Melina Sícalos

Movies

The Marriage
Producer
An intimate documentary portrait of an exceptional couple who live in a suburb of Montevideo: Julia, a 65-year-old transsexual whose new gender identity has finally been recognised (after twelve years) by the Uruguayan state, and Ignacio, her lover, a former construction worker with a troubled past. Inseparable for 20 years, the couple are now preparing for marriage. Aldo Garay’s camera follows Julia and Ignacio’s joys and worries, patiently revealing the sources of the strength of their relationship.
Stories of Activists
Producer
This documentary tells the story of a group of Uruguayan political and social activists who began or intensified their activities in the 1960s. What emerges is how diverse the Uruguayan left was in thought and action in fields like attitudes to armed struggle, the place of women and children, the historical significance of the Frente Amplio Party and the ways in which the old ideals have found expression - or not, as the case may be - under the first left wing national government in the history of the country. The documentary was made for Casa Bertolt Brecht, and is geared to stimulating debate and training new generations of activists.
Women's Memoirs
Producer
The Punta de Rieles prison was where most female political prisoners were incarcerated during the dictatorship in Uruguay. The way up to the building led through “the meadow” where there were animals grazing, and the prison itself was surrounded with flowers. The place seemed eminently liveable, almost comfortable, and at first sight there was no sign of the silent struggle going on behind those walls. This documentary is an attempt to reconstruct life at the prison through the testimony of some of the hundreds of women who were there and who resisted the military regime's attempts to grind them down and destroy them.