The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela

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The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela

Image:The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela.jpg The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela Movie Poster
Directed by	Olaf de Fleur Johannesson
Produced by	Olaf de Fleur Johannesson Arleen Cuevas
Written by	Benedikt Jóhannesson
Starring	Raquela Rios Stefan C. Schaefer Olivia Galudo Brax Villa Valerie Grand Einarsson
Music by	Pavel E. Smid
Cinematography	Butch Maddul
Editing by	Benedikt Jóhannesson Olaf de Fleur Johannesson Dagur Kári
Distributed by	Regent Releasing here! Films Poppoli Pictures
Release date(s)	2008
Running time	80 minutes
Country	Philippines
Language	English Visayan Icelandic Thai
IMDb profile

“

A Cinderella Story

”

The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela is an independent film made by a Philippine, Icelandic, French, and Thai team, with Icelander Olaf de Fleur Johanssen as director and Filipino Arleen Cuevas as producer working with cinematographer Butch Maddul, production manager Beverly Tañedo, and production designer Alexis Yap.

Based on the life of a Filipino transsexual who dreams of going to Europe, as well as the experiences of transsexual prostitutes in Bangkok and the Philippines, The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela was filmed in the Philippines, Thailand, Iceland, Denmark, France and the US and made use of the Cebuano and English languages. It has been screened in international film festivals, including the 58th Berlinale Film Festival and the Asian showcase of the Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival. It stars Raquela Rios and Stefan Schaefer.

1 Synopsis
2 Awards
3 Reviews
4 References
5 External link
6 Citation

[edit] Synopsis

A poor prostitute from Cebu, Raquela has long dreamed of marrying a heterosexual man from the West and having a romance in Paris. She has tried to find the man of her dreams through the Internet, but has been unsuccessful. Then a photographer discovers her and helps her get a job as a webcam host on a transsexual website, which proves to be her ticket to stardom. The website is owned by a man named Michael who says he will help her fulfill her dreams. One of the friends she makes on the job is Valery, the only transsexual from Iceland who is out of the closet. Valery promises to help Raquela get a European visa. Eventually, Raquela gets to leave the streets of Cebu and travel to Europe to pursue her dreams.

[edit] Awards

Berlin International Film Festival (2008)
- Best Feature Film (Teddy Award)
Cinemanila International Film Festival 2008)
- Grand Jury Prize
New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival (2008)
- Best Foreign Narrative Feature
- Vanguard Award

[edit] Reviews

"It’s funny, wry, edgy and occasionally insightful—but it’s not a documentary, which this film analyst did not know until the credits—which, ones supposes, makes it very effective." -- "The boy who would be Queen" by Tim Cogshell

"de Fleur does impose a narrative on this vérité exercise, in an attempt to concoct a kind of postmodern, grown-up fairytale: a Cinderella story for the reality-TV age." --"The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela" by Noel Murray

"Raquela Rios' life, as recreated by Johannesson's deliciously crafted quasi-documentary (or according to the director, visionmentary), seems to be akin to the Anastasia-like fairy tale she lovingly narrates, but in essence, defines the invisible yet unmistakable gap between fantasy and reality." -- "The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela (2008)" by Oggsmogs

"It’s like being trapped in a roomful of teenage girls for 80 minutes." -- "Tales of a Filipino Ladyboy" by Neil Genzlinger