When Paddy Breathnach first visited Cuba in the mid-1990s, he stumbled into a club where drag queens were performing. Though the Irish-born director had seen drag performances before, he found himself unusually captivated by the lip-synching on stage — in a communist country with restrictive laws and attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
“It had this raw emotional energy to it,” he recalled. “I wouldn’t claim to be a world expert on drag, but from other areas I’ve seen drag, the drag queens in Cuba are very different.”
This encounter became the basis for Breathnach’s latest film, “Viva,” showing Tuesday and Thursday at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. One of nine on the shortlist for best foreign language film at the Oscars, the picture stars Hector Medina as Jesús, a young, gay hairdresser for drag queens with aspirations of one day taking center stage.
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His dreams are dashed when his macho father (Jorge Perugorría) returns from a 15-year stint in jail. Forbidden to work for his drag queen friends, Jesús turns to sex work to take care of himself and his dad.
The Magnolia Pictures film will have a limited release in the U.S. early this year.
Before the film’s Palm Springs debut, Breathnach, known for 1997’s “I Went Down” and 2007’s “Shrooms,” spoke with The Times via Skype from Ireland about filming “Viva” in Cuba, the country’s drag community and shooting a movie in Spanish without really knowing the language.
Describe the difference between the Cuban drag community and others you’ve encountered.
Cuban drag has a certain emotion to it. Maybe it’s the circumstances of the place that give it that type of energy. There’s a raw performance of emotion and power in those Cuban drag artists. It was so physical and so present that I felt it was a great vehicle to explore some of those unvarnished, unpolished emotions.
I remember going to a couple shows that were in backyards. These queens were quite ordinary people, but they would throw up a red sheet and one spotlight, and suddenly it transformed into a theater. It transformed both the setting and themselves.
In the film, Havana, the city, is just as much a character as Jesús or his father. How did you go about ensuring that?
When we went to Havana, we noticed that there are two parts of the city. One of them is where the tourists are directed: It’s beautiful and renovated and a lot of music. But if you go a kilometer in any direction, you’re going to come across a different Havana, a realer Havana. It was in the script to make sure it was an authentic, real, true sense of the place and not an overly romanticized view.
We had 22 days and a small budget, so I knew going into it that we couldn’t afford tons of extras to re-create vibrancy. So, as the Cubans say, we decided “to go free,” [meaning when you see extras in the film, they were regular people on the street, not paid actors]. We didn’t try and stop people from walking down the street. The people on the buses are all real people on the bus who weren’t aware we were going to be filming.
The film also has some truth in showing sex work as a last resort for survival, as opposed to a proactive choice. Was that an important element of the story line?
That was a necessity. It’s something that’s a truth in Cuba. Lots of people have been forced to do things they might not normally do. People who might not normally be expected to go into [sex work] have gone into that because life is hard and it’s difficult to make a living and that’s the only option. It’s wrong to say there’s an acceptance of it there, but people understand the reasons behind it.
Tell me about working with a Spanish-speaking cast when you don’t speak the language.
I had could-get-by Spanish, but I was nervous beforehand. I knew the script very well and knew the nuances of it, but Spanish isn’t even my second language. I discovered quite quickly that if you have something to say and know what it is you want to say, you can overcome language barriers. To get it across yourself with your conviction and force of your personality, [the actors] see the intent in what you’re doing.
You obviously make use of English subtitles throughout the film, but you don’t during the drag performances. Why?
That’s a question that’s come up in festival screenings, but once you start reading, you lose that raw power. You’re reading and thinking rather than watching and feeling. When I saw those drag queens the first time, I didn’t know what they were saying, but I could feel it. I wanted the audience to have the same feelings I did.
What about the story do you think resonates most with audiences?
We haven’t shown it in Europe at all yet, just in America, but a lot of people have connected with the theme of change and managing it in a way that helps people heal. There’s also the idea as well where somebody has to become the master of two worlds, having their individual identity established and accepted but also realizing their place within the tribe or broader group. And obviously it’s a father-son story as well, so that’s kind of universal.
