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More than 50 people gathered Thursday evening, September 4, 2025, at the upscale Tryst Hotel in Puerto Vallarta for a screening of La Arriera (The Muleteer), an evocative film exploring gender, identity and liberation in 1930s Jalisco.
The screening was organized by the Directorate of Sexual Diversity of the State of Jalisco, Councilwoman Melissa Madero and the Municipal Government of Puerto Vallarta.
Guests arrived to camera flashes and cheers on a walkway and were guided to the hotel’s rooftop lounge. There, Councilwoman Madero joined Jesus Rosales, hotel director, in welcoming a who’s who of Puerto Vallarta’s LGBTQ+ community, offering complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres in a warm, festive atmosphere—an hourlong opportunity for networking, catching up and celebration before the film began.
The screening then moved to the hotel’s lobby restaurant, where attendees were welcomed by Director Rosales and settled in for the film presentation, with dinner and drinks provided by The Tryst.
Directed by renowned Jalisco filmmaker Isabel Cristina Fregoso, La Arriera is spoken in both Spanish and Wixárika. It tells the story of Emilia, a teenager from the Sierra de Jalisco who defies rigid societal norms by disguising herself as a muleteer, or arriera, to escape her restrictive environment, confront her identity and search for liberation. Anchored by period visuals and lush cinematography, the film offers a heartfelt yet occasionally fragmented exploration of gender, queer identity, and self-discovery.
La Arriera has earned critical acclaim, winning the Mezcal Award for Best Direction and Best Cinematography at the 39th Guadalajara International Film Festival in 2024. It has also been recognized internationally—garnering honors at festivals in Argentina, the U.S. and Canada—and currently holds multiple nominations at the 2025 Ariel Awards.
This was the second screening of the film in Puerto Vallarta: an earlier free showing was held in July as part of the “Mar de Cine” program at the Centro Cultural Cuale.
The event underscored Puerto Vallarta’s growing reputation for inclusive cultural programming fostering dialogue and community.
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