''Princesa'' is a 2001 film directed by Henrique Goldman that tells the story of a

transsexual Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including sex reassignment ...

woman, Fernanda, who travels to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

and works as a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

to finance her

sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a transgender or transsexual person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their identified gender, and alle ...

. The film was inspired by a book of the same name written by Maurizio Janelli and

Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque (1963 – 13 May 2000), was a Brazilian trans woman ( travesti) and author. She is best known for her autobiography ''Princesa'' (Princess), which is a name she sometimes used as a pseudonym. Biography Fernanda Fa ...

. Unlike in real life, Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque in the film is able to overcome her hardships, whereas in real life de Albuquerque died by suicide in 2000 after being deported to her native Brazil. The film did not achieve initial success, but won an award for the best foreign film in the

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

festival in Los Angeles.

Cast

* Ingrid de Souza as Fernanda * Cesare Bocci as Gianni * Lulu Pecorari as Karin * Mauro Pirovano as Fabrizio * Biba Lerhue as Charlo * Sonia Morgan as Fofao * Alessandra Acciai as Lidia * Egidio Cardillo as Cliente

External links

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References

2001 films 2001 drama films 2000s Italian-language films 2000s Portuguese-language films Films about trans women 2001 LGBT-related films LGBT-related drama films Italian LGBT-related films Spanish LGBT-related films {{LGBT-drama-film-stub