People
Dany Castaño Quintero
Born Fernando Castaño Quintero, La Dany grew-up in the Bello, Colombia, a northern suburb of Medellín. A natural extrovert, Dany started performing in primary school winning many prizes for her creativity.
At 15, her life changed forever when she was caught by one of her sisters dating a married man. Kicked-out of the family home, Dany soon found herself living on the streets. She ended up in the La Paz district in downtown Medellín where she built a shelter near a gas station and kept herself alive by selling cigarettes. Eventually, Dany met another transvestite who let her sleep in a storage room of the shop where she worked.
In the late 1980s, Dany started performing on the steps of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Bolívar Park. Over time, she developed a unique performance style and eventually a large and devoted following for her Sunday night shows.
Around 10 years ago, Dany began using fire to attract more people to her show. One night, she accidentally set a young girl on fire only to flee the scene. Dany was subsequently arrested, charged, and incarcerated in the men’s prison in Bello. After several months in prison, and with the help of a sympathetic lawyer, she was released. However, her reputation was shattered and it took many years for her to regain the trust of her fans.
Throughout her lifetime, Dany has suffered several devastating blows: she was shot in the face, had many of her teeth destroyed in a traffic accident, and in another incident was kidnapped and beaten. She has been threatened by right-wing gangs who see it as their duty to clean the streets of “scum”. More recently, an attempt was made on her life when an unknown person offered her popcorn laced with poison after a show. But despite all this, Dany has done much to help others. Generous to a fault, she often feeds local street children and cares for (and employs) several trans youth.
Dany has been profiled in the local media and on national television in Colombia where she was featured on “El mundo según Pirry”, an award-winning current affairs show. She has performed at Vinacure Nightclub and has appeared at The Museum of Modern Art of Medellín (MAMM) and the National University of Colombia’s Museum of Art. Her props and costumes have also been featured in a solo exhibition at Body Art Gallery in Caldas, Colombia. In March of this year, Dany carried the torch representing the LGBT community at the 2010 South American Games.
She can be found, every Sunday night, at Bolívar Park, in downtown Medellín.
Julie Giles (Director, Writer, Producer)
Julie Giles grew-up in a small town in Northern Ontario, the only girl in a large family of boys. She produced several animated shorts and current affairs programs, as part of the creative team at Telezam Pictures, prior to teaming with her brother Jim on the TV-length documentary “The Two Cubas” (Logo. 2006). “La Dany” is Julie’s first feature-length documentary. She studied drama at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, and has worked in the entertainment industry as a publicist and digital marketing strategist. E-mail Julie
Jim Giles (Director, Writer, Producer)
Jim Giles is an arts educator and filmmaker. He co-produced the TV documentary, “The Two Cubas” (Logo.2006), with his sister Julie and was the Executive Producer of “One in Six”, an award-winning educational documentary produced for the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO.2007). Jim has a Masters of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and a Bachelor in Music Education from the University of Western Ontario. He often leads professional development workshops and has written several articles on equity issues and the importance of the arts in education. Jim was born and grew-up in Elk Lake, Ontario, Canada. “La Dany” is his first feature documentary. E-mail Jim
Antonin Lhotsky (Cinematographer)
Antonin Lhotsky is a graduate of FAMU, the Czechoslovakia Film Academy in Prague. Antonin has more than 100 film credits, mostly in cinematography but also as producer, director and editor in both documentary and theatrical genres. He has also worked on several multi-screen projects including “Taming of the Demons,” which received a special Genie Award for “Outstanding Film Achievement.” He is member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers and sits on its Executive Committee. Antonin taught at a number of Canadian film schools and was a Professor of Film and Video Production at York University in Toronto.
Karen Shopsowitz (Editor)
Karen Shopsowitz is an award-winning filmmaker whose work has been shown nationally and internationally. As a director, writer, and editor, Karen has worked on dozens of productions, ranging from stand-alone documentaries to documentary series, music videos, and fiction. Her credits include Series Producer/Director on the 3-part series “Canada’s War in Colour” for which she received a Gemini nomination, and director/editor/writer on “My Father’s Camera”, recipient of the prestigious Peabody Award. Karen has a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University and a Master of Fine Arts from York University’s Department of Film and Video.
Ariel Jiménez (Associate Producer)
Ariel Jiménez considered himself a modern day Robin Hood: he has been always interested in peoples’ rights. Ariel attended medical school at the University of Cartagena and worked as an ER doctor and community health specialist in Medellín, Colombia where he also received a post-graduate diploma in Health Administration. Ariel studied acupuncture and taught at one of the most prestigious eastern medicine schools in Canada. Currently, he works as a health auditing specialist at San José Hospital in Bogotá, Colombia and practices acupuncture privately. Ariel has been involved in the movie industry, in Canada, working as an extra in numerous productions. He strongly identifies with Dany’s personality and believes that giving is an important quality of a human being.
Edwin Posada (Line Producer, Colombia)
Edwin Posada is the Medellín-based line producer for “La Dany”. He didn’t initially set-out to be part of the team and got involved accidentally when he started doing research and pre-production work to support his Canadian friends. Since then, he has become a kind of “guardian angel” for Dany, keeping her motivated and offering all kinds of assistance she might need. Although his professional carrier is in engineering — quite different from film — he decided to commit to this project when he realized the extraordinary courage and tenacity of Dany.
LA DANY, The Film
An intimate portrait of Dany Castaño Quintero, a transgender performance artist from Medellín, Colombia. A feature documentary from Julie and Jim Giles of Brother & Sister Productions.
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Brother & Sister Productions
204-284 St. Helen's AvenueToronto, ON, Canada, M6H 4A4
Tel: 1+ (0) 416-878-5328
E-mail: info@ladany.com
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