She Packs a Punch celebrates the action-laden, camp and curious world of 1960s Mexican pulp cinema with two recently restored films from director René Cardona. Showcasing his flair for action, spectacle and lucha libre, this short season highlights some of the most captivating female action stars of the era.
Presented by feminist film collective Invisible Women and T A P E Collective, She Packs a Punch highlights the important contribution of female action stars to Mexican cinema. While these titles do lean into the exploitation genre, they also serve a crucial role in bringing luchadoras – who were not allowed to compete in the ring at the time – onto the screen and into the spotlight that they deserved. These films offer a chance to rediscover and appreciate the powerful women who, as Batwomen, werepanthers, or wrestlers, were at the heart of the action in films that belong in the pulp cult canon.
Screening as part of Art of Action, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network.
Special thanks to Viviana García Besné from Permanencia Voluntaria.
In this season
Cinema
The Panther Women + recorded intro
The Panther Women plunges into the wild world of 1960s Mexican pulp cinema, where the fierce female wrestlers Loreta Venus and The Golden Rubi find…
Cinema
The Bat Woman + recorded intro
The Bat Woman takes you on a rollicking ride through 1960s Mexican pulp cinema, where lucha libre meets superheroes meets The Creature from the Black…