Assume Nothing

Friday, June 19, 2:15 pm, Castro Theatre, ASSU19C
North American Premiere

Rebecca Swan is a professional photographer and a gender activist. She produced a book called Assume Nothing with photos of several gender-variant individuals, challenging the notion that there are only two possible genders and even the idea that "male" and "female" are ends of a linear spectrum. In this documentary, we meet Swan and some of her subjects, delving into the per­son­al histories of androgyny, intersex, drag, and transgenderism, including some specifically South Pacific perspectives. For example, the Maori (indig­enous New Zealander) language has a gender-neutral pronoun for people, and traditional Sa'amoan culture reveres the fa'afafine (roughly, MTF). It's an intimate look inside some of the most personal aspects of identity. Highly recommended.

Assume Nothing, dir. Kirsty MacDonald, New Zealand, 2009, 80 min.; view trailer

Technorati tags: Assume Nothing,Transgender, Photography, Rebecca Swan, Documentary, Frameline33, LGBT Film