Viva

Director: Paddy Breathnach
Screenwriters: Mark O'Halloran

Institute History

  • 2016 Sundance Film Festival

Description

Veteran director Paddy Breathnach's Viva first transported audiences to the vibrant world of Havana's drag scene at the Telluride Film Festival. We are thrilled to welcome Breathnach back to the Sundance Film Festival.

Jesus has spent most of his young adult life styling wigs at a drag club in Havana, longing for a purpose other than the pennies he scrapes together in the shadows of his surroundings. When Jesus is offered the chance to perform amongst the other queens, the cruel winds of fate bring his estranged, abusive father back into his life after 15 years. What unfolds is a bittersweet story of pain, regret, and reconciliation. As the two men’s lives violently collide, they are forced to grapple with their conflicting views.

Laced with the raw passion and drama of drag, director Paddy Breathnach and writer Mark O’Halloran bring Viva to life with exquisite tenderness. Actors Jorge Perugoría and Héctor Medina fill this wrenching love story with a raw humanity that runs beyond the confines of the screen. With a resounding case for compassion, Viva illuminates the oft-devastating path of family, neglect, and resolution.

— Toby Brooks

Screening Details

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