MASPALOMAS, June 1
MASPALOMAS is a luminous, sensual drama set in the sun-drenched freedom of Gran Canaria, where desire, reinvention, and queer community flourish in open defiance of age and expectation. The next Chicago premiere from the QUEER EXPRESSION FILM FESTIVAL, the film offers a rare and deeply moving portrait of queer life later in life.
At its center is a 76-year-old man who has built a world defined by pleasure, independence, and self-expression—embracing the rhythms of Maspalomas with unapologetic vitality. But when that fragile sense of freedom is disrupted, the past he once escaped begins to close in. Family ties, buried truths, and unresolved histories resurface, forcing him to confront not only where he came from, but who he still has the courage to be.
Critics have praised the film’s emotional honesty and sensuality, highlighting its tender, unflinching look at desire and aging, and its refusal to look away from the complexities of queer identity later in life. The performances—especially by José Ramón Soroiz—have been noted for their depth and vulnerability, grounding the film in a lived-in authenticity that resonates long after the final scene.
What unfolds is both intimate and expansive: a story of longing, resilience, and the radical act of choosing oneself—again and again. At once sensual and deeply human, MASPALOMAS explores the complexities of identity across generations, asking what it truly means to live authentically when time, memory, and desire collide.
📍 FACETS Film Forum, 1517 W Fullerton Ave, Chicago, IL 60614
🕖 Screenings begin promptly at 7:00 PM
🍸 Drinks and movie-style concessions available
💬 Followed by an informal community conversation in the FACETS lounge
CAST & CREW
Directors: José Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi
Writer: José Mari Goenaga
Cast: José Ramón Soroiz, Nagore Aranburu, Kandido Uranga
Country: Spain
Language: Spanish
Year: 2025
Runtime: 115 minutes
BALLATA FEMMENELLA, June 29
BALLATA FEMMENELLA
QUEER EXPRESSION FILM SERIES
Presented by OPEN SPACE ARTS
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2026 • 7:00 PM
FACETS FILM FORUM
96 minutes | 2026 | Italy
Italian with English subtitles
We close PRIDE MONTH with BALLATA FEMMENELLA—a bold and necessary portrait that honors queer history while confronting the realities still shaping LGBTQ+ lives today.
ABOUT THE FILM
BALLATA FEMMENELLA is a moving and deeply textured journey into the largest and oldest transgender community in Europe: the femmenelle of Naples. Rooted in centuries of history and culture, the femmenelle are an integral part of the city’s identity—at once spiritual, social, and political.
Through the voices and lived experiences of its protagonists—including activists, artists, sex workers, and community leaders—the film traces both ancestral traditions and urgent contemporary struggles. It draws us into the intimate streets and hidden corners of Naples, where history, identity, and daily life are inseparable.
Their stories illuminate lives shaped by resilience, devotion, exclusion, and fierce pride, offering a portrait that is at once intimate and expansive.
Far from any folkloric simplification, BALLATA FEMMENELLA stands as both a political and poetic work—a manifesto of denied identities and a declaration of love for a community without which Naples, and perhaps Europe itself, would be immeasurably poorer.
FESTIVAL RECOGNITION
Winner, BEST DOCUMENTARY — Perth Queer Film Festival
Winner, Audience Award + additional honors — Lovers Film Festival (Italy)
FILMMAKERS
Directed by ELETTRA RAFFAELA MELUCCI and GIOVANNI BATTISTA ORIGO
Written by ELETTRA RAFFAELA MELUCCI and GIOVANNI BATTISTA ORIGO
FEATURING
Samantha Acierno, Sara Carbone, Jackie Ferrè
JOIN US
One night only at FACETS. Experience this powerful work of queer world cinema and stay for post-screening conversation in the lounge, with cocktails and concessions available.