''First Lady of the Revolution'' is a 2016 feature-length documentary film about former first lady of

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

Henrietta Boggs. The documentary is a

Spark Media Spark Media is an American independent multimedia and documentary production house based in Washington, D.C., United States. History Established in 1989 by director and producer Andrea Kalin, the company specializes in creating socially conscious ...

film and was directed and produced by

Andrea Kalin Andrea Kalin is an American independent filmmaker, writer, producer, and director. She is also the principal and founder of Spark Media and founder and executive director of Stone Soup Productions, a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation. Personal lif ...

Synopsis

While visiting an aunt and uncle in the exotic countryside of Costa Rica, a young

southern belle Southern belle () is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planter class of the Antebellum South. Characteristics The image of a Southern belle is often characterized by fashion elements such as a hoop skirt, a corset, pantalettes, a wide-b ...

from

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

accepted a ride on the back of a motorcycle belonging to a local charismatic farmer — a ride that would propel her down narrow mountain roads and into history. ''First Lady of the Revolution'' is the story of Henrietta Boggs, who fell in love with a foreign land and the man destined to transform its identity. Her marriage to

José Figueres Ferrer José María Hipólito Figueres Ferrer (25 September 1906 – 8 June 1990) served as President of Costa Rica on three occasions: 1948–1949, 1953–1958 and 1970–1974. During his first term in office he abolished the country's army, nationa ...

in 1941 led to a decade-long journey through activism, exile and political upheaval and, ultimately, lasting progressive reforms. First Lady of the Revolution is not only a depiction of the momentous struggle to shape Costa Rica's democratic identity; it's also a portrayal of how a courageous woman escaped the confines of a traditional, sheltered existence to expand her horizons into a new world, and live a life she never imagined.

Release

''First Lady of the Revolution'' debuted in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

, at the

Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival The Sidewalk Film Festival is an annual film festival taking place during the last weekend in August in the Theatre District of Birmingham, Alabama, since 1999. The festival typically screens at seven venues located within downtown Birmingham, fea ...

on August 27, 2016, where it won the Audience Award for Best Alabama Film and a Jury Award Honorable Mention. Henrietta Boggs also received the inaugural Spirit of Sidewalk Award. The film had its Costa Rican premiere on September 13, 2016, at the Cine Magaly in San José, followed by a limited theatrical run in Costa Rica,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. The United States premiere was held at The Capri Theatre in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, with Henrietta Boggs MacGuire and director Andrea Kalin in attendance and answering audience questions. The film broadcast in 2018 as part of Reel South on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

, a series that exhibits documentaries focusing on the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

and the region's diverse voices and points of view.

Reception

Following its premiere at Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival in 2016, Rick Harmon of ''

Montgomery Advertiser The ''Montgomery Advertiser'' is a daily newspaper and news website located in Montgomery, Alabama. It was founded in 1829. History The newspaper began publication in 1829 as ''The Planter's Gazette.'' Its first editor was Moseley Baker. It ...

'' wrote "It's a fascinating documentary...it leaves viewers hungering for more..." According to Eric Ginsburg of

Triad City Beat ''Triad City Beat'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper with distribution in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point in North Carolina. It was founded in 2014 by Brian Clarey, Jordan Green and Eric Ginsburg, who were former editors and repor ...

''First Lady of the Revolution'' "offers a unique perspective on a conflict that’s often overlooked." ''First Lady of the Revolution'' was the winner of the Audience Choice Award at Fairhope Film Festival and the Hoka Award for Best Documentary Feature at

Oxford International Film Festival The Oxford International Film Festival or OIFF (not to be confused with the Oxford International Film Festival, OXIFF, based in Oxford, England) was established in Oxford, Ohio in 2007 by founder and event director J.C. Schroder. Festival History ...

. The film also won three TIVA-DC awards, an IndieFEST Award of Excellence and a Spotlight Award.

Production team

* Director:

* Writer:

* Producer:

* Executive Producer: Martin Kalin * Co-Producers: James Mirabello & Paulo Soto * Associate Producer: Ethan Oser * Directors of Photography: Dennis Boni & Paulo Soto * Editor: David Grossbach * Art Director: Luis G. Portillo

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, tt3037676
Henrietta Boggs, First Lady of the Revolution

Discovering Henrietta: The Alabama woman who became Costa Rica’s first lady

First Lady of the Revolution
American documentary films English-language Costa Rican films Costa Rican documentary films 2016 documentary films Biographical documentary films 2010s American films