This stylish documentary tells the story of 'Princesa' - Brazilian transsexual Fernando
Farias de Albuquerque - who became a prostitute on the streets of Europe and ended
up in an Italian prison.
In jail she met Maurizio Jannelli, a member of the Italian communist liberation army,
who later wrote a novel 'Princesa' based on her life story - her childhood in Brazil,
her growing desire to look and act like a woman and her life on the streets.
The film maker set out to make a film about Princesa that avoided the sometimes brutal
realism of TV documentaries and the cliché of the tragic transsexual.
The result is a mixture of rich visuals and interviews - all shot in the prison. The
haunting soundtrack includes Tom Waits and Nina Simone and leads the viewer through
a dream-like atmosphere in which reality and representation melt together.
“The Second International Transgender Film & Video Festival Program.” London: Alchemy
Festival Productions, 1998. Personal Archives.
