Neus FloresAfter the In-Edit Film Festival that recently took place in Barcelona (Spain), filmmaker Keka De Luca director of the short film Cabaret Is Not Dead met with journalist and fellow documentary director Neus Flores to reflect on the success of her priceless film—a vibrant portrait celebrating Barcelona’s legendary cabaret stars and the enduring spirit of artistic freedom, identity, and #resilience.
Their conversation was far from random talk, but rather a sincere and honest discussion spiced with filming insights and mutual admiration, from which we extracted this dialogue:
1. Keka, when did you start making films, and why?
Since childhood, I’ve loved creating short films with a VHS camera—experimenting with camera #tricks and telling stories born from my imagination. I studied Audiovisual Communication between 2005 and 2009, when I directed my first short film exploring the post-dictatorship generation in Chile.
It was a profound experience that allowed me to reconnect with a part of my country’s history, which I didn’t know and felt compelled to tell. That’s when I realized how powerful the audiovisual medium truly is.
That short film, Re-accionario, took me to Europe (to the Munich Student Short Film Festival), and later I participated in audiovisual residencies in Canada, France, and Bolivia, creating short films with people from all over the world, who shared my passion for #storytelling and cinema.
For me, film has always been a refuge—a #sacred space. But living from it in Chile is not easy. I worked on various projects: as an audiovisual director at Chile’s National Theatre, producing behind-the-scenes content and trailers for operas and ballets; as an assistant director on Puerto Papel, an animated series for Latin America; and, after some resistance from my side, in advertising for digital marketing and political campaigns. Eventually, I became an audiovisual director for the communications department at Codelco, Chile’s state mining company.
Yet my heart kept calling me back to storytelling. That longing brought me to Barcelona to study Creative Documentary Filmmaking. I love what I do because I know that film and documentary are #powerful tools for opening windows, generating empathy, and preserving the stories that must never be lost.
The magic of documentary lies in keeping memory alive—inspiring and #reminding us of who we are and who we can become.
2. How did you decide to make a documentary about cabaret in Spain?
It began as #research for my master’s program. We had to find a character, story, or place that inspired us to create. During that process, I met Madame Hiroshima, a 70-year-old vedette, at a #feminist festival. I was struck by her courage in speaking about the body and cabaret as a refuge for dissidence.
I invited her for an interview, and she took me to a cabaret at Bar Ocaña—Il Mostro—where I met Sara Brown, a drag king, and Santa Catalina, a trans woman. The experience was wonderful: a vibrant, diverse space where audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and orientations felt completely at home. That’s when I realized cabaret was far more than entertainment—it was a space for connection, freedom, and #authenticity.
Later, I met Christine Berna, a former trans vedette who had been a star in the 1970s and 80s, right after Franco’s dictatorship. She introduced us to Dolly Van Doll, a pioneer of Spain’s gender transition movement, whose autobiography De niño a mujer (from boy to woman) tells a story of transformation and #bravery.
When we entered Dolly’s home, it felt like stepping into a living museum—surrounded by the history and old spirit of Barcelona’s cabaret scene. She welcomed us with joy, dancing, and told us why she founded La Belle Époque cabaret show in the 1980s: “I want to make my people happy—to give them the same opportunity I was given.” For Dolly, “her people” were the dissident, non-binary individuals who found total #freedom on stage.
We prepared a teaser of the project and presented it to a jury that included a representative from the Spanish television RTVE. They offered us their technical support and granted us the rights to Dolly’s footage image rights, and thus our short film Cabaret Is Not Dead was born. Three talented colleagues joined the team—four Chileans and one Dominican—united by a shared passion for telling stories that truly matter.
3. What challenges did you encounter during the creative process?
The biggest challenge was the sheer amount of material and history surrounding cabaret in Barcelona. Between the RTVE archives, Dolly and Christine’s own recordings, and our own team´s footage, we had enough material for a very long feature film. However, due to the university master’s program requirements, we could only produce a 20-minute short sticking to their guidelines.
