Set in decaying boudoirs and bloody dance halls, within the brutal confines of an oppressive regime and the back reaches of the protagonist’s mind, Magdalena Viraga is a tale of murder and crucifixion, alienation and friendship, past and present. It leaves us empty of hope but full of desire. It is a story of a story that cannot be told, a story that has been forgotten for all time; it is a tale of the Second Coming that has been and can never be.
In Menkes’s first feature, Tinka Menkes brilliantly portrays the inner life of an alienated sex worker, as she battles the walls which surround her—both material and psychic.
Winner of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award for “Best Independent/Experimental Film of the Year,” Magdalena Viraga was featured in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial as well as in over 40 film festivals worldwide. (Nina Menkes, USA, 1986, 90 min.)
New restoration by Arbelos and the Academy Film Archive.
Co-presented with Eos World Fund.
University of the Arts has updated its COVID policies for visitors and events, effective April 1. Visitors to UArts' campus will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19, and all capacity restrictions have been lifted. Lightbox Film Center will now operate at 100 percent capacity. Guests will still be required to wear a high-quality and well-fitting mask while on campus.
Masks are still required at all times. Visitors are strongly encouraged to wear N95, KN95, KF94 or three-ply surgical masks while on UArts' campus. Cloth masks are still permitted. All masks should fit tight to the face and securely cover the nose and mouth.
