Tino dreams of becoming a “Muxe Queen”. Though born into a male body, as Tino enters adolescence, she begins to dress as a woman and embrace her femininity, all while struggling to resolve a difficult childhood and overcome poverty. Tino considers herself neither male nor female, but rather a “muxe”, a third gender that has been integrated into Zapotec culture. A documentary that films for the first time a muxe child in its growth stage.
This film is a portrait of San Blas Atempa, a town that heroically defended itself against the French invasion of Mexico. The region is known for the strength of its women, and this “magical town”, lost in the wild heel of Mexico, seeks a free and diverse society dominated by femininity.
An intimate journey into the heart of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Atempa, Dreams by the River raises important questions about the conflation of gender and sexual orientation and the influence of culture on gender identity. The film would make a vital contribution to courses in Latin American Studies, Gender Studies, Women’s Studies, Cultural Studies, Anthropology and more.
Atempa has been supported by National Foundation for Arts and Culture.