Condensing all that richness into such a short format was almost titanic. We had to make difficult choices and decided to focus on the friendship between Christine and Dolly—how it was born, and strengthened through love and mutual #admiration.
Christine met Dolly when she was just 16. Dolly had already transitioned and was performing as a confident, radiant diva. Christine never revealed her birth name but often said that she wanted to be like Dolly. Finally, their friendship endured for over half a century.
What moved us the most were Christine’s home videos—15 years of recordings, small documentaries, and tributes to friends who had already passed away. This emotional and visual #legacy brought to life a story of friendship that transcends any gender labels.
Christine never saw herself as an activist for the #trans rights—hers was a deeply personal solo journey. That’s why, on screen, we don’t see two “trans women” together, we just see two women as friends, sisters. They valued that #subtlety, since the media often just simply labels them rather than recognizing them as women who love and respect each other. In the end, the story rises above any politics or identity issues, and it is profoundly human.
4. How did you select your technical and artistic team?
Since it was a university project, the team was mainly formed by classmates from my master’s program. My closest collaborator was Victoria Maureira Sáez—we both shared an interest in women’s narratives and were fascinated by empowered portrayals of #aging.
Coming from Chile, seeing older women in Barcelona with such strength, confidence, and presence was inspiring; it was not something we saw much back home. We were captivated by the cabaret universe—its performative, rebellious, colorful nature. It’s a world that has little visibility in Chile, but in Barcelona it is part of everyday life.
Later, we were joined by Mariú Benzo, a talented Dominican cinematographer; Pablo Cuturrufo, our Chilean producer; and finally, Alexis Donoso, an experienced Chilean filmmaker who contributed with his expertise.
Being mostly Chileans actually helped us a lot, since we shared references, cinematic sensibilities, and cultural #nuances. It made the team feel like a creative family united by a common purpose, despite being far from home.
5. Which festival circuit are you planning for the film?
The first festival that came to mind was IN-EDIT, which I’ve always admired for its curation and focus on musical and cultural themes. There’s also a Chilean edition of the festival, which has an engaged and loyal audience.
Javiera Undurraga, who directs the Chilean IN-EDIT, became interested in our film—made by Chileans in Barcelona—and invited us to present it in 2026. We’re thrilled to share it back home. It’s also #essential for us to reach LGTBIQ+ festivals. There are hardly any where older trans women are represented—figures who can serve as role models for younger generations.
We wanted to show that although transition can be a painful journey, it ultimately leads to freedom and the joy of becoming who you truly are. What matters is not how you were born, but who you’ve #become. Many documentaries focus on #discrimination and suffering, but a few celebrate the happiness and love that flourish when you’re free to be yourself.
As the Chilean dissident writer Pedro Lemebel said, “We want everyone born with a broken wing to be able to fly.” That’s exactly our message.
6. How did the audience react to the premiere at IN-EDIT?
It was an incredible experience. Presenting at such a prestigious festival in Barcelona was a dream come true. The audience, many of whom knew Dolly personally, was deeply moved.
Tragically, just two weeks before the premiere, we learned that Dolly had passed away from a stroke. We knew it might happen—her health had declined rapidly since we filmed her in February. We felt so #privileged to have captured her final moments with Christine, and grateful that Dolly had seen the film and thanked us for portraying her cabaret life with such #affection.
Her passing transformed the documentary into a posthumous tribute, showing her joyful, radiant, and surrounded by her iconic performances. After the screening, many people approached us in tears, thanking us for honoring a diva whose story deserves a feature-length film—or even a series.
As migrants, her story moved us deeply. We hadn’t realized how famous she was until the older Catalan generations reacted with admiration when they heard that we were filming her. Dolly was a true #icon of the Barcelona nightlife, and we are honored that she trusted us to share her legacy.
