Maria is a short documentary portrait of Maria, an Indigenous Bolivian wrestler who steps into the ring wearing the traditional dress of the cholitas — bowler hat, layered pollera skirts, and long braided hair tied with ribbon. What might initially appear as spectacle slowly reveals itself as something far more purposeful: a personal and cultural act of pushing against the limits placed on women like her.

At its heart, this film explores how wrestling becomes a way of creating space within tradition. In Bolivian and Aymara communities where women are often expected to centre their lives around domestic and familial roles, Maria uses the ring as a place to challenge what those expectations can be. She does not reject her culture — she stands firmly within it, believing it is strong enough to grow, shift, and carry new possibilities for women.

The film focuses on the emotional and symbolic world of the wrestling arena — a space where identity, pride, fear, and strength intersect. Through Maria’s presence in the ring, we witness a woman who is not trying to abandon where she comes from, but is determined to widen the paths available to those who come after her. Her wrestling is not about contradiction; it is about evolution.

Visually, the film contrasts the intimacy of preparation with the intensity of performance. The textures of fabric, rope, skin, dust, and light build a layered portrait of movement and meaning. The sound and energy of the crowd sit alongside quiet, focused moments, creating a film that feels both grounded and charged.

Maria is ultimately a story about agency, pride, and change — a portrait of a woman who believes deeply in her heritage, while refusing to accept that tradition must stay fixed or narrow. It is a film about strength that doesn’t come from leaving something behind, but from standing inside it and reshaping what it can become.