World Premiere
Call Her Ganda
Documentary Competition
| USA, Philippines | 98 MINUTES | English, Tagalog | English subtitlesDocumentary, LGBT, Asian American Director(s), Tribeca Film Institute Alumni
In 2014, a transgender Filipina woman was brutally murdered and left in a motel room in the Philippines. When a U.S. Marine was identified as the primary suspect, it set off a cascading response of protests and legal action, revealing undercurrents of transphobia and deep-seated post-colonial tensions between the United States and the Philippines. Director PJ Raval follows investigative journalist Meredith Talusan as she immerses herself in the case and attempts to unravel these various tensions in the middle of a media firestorm. Meanwhile, attorney Virgie Suarez seeks to illuminate the truth from inside the courtroom, and the victim’s mother finds a voice she never knew she had. Call Her Ganda examines the marginalization of transgender Filipinos throughout the country’s violent colonial history and raises complex questions about sovereignty, justice, and the right to self-determination.
—Cara Cusumano
—Cara Cusumano
Cast & Credits
Directed by
PJ Raval
Named one of Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in 2006, PJ Raval is an award-winning filmmaker whose credits include Trinidad, which premiered on Showtime, Before You Know It, on PBS, and, as a cinematographer, the Academy Award®-nominated Trouble the Water. Raval is a 2015 Guggenheim Fellow, a 2016 Firelight Fellow, and a 2017 Robert Giard Fellow.
Director
PJ Raval
Producers
PJ Raval, Lisa Valencia-Svensson, Marty Syjuco, Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala
Screenwriters
PJ Raval, Victoria Chalk
Cinematographer
Mike Simpson
Editor
Victoria Chalk
Executive Producers
Jim Butterworth, Daniel Chalfen, Barbara Dobkin
Co-Executive Producers
Jean Tsien, Abigail Disney, Gini Reticker, James Costa, Jessica Devaney, Anya Rous
Original Music
Nathan Halpern, Chris Ruggiero
Cast
Virgie Suarez, Meredith Talusan, Julita Laude, Naomi Fontanos
Contacts
US Sales Contact
International Sales Contact
Press Contact
Print Source
* Rush Tickets available at venue except for
Beacon Theatre
Beacon Theatre
Rush will be offered when advanced tickets for a screening or event are no longer available at venues
other than Beacon Theatre.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.
The Rush system functions as a standby line that will form at the venue approximately one hour prior to scheduled start time. Admittance is based on availability and will begin roughly 10 minutes prior to program start time. Rush Tickets are the same price as advance tickets and are payable upon entry.
