Shed No Tears

In a country famous for its success in international beauty pageants, three young women are fighting to participate in their nation's most celebrated cultural institution. But obtaining a place in the Miss Venezuela contest is no easy task. Women must endure grueling diets, consent to intensive plastic surgery, and find the resources necessary to transform themselves from ordinary citizens into famous and illustrious Misses. To Be a Miss is a character-driven documentary that takes the viewer through the inner workings of Venezuela's renowned beauty factory, revealing the risks and rewards associated with this multi-billion dollar industry while exposing what nationalism, personal ambition, and the influence of mass media has meant for women in the country. —Anonymous Venezuela has won more global beauty competitions than any other nation in the world. Yet behind the glamor of pageantry lies a more sobering portrait of what it means to be a woman in this country. This is Venezuela's multi-billion dollar beauty industry revealed -- an exposé of how nationalism, personal ambition, and mass media have transformed the lives of ordinary women. From the filmmakers behind King Corn.