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 Bat Woman (La mujer murciélago) takes you on a rollicking ride through 1960s Mexican pulp cinema, where lucha libre meets superheroes meets The Creature from the Black Lagoon. In picturesque Acapulco, a series of wrestler murders prompts the enigmatic Bat Woman, played by Maura Monti, to investigate. A deranged scientist is behind the mayhem, capturing wrestlers for his twisted experiments, and it’s up to Batwoman, who is also a coral diver, a wrestler, a markswoman, and super spy, to stop him. Clad in a cape, cowl, and bikini, Monti delivers high-octane action and epic car chases.

As Warner has shelved their recent Batwoman film, this remains the only big-screen Batlady to date. The Bat Woman delivers a uniquely thrilling, action-packed blend of suspense, intrigue and camp, with Monti’s unforgettable performance as the one and only Batwoman stealing the show.

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.

+ recorded introduction

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.