One of the six films pre-selected by the Brazilian Academy of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts to compete for a spot for Best International Film at the 2023 Oscars.
A few years ago, director Marcelo Gomes came across this story while reading the newspaper. The report told the story of a farmer who wanted to get married in church wearing a white dress, veil and wreath, in Saloá, in the Agreste region of Pernambuco. What caught Marcelo's attention was not just the desire itself, but the person behind it: a trans woman in a conservative region marked by LGBTphobia, as well as other parts of Brazil.
When developing the script, Marcelo wanted to highlight the elements that captivated him in that small article, which stood out among so many others, and also the political implications involved. He was deeply touched by the saga of love, prejudice, faith, conservatism and affection present in the story. These elements reflected the contradictions of our time. Marcelo saw in the disparity portrayed a unique plot that deserved to be turned into a film, especially in a country with high rates of violence and deaths against the LGBTQIA+ population, including the country with the highest number of deaths of this population in the world.
Kika Sena, a woman from Alagoas who lives in Brasília, was chosen to express the complexity of the main character of Paloma. She was referred to the audition by a friend and caught the attention of Maria Clara Escobar, the film's casting producer. In her film debut, Kika took on the role of the lead, feeling the responsibility of embracing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Being a very perfectionist person, she pushed herself a lot, but she was also conflicted, criticizing her character's choices and having a hard time distancing herself enough to understand that those same choices were legitimate.
Marcelo Gomes, the director, had the intention of working with trans actresses to play trans characters, as he recognized the lack of opportunities for trans actresses in Brazil. Furthermore, he believed these actresses could bring something from their own experiences to enrich the performances. When Kika joined the project, everything was amplified, in the words of the director. It was a magnificent experience to work with her, a dedicated actress through and through. Kika impressed her presence so intensely in the film that everyone agreed that the title should no longer be "White dress, veil and wreath", but "Paloma", in reference to the name of the character she played.