She Packs a Punch celebrates the action-laden, camp and curious world of 1960s Mexican pulp cinema with two recently restored films from director René Cardona. Showcasing his flair for action, spectacle and lucha libre, they highlight some of the most captivating female action stars of the era.

The Panther Women (Las mujeres panteras) and The Bat Woman (La mujer murciélago) both feature powerful women in high-octane adventures. In The Panther Women, wrestlers Loreta Venus and The Golden Rubí face off against a glamorous, satanic cult of werepanthers in a thrilling blend of gothic horror and lucha libre. Meanwhile, The Bat Woman delivers a rollicking ride where lucha libre meets superheroines and a splash of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Both films offer a captivating blend of suspense, camp, and action, celebrating the fearless heroines who dominate the screen.

Presented by feminist film collective Invisible Women and T A P E collective, She Packs a Punch highlights the important contribution of female action stars to Mexican cinema. While these titles do lean into the exploitation genre, they also serve a crucial role in bringing luchadoras—who were not allowed to compete in the ring at the time—onto the screen and into the spotlight that they deserved. These films offer a chance to rediscover and appreciate the powerful women who, as Batwomen, as werepanthers, or as wrestlers, were at the heart of the action in films that will find their place in the pulp cult canon.

Screening as part of Art of Action, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network.

Special thanks to Viviana García Besné from Permanencia Voluntaria.