JUANITA Fiction dir. by Karen Joaquín, Uliane Tatit I Spain

March, 2026

JUANITA: The Bittersweet Vertigo of Becoming

By Koumoutsi Soultana

From its world premiere at the 75th Berlinale to the prestigious Best Screenplay Award at the Psaroloco International Children’s & Young People’s Film Festival, Karen Joaquín and Uliane Tatit’s "Juanita" is establishing itself as a profound cinematic study on the gravity of girlhood. It is a film that transforms a routine bathroom ritual into a battlefield of identity, and a teenage insecurity into a universal critique of the male gaze.

The narrative anchors us in a sun-drenched town near Barcelona, where the air is thick with the expectations of a "modern Europe." Twelve-year-old Juanita, born in the Dominican Republic, navigates this landscape in a state of constant translation—moving between her heritage and the Catalan-speaking reality of her daily life. While she dreams of the fabled "freedom of European women," she finds herself ensnared by the very same aesthetic shackles she hoped to escape.

Through the lens of Joaquín and Tatit, the "violence" of growing up is not found in grand gestures, but in the quiet desperation of a girl who wears long pants in the sweltering heat of summer to hide the natural growth on her legs. As a pool party looms, Juanita’s struggle with her body hair becomes a poignant metaphor for the "in-betweenness" of the immigrant experience and the suffocating pressure of feminine beauty standards. The film captures that precise moment of rupture: the transition from the innocence of childhood to the heavy, often performative, awareness of being a woman.

Presented to the Greek audience in March 2026 as part of the Psaroloco International Film Festival for Children & Young People, "Juanita" was honored with the Best Screenplay Award, recognized for its lyrical precision and its ability to give voice to the "invisible weight of shame" that transcends borders and generations. On the occasion of its award-winning journey, we discuss with directors Karen Joaquín and Uliane Tatit about the subtle violence of adolescence, cultural duality, and the vertigo of a freedom that remains, for many, just out of reach.

Karen Joaquín, Uliane Tatit

Karen Joaquín. Dominican director, screenwriter, and photographer. In 2018, she moved to Barcelona, Spain, where she graduated in Film Directing from the Escola de Cinema de Barcelona (ECIB). Her graduation short ﬁlm, O que me parta un rayo, premiered and won the Best Screenplay award in the Nova Autoria section at the 56th edition of the Sitges International Film Festival. It was also an oﬃcial selection at the Málaga Film Festival, the Brussels Short Film Festival (an Oscar-qualifying festival), the Filmschoolfest Munich, among others, and was a candidate for the 17th Gaudí Awards. Her second short ﬁlm, Juanita, which she co-wrote and co-directed, premieres at the 75th Berlinale, while she is currently writing her ﬁrst feature ﬁlm, a co-production between the Dominican Republic and Spain.

Uliane Tatit. Brazilian director and screenwriter, born in Curitiba and based in Barcelona, Spain. She graduated in Film Directing from Escola de Cinema de Barcelona (ECIB) and Journalism from Universidade Positivo (Brazil). Her student short ﬁlm As Dúas en Punto (2022) was selected for various festivals worldwide. She is currently developing Boa Nai, her debut ﬁction feature, selected for the Agapi Impulsa Copros lab in Spain. Her work explores political narratives and focuses on stories led by women.

In your director statement, you mention that growing up is a "violent process." In your screenplay, this violence isn't loud or physical; it is hidden in mundane, everyday details—like the growth of leg hair before a pool party. How did you manage to transform such a common, almost "insignificant" moment for adults into a profound existential drama for 12-year-old Juanita?

Bálint Kenyeres: ...

“Visibility does not justify intrusion. Attention does not cancel dignity.”

— Bálint Kenyeres

Juanita is a Latina girl growing up in a Catalan-speaking environment near Barcelona. How did her cultural background and the dream of "European freedom" intersect with the rigid beauty standards she faces in the script? Do you believe the "weight of shame" regarding the female body is a universal condition that transcends borders and classes?

B.K: ...

Karen, you describe cinema as your refuge and a way to connect with your "inner child," while Uliane, you focus on political narratives led by women. How did your collaboration on the script help balance a deeply personal, intimate experience with a broader social commentary on female autonomy?

B.K: ...

The film concludes with a poignant reflection on whether the freedom we think we have is real or just a "vertigo" that distracts us. What message would you like to send to all the "Juanitas" out there who feel the invisible weight of societal expectations pressing down on their bodies?

B.K: I ten....

Trailer

Film aligned with the goals:
SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): By highlighting the systemic inequalities and social marginalization faced by the Roma community, the film advocates for social inclusion and the protection of dignity for the most vulnerable groups against the exploitation of their public image. SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions): Exploring the ethical responsibility of the "observer" and the "invisible violence" of media intrusion, the film promotes a just social framework that respects privacy and human integrity. SDG 1 (No Poverty): Through the depiction of young Vilmos’s living conditions, the work reveals how poverty is often turned into a "spectacle" for external consumption, calling for a more substantial and less superficial approach to economic disparities. SDG 4 (Quality Education): Through Psaroloco’s Media Literacy lens, the film fosters critical thinking in young audiences regarding how media "constructs" reality, while enhancing empathy by focusing on silence and internal human experience.

MEDIA LITERACY INSIGHT

Why "The Spectacle" is a vital case study for our readers:

The Ethics of the Gaze: The film serves as a profound lesson in the ethics of observation. It teaches young audiences that "looking" is not a passive act but a choice carrying responsibility, especially when the lives of others are transformed into a "spectacle" for consumption.
The Cinematography of Constraint: The contrast between the static camera (during the TV crew's presence) and the "free" camera (when the boy is alone) is a masterclass in cinematic language. It demonstrates how media can "frame" and limit human identity within prefabricated narratives.
The Deconstruction of the "Spectacle": In a world addicted to digital exposure, Kenyeres deconstructs the notion of public visibility. The film challenges the audience to ask: Does media attention reveal the truth, or does it merely consume the subject's dignity?
Silence as Narrative Strength: Contrasting with the constant "noise" of social media, the film uses silence and atmosphere to communicate internal experience. It offers an excellent entry point for discussing how the absence of dialogue can enhance empathy and critical observation.