IN-EDIT’s focus on musical memory through documentary cinema made it the perfect space for her story—one that celebrates the creative process, not just the results.
7. Do you think you’ll use AI in your future projects as a director?
Absolutely. Artificial Intelligence offers both opportunities and challenges for audiovisual and documentary professionals. It allows us to explore new creative frontiers—recreating scenes from photographs, upscaling low-resolution footage, and managing archives in innovative ways.
We’re just at the beginning of this journey. While we don’t yet know its full impact, AI is here to stay and will transform time-consuming processes like footage review, making them far more efficient.
It can also help us visualize moments that were never recorded, putting creativity in dialogue with technology. I believe AI should be a support for our work, not a threat. Used #ethically and responsibly, it can help us surpass our own creative expectations—that’s the real challenge ahead.
8. How do you see the international audiovisual market?
One of my biggest realizations upon studying in Europe was how Eurocentric most cinematic references are. While I understand the context, there’s still a surprising lack of awareness about Latin American and other non-Western productions.
Latin American cinema often arises from a deeply political need—to denounce, to reveal both deprivation and profound humanity. Stories told in first person, especially from conflict zones in Latin America or the Middle East, rarely aim for “A-class” festivals. Their goal is #visibility, to break silences. A great example of this is The Other Land, a documentary released freely on YouTube to prioritize truth over prestige.
Filmmaking has always been a challenging, vocational act—a response to the urgent need to tell stories that must #reach as many people as possible. The market can be deceptive in that sense, some of the most necessary films still remain confined to #niche festivals, while other hollower stories succeed through marketing alone.
That said, streaming platforms have become key players, cultivating more diverse and demanding audiences, and offering a new space for essential voices to be heard.
9. What advice would you give to film students?
My most important advice is take your camera and tell your story.
We live in a time of extraordinary #democratization—anyone can film and edit with the technology we carry in our pockets. But it’s essential not to lose the #poetry of cinema, or to mistake documentary for journalism—the difference is profound.
Fall in love with your story. Believe in your ability to tell it from your own perspective. Speak from what you know. The greatest value lies in your #voice as an author. Many films may tackle the same subject, but none will ever be the same—because your point of view makes it unique. Focus on your central idea: What do you want to say? That’s where your #power lies.
10. What are your upcoming projects?
I’m currently working on several projects that bring together my passions. Personally, I’m creating content that tells essential stories, blending my experiences as a migrant, woman, feminist, and creative leftist—adapting them to resonate with today’s audiences.
In parallel, I’m researching and writing my first feature-length documentary, which gives voice to Chile’s post-dictatorship generation—the one that grew up within a deeply #neoliberal system. We question the concept of “public” because we’ve never known a life without paying for basic rights that, for example, are #guaranteed in Europe. Chile’s democratic struggle is fascinating, but growing up in a country where even water is privatized remains a challenge. This film seeks to reflect on and expose that reality.
I’m also collaborating with theatre productions in France and soon in Barcelona, designing virtual scenographic #mappings. Unlike documentary, which unfolds over long periods of time, mapping offers immediate audience feedback—something that I deeply enjoy.
Building a creative career as a migrant is tough, but Barcelona offers endless opportunities to anybody. Once you manage to show your work to programmers, the doors start to open—and that’s exactly where I am now.
11. How can the press or fans contact you?
Since childhood, I’ve gone by the name Keka De Luca. You can find my audiovisual work under that name on YouTube and Vimeo.
I love collaborating with creative collectives and artists and am always open to new projects—whether filming, editing behind-the-scenes pieces, trailers, or any video that celebrates art and #culture. I specialize in documenting creative processes, performances, and live visuals, including scenographic mapping.
For direct contact or collaboration proposals:
Instagram: @kekadeluca
Email: kekadeluca@gmail.com
You can also connect with Neus Flores for more interviews, cultural articles and film insights:
Instagram: @neus.flores
