CASSANDRO
Tuesday, Sept 10 at 8:15 PM
The Cinematheque
Director: Roger Ross Williams
United States | 2023 | English & Spanish with subtitles | 107 min | Drama, Biography
Starring Gael García Bernal and Bad Bunny
Sliding Scale Tickets:
$13 / $15 / $18 / $21
Plus $3 VLAFF Membership required
Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso, Texas, rises to international stardom when he creates the character Cassandro, the ‘Liberace of Lucha Libre.’ He upends not just the macho wrestling world, but also his own life.
Saúl Armendáriz, un luchador aficionado gay de El Paso, Texas, salta a la fama mundial después de crear el personaje Cassandro, el ‘Liberace de la Lucha Libre.’ Él no solo volca el ambiente machista de la lucha libre, sino que su propia vida.
“Gael García Bernal gives a career-best performance as a Mexican wrestling ‘exotico’ who revolutionized the sport — and put its machismo culture in a chokehold.”
-David Fear, Rolling Stone
Best International Actor, Astra Film Festival, Romania, 2024
ROGER ROSS WILLIAMS
(Easton, Pennsylvania, United States, 1962) Roger Ross Williams is an Oscar, Emmy and Peabody award-winning director, producer, writer, and the first African-American director to win an Academy Award ® with his short film MUSIC BY PRUDENCE.
Williams’ award-winning work pushes the boundaries of culture and film. In 2021 Williams was named an Indiewire Influencer for “changing the face of documentary film.”
“Beautiful,” “Uplifting,” “Extraordinary,” “Triumphant,” “Rich with insight,” “Searing,” “Remarkable,” and “Inspirational” are accolades Williams’ films have received from the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Forbes and Entertainment Weekly.
Williams has received the Career Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association, The Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Award, The NYU Alumni Achievement Award, and an honorary doctorate from Lafayette College.