La Dany: The Diva of Bolivar Park (2010)

LA DANY is an intimate portrait of Dany Castaño Quintero, a transvestite street performer from Medellín, Colombia. For over 20 years, Dany has entertained the crowds that gather in Bolívar Park following Sunday evening mass. Her improvised show with its over-the-top depictions of kidnappings, rapes, murders and infidelities is pure entertainment - high on audience interaction, low on good taste, and filled with every swear word known in this part of Colombia. People love Dany. And Dany loves her fans. As a result, she's become a popular character among the poor and disposed and an icon for the city's gay community. Her reputation as an odd but endearing character has been further enhanced by her many acts of generosity, especially towards those even less fortunate than herself. In fact, Dany thinks it's time she was rewarded with a statue of her own in Bolívar Park. But away from her adoring public, life is a struggle. Barely able to read or write, Dany forges a day-to-day existence to stay safe, sane and alive. To make money, she collects cardboard, sells cigarettes and performs karaoke on the street. In the past, her mouthy attitude has put her in conflict with both the police and the Roman Catholic Church. Now, menaced by petty gangsters and vengeful neighbors, Dany is never far from the conflict that has characterized this city for more than two decades.