Lady Tacos brings famous tacos de canasta to Hola Mexico Film Festival

"¡Tacos, los tacos de canasta, taaacooos!"

This is what echoed at the screening of "TransMexico" on Thursday at Hola Mexico Film Festival (HMFF).  

This is also the sound that many people in Mexico City hear and recognize as Lady Marven, or better known as Lady Tacos de Canasta. 

She is one of three trans women featured in the documentary "TransMexico," whose story brought joyous laughter and tears to the audience at the screening at Hola Mexico Film Festival 2024. 

Earlier this year, the film won the Audience Choice Award at Santa Barbara Film Festival. 

The documentary features the stories of three trans women throughout Mexico. Their experiences with their transition, social acceptance and access to healthcare within a culture and government that upholds impunity for crimes against women and gender non-conforming people was brought to life. 

Director Claudia Sanchez approaches the themes of social stigma, discrimination and death with care and compassion as she frames the narrative around the true and lived experiences of the documentary’s subjects. 

“I was a witness of the abuse and bullying that trans women suffer through the first trans woman I ever met when I was around five or six years olde,” said Sanchez to the audience at the Q&A. “I decided to make a documentary that would highlight the beauty of the trans [femme] community because I didn’t think it was fair that the entire community is usually labeled negatively.”

“It’s important that we can do this and show people that we are here and we are present, and that there are other titles and labels – like lawyer, mother, queen – that represent us,” said Lady Tacos in Spanish. “Today, we want to claim titles and labels that impress the world and have impact on the world and that show what we are truly made of, and what we are capable of.” 

Lady Tacos made a red carpet appearance at HMFF, joining Sanchez and others on a panel for a Q&A following the screening. 

She spoke about how proud she felt experiencing this journey and seeing herself on screen sharing her story. 

Lady Tacos – who identifies as muxe, a third gender in Mexican culture – went viral on social media after she was recorded being harassed and misgendered by the police force in Mexico. They took her basket and repeatedly called her ‘sir,’ and ‘mister,’ as they forced her to stop selling tacos on the street. She angrily yelled back and made it known that she clearly doesn’t identify as a male, motioning to her dress and trenzas, or ‘braids.’ 

Since then, she has become a well-known and respected internet celebrity to the people of Mexico City and she’s been able to open up her own brick-and-mortar restaurant with the support of her family and many members of the LGBTQ+ community in CDMX. 

The film also features trans activist Kenya Cuevas Fuentes. Fuentes shared her story of being a former sex worker who started at the age of nine. By the age of 10 she had been incarcerated and by her teen years, she contracted HIV. 

In her adult years, Fuentes witnessed the murder of her good friend, Paola Buenrostro. This experience shaped Fuentes and made her turn to activism, because she knew Buenrostro would never get the justice she deserved and her killer would continue to walk free. 

In 2016, transfemicide was officially recognized as a crime in Mexico City following Buenrostro’s death and activism by Fuentes. 

"TransMexico" highlights the accomplishments and strides for justice that Fuentes has brought to Buenrostro’s case. 

Felicia Garza was the third trans woman featured in the documentary and her story is filled with hope and happiness. 

She shares her struggle with not only coming to terms with her identity – and being willing to lose everything all in the process – but also, how her story offers insight on how family members struggle and also learn to embrace their family members' new identity. 

“You have to be willing to lose everything, and if you’re not prepared for that, don’t do it,” said Garza in the documentary. 

Following the Q&A, guests filed in line outside the theater for complimentary tacos de canasta. 

The film festival screened the documentary on Thursday night at Regal Theatres at L.A Live and will continue making rounds at upcoming film festivals. Watch the trailer here.