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Photos from the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
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Saskia Diesing of the Netherlands, director of “Nena.”
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Michal Rogalski of Poland, director of “Summer Solstice,” at a festival workshop.
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Grimur Hakonarson of Iceland, director of “Rams,” at a festival workshop.
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France’s Deniz Ergüven, director pf “Mustang,” at a festival workshop.
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Britain’s Heidi Greensmith, director of “Winter,” at a festival workshop.
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Greece’s Yorgos Zois, director of “Interruption,” at a festival workshop.
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Yared Zeleke of Ethiopia, director of “Lamb,” at a festival workshop.
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Slavek Horak of the Czech Republic, director of “Home Care,” at a festival workshop.
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Klaus Härö of Finland, director of “The Fencer,” at a festival workshop.
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Adriano Valerio of Italy, director of “Banat,” at a festival workshop.
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Paddy Breathnach of Ireland, director of “Viva,” at a festival workshop.
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India’s Raam Reddy, director of “Thithi,” is shown at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
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Naji Nowar of Jordan, director of “Theeb,” at a festival workshop.
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Raf Reyntjens of Belgium, director of “Paradise Trips,” at a festival workshop.
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Leena Yadav of India, director of “Parched,” attends a festival workshop.
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Director Grimur Hakonardson peers through a sculpture during a tour of the the estate of Walter and Leonore Annenberg at Sunnyland Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage.
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Deniz Ergüven and other directors attending this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival tour the historic estate of Walter and Leonore Annenberg at Sunnyland Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage.
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Directors attending this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival tour the historic estate of Walter and Leonore Annenberg at Sunnyland Center & Gardens in Rancho Mirage.
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Director Jack Pettibone Riccobono, from left, executive producer Chris Eyre, subject Rob Brown and producer Shane Slattery-Quintanilla before the screening of their documentary “The Seventh Fire” at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
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Rob Brown, subject of director Jack Pettibone Riccobono’s documentary “The Seventh Fire,” enters the Palm Canyon Theatre before the screening of the film at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
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PALM SPRINGS, CA--JANUARY 03, 2016-- Director Charlie Kaugman, left and Actor Jack Black are photographed before the start of the Variety magazine luncheon, at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival, held at at the Parker Palm Springs hotel, in Palm Springs, CA, Jan. 03, 2016. Black presented Kaufman with the Variety Creative Impact in Directing Award presented by Mercedes-Benz. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
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Director Peter Landesman, left, and Will Smith before participating in a panel discussion with Dr. Bennet Omalu after a screening of “Concussion.”
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Laszlo Nemes, right, director of “Son of Saul,” speaks to media before the start of the Variety magazine luncheon, where he was recognized as one of “10 Directors to Watch.”
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Actor Jack Black gives the photographers a different angle to shoot before the start of the Variety magazine luncheon.
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Actors Jada Pinkett Smith, left, and husband Will Smith before the start of the Variety magazine luncheon, where Will Smith was to be presented with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award.
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“Concussion” director Peter Landesman, left, star Will Smith and the film’s subject Dr. Bennett Omalu at the Variety magazine luncheon.
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Actress Jada Pinkett Smith
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Denis Gamze Erguven, director of “Mustang,” is one of Variety magazine’s “10 Directors to Watch.”
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The cool of actor Jack Black on display at the Palm Springs festival.
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Elizabeth Wood, director of “White Girl,” at the Variety magazine luncheon, where she was recognized as one of “10 Directors to Watch.”
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Actors Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith
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Dr. Bennet Omalu, left, Will Smith and director Peter Landesman conduct a lively panel discussion of their film “Concussion” at the festival.
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Johnny Depp inspects the Desert Palm Achievement Award.
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“Brooklyn” actress Saoirse Ronan with the International Star Award.
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Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender, International Star Award recipient, backstage.
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Ben Mendelsohn with Spotlight Award winner Rooney Mara.
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Director Tom McCarthy with his Sonny Bono Visionary Award.
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Director Ridley Scott with Cate Blanchett, Desert Palm Achievement Award winner, and Matt Damon, winner of the Chairman’s Award, backstage at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.
