- Title: Chilean director Lelio brings transgender love story to Berlin
- Date: 13th February 2017
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 13, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF AREA CALLED POTSDAMER PLATZ, WHERE THE BERLINALE PALAST IS DIRECTOR SEBASTIAN LELIO SPEAKING TO GROUP OF JOURNALISTS VIEW FROM WINDOW (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR SEBASTIAN LELIO, SAYING: ''After a few months of writing we just understood that we wanted to talk about a transgender woman and create a theme
- Embargoed: 27th February 2017 15:04
- Keywords: Francisco Reyes Daniela Vega Sebastian Lelio A Fantastic Woman Berlinale Berlin Film Festival
- Location: BERLIN, GERMANY / VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- City: BERLIN, GERMANY / VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA00263CQIJ1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Chilean director Sebastian Lelio is back competing in the Berlinale with ''Una mujer fantastica'' (A fantastic Woman) - a film he hopes will make audiences think about the labels society places on people.
Lelio's last film ''Gloria'', about a middle aged woman, was on the line-up 4 years ago, this time we follow the journey of transgender singer Marina.
Speaking to Reuters on Monday (February 13) about his love story with a twist he explained why he wanted to create a film around a transgender woman: ''What a character like Marina generates, the questions that she provokes are just so contemporary'', he said.
''In a way we as a human society are going through a moment where we are dealing with how we are going to live. Are going to live in a world that is more about walls and segregation and separation? Or are we going to find a way to include and embrace the complexity of reality and learn how to live together and maybe save ourselves from self destruction?''
Lelio's big hope for the film is that audiences connect 'with a human being - as opposed to seeing a label'.
Transgender actress Daniela Vega who plays Marina also hopes that the film will encourage audiences to be more open minded and 'to empathise with other people and see beauty in others, not physical beauty but moral beauty'.
Giving her take on being transgender the actress told Reuters that often people think 'it's something sexual' but she explained it's something far deeper - 'that gives meaning to life'.
Vega plays opposite Francisco Reyes who takes on the role of her love interest Orlando, he too says the film is about challenging perceptions:
''This (the film) is asking the question about your personal capability to open your mind and accept the unknown, to have this empathy, this question is being brought to this film through a love story - which seems simple, but then is not.''
''Una mujer fantastica'' is one of 18 films competing for the festival's top prizes which will be handed out on Saturday February 18th, while the festival itself closes on February 19. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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