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Viva

Irish director Paddy Breathnach heads for the streets of Havana for this rites of passage drama centred on 18-year-old hairdresser Jesus (Hector Medina), who is struggling to get by on the tips from his coterie of elderly clients. It's a far cry from the sequins and glamour of the local drag queen bar run by Mama (Luis Alberto Garcia). Out of the blue, Jesus puts on some lipstick and transforms into his alter ego Viva in order to audition at the bar. Miraculously, he wins the approval of Mama and lands a chance to dazzle the clientele on the stage. This dream quickly turns sour when Jesus' estranged jailbird father, Angel (Jorge Perugorria), returns to the family nest and forcibly prevents his son from following his heart. A power struggle plays out between the two men in the home they are forced to share until Jesus musters the courage to show his father the unshakable diva within.