Carla's Journey / El viaje de Carla

For a long time, Don Juan Hotel in Las Palmas was a place Carla Antonelli, penniless and hailing from the small town of Güímar on Tenerife, could only dream about. “When I stood at the corner of Santa Catalina park looking at the half-built hotel, I said to myself: 'I wish I could get inside.'” These are the memories of one of Spain's most significant LGBT activists about the beginning of her journey in 1977. At the age of 17, she set off to the city where she got a job as a cabaret artist, and continued on to the mainland, to Madrid. Her appearances not only in nightclubs, but also in film and on TV, shook up the public perception of transsexuality and transgender. Through archival footage and contributions of Carla's friends, colleagues, as well as Carla herself, the documentary illustrates the fascinating life journey of the actress and activist who returns to her home town 32 years later as a member of the Spanish parliament.