Read the conversation below.
Vogue: What is your personal connection to Frida Kahlo and her work?
Carla Gutierrez:I connected with her first when I was in college.
Photo: Courtesy of Prime Video
I saw thispainting of hers, where shes between the United States and Mexico in this beautiful pink dress.
I was a very new immigrant at the time, [and] I completely connected to the painting.
I thought, Who is this artist thats painting me and my experience in the United States?
Photo: Courtesy of Prime Video
Thats how I started to learn about her.
Frida Kahlo has posthumously been the subject of many documentaries, books, et cetera.
What, in your view, has been missing from the publics understanding of her?
Photo: Courtesy of Prime Video
As I revisited that material, I realized that her voice was really everywhere.
What we tried to offer [viewers] was knowledge of the texture of her personality and emotions.
Tell me about what inspired you to re-imagine the ethos behind Fridas work through animation.
Animation was a concept that we had really early on.
I really wanted to use her art because its so tightly connected to her lived experiences.
Theyre very fantastical; some people call them surreal.
I love that your animation team was predominantly Mexican and female.
Tell me about the collaboration process, and some of the considerations you made while taking on Fridas story.
My animation team is truly amazing.
From the very beginning, it was very important for me to have Mexican collaborators involved in the project.
The collaboration was very special.
During your exploration of Fridas letters, writings, and interviews, what did you find most surprising?
It was really interesting to learn about Mexicos relationship with Frida.
Our Mexican collaborators were learning as we were learning through the research.
I had a really good time digging into her personality and being able to express that in the film.
Theyre important questions to talk about.
I know that you connected with members of the Kahlo family while makingFrida.
Tell me about how their participation shaped the documentary and your creative process.
Theres something about the family genes that creates artists.
We got access to a lot of previous physical records of Fridas thanks to Cristina.
And Cristina had help.
Many museums around the world have curated exhibitions that actually deal with Fridas body.
Cristina became a consultant in the film and it was really special to sit with her and Fridas family.
In my opinion, part of what makesFridaspecial is its exploration of Kahlos sexuality.
Why was it important to you to capture that part of who she was?
Frida never really talks about her queerness, she just lives it.
She had a need to be loved, not only by Diego, but other people.
[Frida] craved that connection, and she sought after that pleasure and desire.
We saw it in her letters, and we see it in the art.
I love that about Frida, and we really wanted to defend that.
She just exuded love.
What do you want viewers to take away fromFrida?
And she did it in such an honest and raw way.
I hope that inspires people.
This conversation has been edited and condensed.
