Dressed in blue - Open City Documentary Festival

After the screening, one of the film’s protagonists, Nacha Sánchez, will hold a conversation with curator Marta Calderón. 

Filmed in 1981, during Spain’s transition to democracy following Franco’s death, Vestida de azul follows six trans women living in Madrid who speak openly about their lives in a country still in the process of redefining itself. Interweaving round-table conversations with scenes of daily life, the film brings to the surface questions of work, desire, family, visibility, and survival—handled with humour, tension, and honesty. We see the women in their homes and with their families, preparing their bodies, navigating love and sex work, and dealing with a persistent police presence that continues to shape their everyday reality. Their conversations are direct, sometimes confrontational, often playful, resisting any attempt to impose a single viewpoint. The film stands as a foundational work of Spanish queer cinema, in which director Antonio Giménez-Rico offers the women the space to present themselves on their own terms. Premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival in 1983, the film enjoyed a successful commercial release across Spain before later disappearing from public circulation. Now restored, it has begun to re-emerge, returning to cinemas and festivals as a work that continues to resonate across time.