Among the numerous documentaries about trans individuals being released this Gay Pride Month, many like “Jack & Yaya” and “For They Know Not What They Do” involve protagonists who are leading — or at least trying to lead — perfectly ordinary lives beyond the challenges that gender identity-related issues have thrown their way. The central figures in “Queen of Lapa,” however, would disdain an ordinary life even if it were on offer, which it probably isn’t.
Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat’s feature about a Rio de Janeiro hostel for trans sex workers and its celebrity owner-founder . Winner of the grand jury prize among non-fiction features at NewFest last year, this engaging vérité snapshot is headed to a virtual U.S. release in association with theaters and LGBTQ organizations on June 19, in lieu of the originally planned theatrical launch.
Opening text informs us that Luana Muniz, “a sex worker since the age of 11 turned nationally recognized activist,...
Theodore Collatos and Carolina Monnerat’s feature about a Rio de Janeiro hostel for trans sex workers and its celebrity owner-founder . Winner of the grand jury prize among non-fiction features at NewFest last year, this engaging vérité snapshot is headed to a virtual U.S. release in association with theaters and LGBTQ organizations on June 19, in lieu of the originally planned theatrical launch.
Opening text informs us that Luana Muniz, “a sex worker since the age of 11 turned nationally recognized activist,...
- 6/17/2020
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
You may not have heard the name Luana Muniz before today, but rest assured the transgender sex worker and activist was deemed a powerhosue for transgender communities across her native Brazil, and most noteably, as filmmakers Carolina Monnerat and Theodore Collatos beautifully illustrate in their latest documentary, Queen of Lapa, a veritable beacon in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood where the effervescent Muniz established a safe hostel for transgender sex workers to not only reside but thrive through medical services, mentorship and mental health care. In his review, Screen Anarchy's own Dustin Chang cites that "Collatos and Monnerat's non-judgmental, fly-on-the-wall approach captures some remarkably intimate moments of their subjects' lives. There is barely any interjections. The filmmakers let their stories come out naturally, as they...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/22/2020
- Screen Anarchy
Now Loading… the new episode of your favorite independent film podcast Indie Beat…
On this episode, we spoke to director, producer, actor, and dancer Carolina Monnerat.
Monnerat’s love for film started early and without bounds: alongside regular childhood programming, her parents encouraged her to watch the titans of the cinema canon such as Scorsese or Kubrick, age be damned. This developed not only her passion for cinema but her fluency in it at a very young age, leading her to make inventive little movies with her friends in her spare time.
Continue reading Filmmaker Carolina Monnerat On Making Movies & Brazilian Politics [Indie Beat Podcast] at The Playlist.
On this episode, we spoke to director, producer, actor, and dancer Carolina Monnerat.
Monnerat’s love for film started early and without bounds: alongside regular childhood programming, her parents encouraged her to watch the titans of the cinema canon such as Scorsese or Kubrick, age be damned. This developed not only her passion for cinema but her fluency in it at a very young age, leading her to make inventive little movies with her friends in her spare time.
Continue reading Filmmaker Carolina Monnerat On Making Movies & Brazilian Politics [Indie Beat Podcast] at The Playlist.
- 10/14/2019
- by Christopher Bell
- The Playlist
With nearly 20 credits as a director and as many as an editor, Theodore Collatos has been quietly making documentaries and narratives to critical acclaim for the last decade, often collaborating with his wife, former professional dancer Carolina Monnerat, as producer and actor. For Collatos’ sixth feature, and first with Monnerat as co-director, they returned to Monnerat’s native city of Rio for an intimate and revealing look at an underground cultural icon. Queen of Lapa, named for a district renowned for its sex trade, devotes its focus to the late Luana Muniz, a trans-rights advocate, founder of Luana’s House (a […]...
- 5/9/2019
- by Evan Louison
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
With nearly 20 credits as a director and as many as an editor, Theodore Collatos has been quietly making documentaries and narratives to critical acclaim for the last decade, often collaborating with his wife, former professional dancer Carolina Monnerat, as producer and actor. For Collatos’ sixth feature, and first with Monnerat as co-director, they returned to Monnerat’s native city of Rio for an intimate and revealing look at an underground cultural icon. Queen of Lapa, named for a district renowned for its sex trade, devotes its focus to the late Luana Muniz, a trans-rights advocate, founder of Luana’s House (a […]...
- 5/9/2019
- by Evan Louison
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
A bucolic artists' retreat proves less restorative than expected for a lesbian couple in Tormenting the Hen, Theodore Collatos' low-budget drama about relationships both specific and universal. Dameka Hayes and Carolina Monnerat, relative newcomers to the screen, make an assured-enough fictional couple to let Collatos focus on external threats to a relationship that clearly has some internal issues already. While the result is less psychologically extreme than the pic's title might suggest, it should find admirers in Factory 25's niche theatrical release.
Hayes and Monnerat play Claire, a black playwright whose work puts race front and center, and Monica, a...
Hayes and Monnerat play Claire, a black playwright whose work puts race front and center, and Monica, a...
- 11/16/2017
- by John DeFore
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A bucolic artists' retreat proves less restorative than expected for a lesbian couple in Tormenting the Hen, Theodore Collatos' low-budget drama about relationships both specific and universal. Dameka Hayes and Carolina Monnerat, relative newcomers to the screen, make an assured-enough fictional couple to let Collatos focus on external threats to a relationship that clearly has some internal issues already. While the result is less psychologically extreme than the pic's title might suggest, it should find admirers in Factory 25's niche theatrical release.
Hayes and Monnerat play Claire, a black playwright whose work puts race front and center, and Monica, a...
Hayes and Monnerat play Claire, a black playwright whose work puts race front and center, and Monica, a...
- 11/16/2017
- by John DeFore
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Suffocating in its intimacy, Theodore Collatos' Tormenting the Hen revolves around two women who have reached a turning point in their relationship, whether they realize it or not. Claire (Dameka Hayes) is an African-American playwright who travels to the Berkshires in Massachusetts to complete rehearsals for her latest stage drama, which is about to debut. She is accompanied by her fiancee Monica (Carolina Monnerat), a Brazilian environmental engineer who is evidently anticipating a bit of a vacation. Claire and Monica have been living together in New York City for some years and, from outward appearances, they are a happy, loving couple. The morning after they arrive, they have a minor disagreement that reflects their strong, independent-minded personalities. Claire then heads out to work on her...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 8/25/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress, as presented by the creators themselves. At the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Tormenting the Hen
Logline: A feature film tumult of social malaise and toxic love, set in the picturesque Berkshires!
Elevator Pitch:
When playwright Claire is invited to set her latest work at a rural theatre company, her fiancé Monica tags along for a much-needed vacation. Upon encountering Mutty, an enigmatic groundskeeper with a gross lack of boundaries, Monica’s hopes for respite, her future with Claire, and her very sanity are thrown into jeopardy.
Production Team:
Theodore Collatos – Writer, Director, Cinematographer and co-editor (“Dipso”, “Time”)
Ben Umstead – Producer (“Albatross”, “Three Fingers”)
George Manatos – Producer, Editor...
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Tormenting the Hen
Logline: A feature film tumult of social malaise and toxic love, set in the picturesque Berkshires!
Elevator Pitch:
When playwright Claire is invited to set her latest work at a rural theatre company, her fiancé Monica tags along for a much-needed vacation. Upon encountering Mutty, an enigmatic groundskeeper with a gross lack of boundaries, Monica’s hopes for respite, her future with Claire, and her very sanity are thrown into jeopardy.
Production Team:
Theodore Collatos – Writer, Director, Cinematographer and co-editor (“Dipso”, “Time”)
Ben Umstead – Producer (“Albatross”, “Three Fingers”)
George Manatos – Producer, Editor...
- 10/18/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.