Raquela is a transsexual from the Philippines who dreams of escaping the streets of Cebu City for a fairy tale life in Paris. In order to make her dreams come true, she turns from prostitution toward the more lucrative business of Internet porn. Her success as a porn star brings new friends, including Valerie, a ladyboy in Iceland, and Michael, the owner of the website Raquela works for. Valerie helps Raquela get as far as Iceland. From there, Michael offers her a rendezvous in Paris. Will Paris be everything she dreamed of? And will Michael turn out to be her Prince Charming? 

Jury motivation: The Amazing Truth about Queen Raquela is a touching and daring film that tells the story of the main character, a Filipino lady boy, in an unassuming manner that allows the viewer to enter her world without prejudice and yet, at the same time, succeeds in satisfying our curiosity about her lifestyle. In blurring the line between fact and fiction, the director, Olaf de Fleur Johannesson, adopts a humane stance towards his all-too-real subject, and yet enjoys taking advantage of the narrative opportunities afforded by a “good story”. Whether she is prostituting herself on the streets, posing in front of a webcam for a morally ambiguous New York family man and porn entrepreneur, or enjoying life on the beach and shopping with her girl friends, Queen Raquela's sober but upbeat attitude to life reminds us that it is not up to the observer to judge if the lives of others are worth living.

National jury:  Sigurjón B. Sigurdsson,  Sif Gunnarsdottir