The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela

Island, 2008
Length
80 minutes
Director
Olaf de Fleur Johannesson
Cast
  • Raquela Rios
  • Stefan Schaefer
  • Brax Villa
  • Olivia Galudo
  • Valerie Grand Einarsson
  • Markus Kalberer
  • May Rosaria
  • Alexis Yap

Content

Raquela, who is transsexual, dreams of being with a heterosexual man from a western country. Raquela lives in the Philippines and works as a prostitute. She spends her spare time surfing the internet for suitable candidates. Yet time and again, her hopes of being carried off into a rosy future in the arms of a strong hero are shattered. But then, when Raquela lands a job working in front of a webcam for a pornographic website, things begin to look up a little. Michael, the New York based publisher of the website, promises to help her get the visa she needs to get away. Not long after this, Raquela meets Valerie – Iceland’s only transsexual – on the internet. Valerie is looking for a transsexual girlfriend. Before long, with Valerie’s help, Raquela finds herself in Iceland. Shortly afterwards, Michael gets in touch and invites her to a rendezvous in Paris. Will Raquela’s dreams finally come true and will Michael turn out to be her Prince Charming?

Director Olaf de Fleur Johannesson: “I want to show the courage the Ladyboys need merely to face their existence as well as allowing the audience to experience their lives of social rejection, poverty, homosexuality and cross-dressing in the predominantly conservative Catholic society in the Philippines. QUEEN RAQUELA is a film about human beings living in a surreal dimension of our world.“

Gallery

Credits

Production company
Poppoli Pictures
Original title
The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela