moved by the issue. It is very encouraging to know that there is an article guaranteeing the right to free development and the full recognition of the identity of every human being. And to read lines that will allow for equal opportunities and the possibility of enacting laws that truly improve our quality of life.
-Near the end of the film you say that no one cares about the story of your friend and teacher Munique Fonguebertt more than you do. Why do you say that?
La Munique was a huge star. She was on television, owned her own bar… She was incredibly creative and talented, and a key figure in the history of Chilean drag, but almost forgotten. I had the opportunity to meet her and the privilege of being her student, her friend, almost like a daughter. When she died, I inherited all her things, including a box full of VHS tapes recording all her television appearances and many of her shows.
I kept that treasure for ten years and never looked at it again. When Amnesia started with the idea for the film, I mentioned I had that material. It was magical, a perfect fit. She ended up distancing herself from drag many years before she died, but her legacy must live on, and that's why we're paying her a kind of tribute in the film. This building of memory that we want to share with the world is also happening because of the opportunity we've had to organize ourselves and support each other.
So, if I hadn't kept those videotapes and preserved them like the treasures they were, they would have been in the trash years ago, and new generations wouldn't know who Munique was. This is my way of thanking her for all the tools she gave me. Everything she did for me more than 30 years ago, when drag was very difficult in Chile, and even more difficult to dare to be a trans person.
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