Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Transtastic

Sunday, June 22, 6:15 pm, Victoria Theatre, TRANS22V

Frameline's compilation of short films about transgender issues.

Thorn in Your Side: (documentary) a nice snapshot of the Trans March and its organizer, Sam Davis. Highly recommended

TRANSforming Healthcare: (documentary) the obstacles transpeople face in getting healthcare, including petty humiliations like a pelvic exam for a respiratory ailment, are criminal. This documentary combines powerful personal experiences with direct, to-the-point advice to medical professionals. MUST SEE, especially for anyone in the healthcare field

The Bond: (documentary) the story of one transwoman, told by and from the perspective of her father. "The biggest shock was when you realized that Michaela was not Sean in a dress. Michaela was Michaela. Michaela was a different personality." MUST SEE

The Role I Was Born to Play: [reviewer copy was incomplete; very bad sound but interesting images]

Donny & Ginger: a (fictional) melodrama with a twist. A cop and a tranny hooker talk over a late-night meal in a greasy spoon, clearly not the first the two have shared. Good but not great, recommended

Unca Trans: (fiction, animated) "In the summer of 2045, a documentary film crew interviewed people involved in the major social upheavals that occurred at the beginning of the 21st century. The following segment is one of those recordings — recently discovered in the collections held in the archives of the Canadian National Library." Cute, but a bit cutesy; recommended

Bend It: (performance art) two "living sculpture" models dance in costumes designed to challenge our notions of gender. Not bad, no recommendation

Forever's Gonna Start Tonight: (documentary) Vicki Marlane, at 71 "the oldest living, continuously performing transgender drag performer" tells some tales, including Ethel Merman and the entire Broadway cast of Gypsy giving the female impersonators a standing ovation for their version. Highly recommended

Felicia: (documentary) Felicia Elizondo "faces the reality of aging alone." Nice personal portrait, recommended

Maggots and Men: (historical fiction) The story of the 1921 uprising of the Kronstadt sailors in post-revolutionary Russia, "with a subtext of gender anarchy." [not reviewed]

"Transtastic"

Thorn in Your Side, dir. Dean Hamer, 2007 USA 5 min.
TRANSforming Healthcare, dir's. Ethan Suniewick, Derek Brockett & Ann McNair, 2007 USA 18 min.
The Bond, dir. Michael T. Connell, 2007 USA 6 min.
The Role I Was Born to Play, dir. Lukas Blakk, 2007 Canada 9 min.
Donny & Ginger, dir. Jon Bush, 2007 USA 10 min.
Unca Trans, dir's. Allyson Mitchell & Christina Zielder, 2007 Canada 5 min.
Bend It, dir. Jules Nurrish, 2007 UK 3 min.
Forever's Gonna Start Tonight, dir. Michelle Lawler, 2007 USA 9 min.
Felicia, dir. Tim O'Hara
Maggots and Men, (sneak preview) dir's. Oakie Treadwell & Illona Berger, 2008 USA 10 min.

Technorati tags: , , ,

1 comment:

  1. I hope they turn this series into a compilation. Just fantastic. I agree with your recommendations here and I can't recommend Transforming Healthcare highly enough. I'd love to see more done with it.

    ReplyDelete