With filmmakers VICKIE CURTIS & DOUG ANDERSON, in conversation with moderator/ filmmaker Johnny Symons.
Comparsa immerses audiences in the intense world of Ciudad Peronia, Guatemala, where sisters Lesli and Lupe Canela Pérez use art to heal deep wounds. After 41 girls are killed in a State-run “Safe Home” and the government refuses to act, the sisters take matters into their own hands. They rally local youth to create a comparsa: towering puppets, fire-breathing stilt walkers, and thundering drums become weapons of resistance. But publicly breaking the silence surrounding gender violence comes with real risk. As the young performers confront corruption and a system that permits and commits atrocities, Lesli and Lupe confront trauma from their own past. Harnessing joy, community care, and self-expression, they discover that art can do more than expose violence—it can help heal it. Built on a 17-year relationship between the subjects and filmmakers, Comparsa is a stirring portrait of sisterhood, peace-building, and the transformational power of art.
Directors: Doug Anderson & Vickie Curtis (GUATEMALA/US 2025) 79 min
Director/s
Doug Anderson
Doug is a New York-based filmmaker and founder of Paper Moth Media, where he creates politically engaged documentary work, including for the groundbreaking 2018 campaign of US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Credits include cinematography for To The End (Sundance 2022) and The Providers (Independent Lens), and sound work on Predators (MTV Documentary Films), Knock Down the House (Netflix) and Pride (FX). Comparsa marks his directorial debut.
Vickie Curtis
Emmy-winning writer of Netflix Originals The Social Dilemma and Chasing Coral, Vickie makes her directorial debut with Comparsa. Her work explores the systemic roots of social and ecological crises, and the artists and activists working to rebuild. Vickie’s storytelling spans award-winning documentaries including Searching For Amani (Tribeca), We Are Guardians (HotDocs, Netflix LatAm), Greener Pastures (POV), and Anbessa (Berlinale, Arte). After years studying theatre and education, she brings a collaborative ethos to each project.