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“Room” actress Brie Larson with the Breakthrough Performance Award.
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Bryan Cranston with the Spotlight Award, presented to him by Helen Mirren for his work on “Trumbo.”
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Actors Christian Bale, left, Steve Carell, director Adam McKay, Jeremy Strong and Finn Wittrock with the Ensemble Performance Award for “The Big Short” backstage at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.
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“Spotlight” duo Michael Keaton, left, and director Tom McCarthy backstage at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala. Keaton presented McCarthy the Sonny Bono Visionary Award.
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“The Martian” actor Matt Damon, right, alongside director and presenter Ridley Scott with the Chairman’s Award backstage at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.
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Kate Winslet with “Steve Jobs” star Michael Fassbender, International Star Award recipient, backstage at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala held at at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
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“Carol” actress Cate Blanchett with the Desert Palm Achievement Award backstage at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.
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“The Danish Girl” actress Alicia Vikander with the Rising Star Award.
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“Brooklyn” actress Saoirse Ronan, left, with “Carol” actress Cate Blanchett, winner of the Desert Palm Achievement Award.
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Johnny Depp shows the world his Desert Palm Achievement Award.
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Inside the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala, which was held at at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
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Actress Helen Mirren on the red carpet of the 2015 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.
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Actors Kate Winslet and Johnny Depp
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Actresses Amber Heard and Alicia Vikander backstage after Heard presented Vikander with the Rising Star Award.
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“Trumbo” actors Bryan Cranston and Hellen Mirren backstage after Cranston was presented with the Spotlight Award.
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Actor Paul Dano
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“Room” actress Brie Larsen
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Alicia Vikander
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Alicia Vikander
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Jacob Tremblay from the film “Room.”
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Actor Christian Bale and Sibi Blazic
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Actors Saoirse Ronan and Paul Dano
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“Carol” actress Cate Blanchett is photographed on the red carpet.
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“Black Mass” director Scott Cooper with his movie’s star Johnny Depp, winner of the Desert Palm Achievement Award.
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Director Ridley Scott and actress Cate Blanchett
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Director Adam McKay, left, Steve Carell and Jeremy Strong
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San Antonio artist Maria Anita, left, takes pictures of movie fans holding her celebrity paintings outside the Palm Springs Convention Center.
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“Room” actress Brie Larsen
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Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard
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“Carol” actress Rooney Mara
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Producer Kai Nordberg, left, and director Klaus Härö greet movie fans at a party after the premiere of Härö’s film “The Fencer.”
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Actor Johnny Depp, on hand to receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, signs autographs before walking the red carpet.
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“Brooklyn” actress Saoirse Ronan signs autographs. She received the International Star Award.
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“Trumbo” actor Bryan Cranston signs autographs.
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“Carol” actresses Cate Blanchett, right, and Rooney Mara, arrive.
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Attendees pause to take pictures of the red carpet arrivals.
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Movie fans passed through security, then line up with hopes of seeing celebrity arrivals.
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“The Martian” actor Matt Damon signs autographs.
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A movie fan attends a party following the opening night premiere of director Klaus HŠrš fil, “The Fencer” at the 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival.
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“Steve Jobs” actor Michael Fassbender signs autographs and takes selfies.
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Actor Christian Bale signs autographs.
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“The Big Short” actor Steve Carell signs autographs.
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Kate Winslet backstage at the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.
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Security outside the Palm Springs Convention Center before the start of the 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala in Palm Springs.
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Security outside the Palm Springs Convention Center before the start of the gala.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) What was your reaction to being on the Oscars shortlist as Ireland’s national submission?
I was delighted and thrilled. We knew we had a chance because the reaction was strong [at film festivals]. But there’s so many films that people don’t know a lot about. It’s like a horse race where you don’t know the exact formula. It’s difficult to gauge. But really, you make a film, and it becomes a great experience, and you want the adventure to keep going. If “Viva” got the chance to become a nominee, it’d be a great adventure to continue for a bunch of Irish people going to make a film in Cuba in Spanish.
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Twitter: @TrevellAnderson
