The comedy-drama Wa, Nan shows a beauty pageant, My Name is Untac takes a look at African-Cambodian identity, Emak Menolak puts a supportive mother at the center, Void tackles the queer politics of IDs, and ONTEM unfolds a contemplative picture about the losses and pain some have to undergo in order to be truly themselves. Each of these short films showcases grass-root productions centering trans* voices and experiences as well as ongoing campaigns for sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

*In this context, trans is an inclusive “decolonial” umbrella term referring to all gender diverse people who depart from normative Western ideas of gender. Trans = a non-cis-gender person.

Wa, Nan
Marie Bernadette Tayag / Eliza Santos / Danette Orlido, Philippines 2018, 20 min.

My Name is Untac
Vana Hem, Cambodia 2012, 13 min.

Emak Menolak
Anggun Pradesha, Indonesia 2020, 9 min.

Void
Asya Leman, Turkey 2017, 13 min.

ONTEM (Before Today)
Thiago Kistenmacker and Sanni Est, Brazil 2017, 13 min.

Elliot Blueis a filmmaker and light designer. Their short films Black is Me (2017), Home? (2018), and No Romo (2021) have been shown at film festivals around the world. Since 2016, Elliot also gives film workshops to enable empowerment and self-determination.

Zoya is a translator, curator, and educator based in Berlin. They are an organizer and programmer of TransFormations – Trans* Film Festival Berlin, a biennial grassroots, community-focused festival organized by an exclusively Black and PoC trans*, two-spirit, gender-non-conforming team.

Trans-Gressive