“Elegantly constructed and moving.””
COMPARSA
A film by Vickie Curtis and Doug Anderson
(USA/Guatemala, 2025, 79 min. In Spanish with English subtitles)
Comparsa fully immerses audiences in the intense world of Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala, where sisters Lesli and Lupe use art to inspire local youth and heal deep wounds. After 41 girls are killed in a State-run “Safe Home” and the government refuses to act, the sisters respond with a community comparsa—an exuberant street performance featuring towering puppets, fire-breathing stilt walkers, and thundering drums. With brave vulnerability, they expose a system that permits and commits violence against women, and they open up about surviving violence in their own home.
Their youth movement takes to the streets, confronting corruption and reclaiming public space for women and girls. Rooting their efforts in joy and community care, they find healing along the way. Built on a 17-year relationship between the subjects and the film team, Comparsa offers a stirring portrait of sisterhood, peacebuilding, and the transformational power of art.
Friday, October 9 — Thursday, October 15
DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema
87 Lafayette Street, New York City / (212) 966-4510
For tickets and more information visit: https://www.dctvny.org/s/firehouse-film/comparsa
Special Q&As with Vickie Curtis (director), Doug Anderson (director) and Lesli Canela Pérez (film protagonist, co-writer, and co-producer): Friday, October 9, 7pm: Moderated by Tara Abrahams, Head of Impact at The Meteor; Saturday, October 10, 7pm: Moderated by Micah Bucey, Senior Minister at Judson Memorial Church; Sunday, October 11, 2:30pm: Moderated by Gabriela Alvarez Castañeda, Dance and Spanish Teacher; Sunday, October 11, 7pm; Thursday, October 15, 3:45pm.
Watch the trailer:
