Upcoming documentary profiles gay professional wrestler Cassandro El Exotico

The high-flying, over-the-top life of Cassandro El Exotico is coming to the silver screen this summer with a 73-minute deeply-personal look at his professional wrestling life.

Cassandro, El Exotico will be released in the U.S. in mid-July.

"It's a documentary not only for wrestling fans; it is for fans of life as well as (battling) through adversity and diversity," said Saúl Armendáriz, the openly gay alter ego of Cassandro El Exotico who has been wrestling professionally around the world, primarily in Mexico, since 1988. "I have been blessed (to) make one more historic moment for my career and my personal life: to share my life story and message, which will continue to fly to horizons and mountains, and spread the message of self-love and self-care just as I do while wrestling as Cassandro."

Armendáriz, 48, lives in Frontera (between Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, Texas) and has been screening the film for about a year. It premiered last May at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and has been award-winning at other film festivals around the world.

There was a red-carpet premier in early-April in El Paso.

Armendáriz said the responses so far have been, incredible.

Production and filming started in 2013, and lasted more than four years.

Armendáriz said he wanted the documentary "to carry the message of just being who you are." He added, "We need hope and love, (especially) where we still have lots to do to be a part of the solution, not the problem."

The documentary was filmed on a 16mm camera, which presents a unique visual.

"(I am) celebrating 30 years as a luchador (professional wrestler), preparing for my European Tour in May," Armendáriz said.

The documentary will be screened May 4-6 in Portland, Oregon, then in Europe for two weeks in May.

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