Paola Calvo is a Venezuelan director and cinematographer. In 2012, Calvo directed “A Tale of two Islands,” a two-channel video installation that was shown at Berlinale Forum Expanded. Wanting to represent sexuality in a poetic way, she made “Violently Happy,” the culmination of her studies at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin.
“Luchadoras” is screening at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival, which is taking place online March 16-20. The film is co-directed by Patrick Jasim.
W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.
PC: Our film portrays the women of Ciudad Juárez as fighters, giving a new and different image of what it means to be a woman in Mexico. Our protagonists fight on a daily basis in the Lucha Libre ring, getting back up after each blow. They are women wrestlers who have been able to find strength and courage, despite being constantly exposed to risky situations.
W&H: What drew you to this story?
PC: It is devastating to know that there is a place known worldwide as the place of femicide. This is what you hear about Ciudad Juárez — it’s also what you hear, most generally speaking, about Mexico. We wanted to understand how women live in the city, what their day-to-day life looks like.
What we discovered was bigger, brighter, and more powerful than what any press article had ever managed to reveal about the place because Juárez is also one of the main hubs for the Mexican wrestling style, Lucha Libre, where fighters — often women — fight in a ring. Combined with the new feminist movement that became more influential in 2019 and 2020, we feel that what is happening there is part of a global quest for equality, one that we feel deeply connected to.
While historically, fear has paralyzed protests in Mexico, the bodies of tens of thousands of women are the seeds that have now sprouted into the protests demanding immediate change. The female wrestler, the Luchadoras, signals that times are changing — even in a traditionally testosterone-driven culture like the Lucha Libre. Many of them connect directly with the new feminist movement in Mexico, celebrating a new role model and finding fulfillment independent of male approval.
Women that will not accept being victims any longer. “Luchadoras” was born out of the need to demand justice for the Muertas de Juárez — The Dead Women of Juárez — and to celebrate the Vivas De Juárez — The Alive Women from Juárez. Luchadoras are all the women of Ciudad Juárez. Luchadoras are all the women of Mexico. “Luchadoras” hopes to give inspiration to everybody to act against machismo.
W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?
PC: I would like to motivate the audience to fight against any kind of injustice. Sometimes our own struggles seem so big to us that they block us from taking action. We have to be aware of our situations, aware of the structures in which we live. Sexism is present all over the world because it is part of the foundation of capitalism. In some places it is more subtle, in others it is more obvious.
What is happening in Mexico — the killings, and the culture of misogyny — is born out of the capitalist culture. In this culture men work outside their home, get paid, and are respected, while women work in their homes, produce new workers, but get neither paid nor respected. In a society where men feel superior to women, violence becomes a relief and the ultimate domination. It starts with domestic violence, followed by the systemic violence of the cartels, all protected by the institutions and their own violence.
Luckily there are many of us who do not identify with these values. I would like “Luchadoras” to open the eyes of people who are not yet aware of these structures.
W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?
PC: The danger in Juárez is real. The uncertainty of whether you are in the right place at the right time is present several times a day. One of the first consequences of living in such a place is fear. The most challenging part of making “Luchadoras” was dealing with our fears. Fear is something personal, individual, and — above all — irrational.
There were moments when I would feel afraid, while Patrick Jasim, my co-director and director of photography, would have no problem. And vice versa. After a few weeks in Juárez we learned that the most important thing in this kind of place is to be part of a community: be it the wrestling community, family, or friends. Being in a group is a way to be safe.
W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.
PC: The film was co-produced with a state-funded German television station, the ZDF. In Europe, many stations not only produce their own content but also co-produce films made for cinemas, so they can show them in their programs after the festival and cinema lifecycle of the films. With a strong co-producer like the ZDF, we then went on and applied for several German film funding institutions. The major one being BKM as well as two regional programs. They all believed in our creative vision as well as our ability to market the film internationally.
W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
PC: Making documentaries is an exciting way to get to know the world. It offers the chance to get to understand different perspectives, stories, people. On many occasions, projects managed to make me aware of structures, ideas, or even prejudices that I may have regarding specific topics. At the end of the day, being able to make films is a form of personal growth. And, in the best of cases, I get to transmit to the viewer what I learned in the process.
W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?
PC: John Cameron Mitchell once said, “The film is not your life, the making of the film is your life.” I think there is so much truth in that sentence!
I don’t remember the worst advice. I think I’ve forgotten all the bad advice that anyone has ever given me!
W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?
PC: One of the most difficult tasks in the industry — especially for young women directors who are not in a union — is defending your price. I wasn’t taught to talk about money or to value what my work was worth. You have to be prepared when it comes to talking about money. Ask for advice from experienced people in and out of the industry. I still have a lot to learn!
W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.
PC: My absolute favorite woman-directed film is “Trouble Every Day” by Claire Denis. It’s such an amazing story, and every shot is charged with sensuality and brutality. Denis used to work with Agnès Godard as a DOP, and their work together is simply a must-see for every film lover. Their films are like poems in movement!
W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?
PC: The first lockdown during the pandemic I was working on the post-production of “Luchadoras” so I hardly experienced it as such. My creativity now is mainly focused on preparing new projects!
I have the pleasure of shooting a long-term documentary as a DOP in my hometown of Berlin right now. I use the quietness around that to prepare my next feature documentary, which I will direct and produce with my company. I will also finish a short documentary on influencers in Cuba I am co-directing with a friend of mine.
W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color on-screen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make Hollywood and/or the doc world more inclusive?
PC: Honestly, I find it hard to understand, on an emotional level, that Hollywood is not improving in the representation of people of color. There is so much to tell, so many prejudices to break, so much to learn! I think that movements like ProQuote Film in Germany, which sets a 50 percent quota of women in all levels of the film industry, would be necessary also for people of color.
I also understand that these kinds of measures are direct solutions and at the same time superficial, so they do not put an end to the problem. The problem is in education and in the system. Those are the areas where change needs to be incorporated. I would like to live in a just world, where measures such as the quota of women or the quota of people of color do not exist as a law but occur naturally. Since this is not the case, there is no other way than writing laws.
