We are moving stories

“It’s an audio-visual feel-good message that we all need right now. And then there’s the music. It’s just incredible. I’m yet to meet a human that doesn’t fall in love with it.”

“Just like all my films, The Garden Left Behind is about people who are vulnerable, isolated, and marginalized. As a queer and Latinx, I know what it means to be an outsider. So, as a filmmaker, I feel it’s my responsibility to bring to the forefront stories of people who have historically been underrepresented on the big screen.”

“Starlady is the undisputed and absolutely real Queen of the Desert – although she has recently departed to work in Melbourne for a short period. Her departure saw a colourful pageant take place at the Alice Springs airport, including “Biggest Scandal”, “Best Cat Walk” and “Hand bag throwing competition” to crown a new temporary Queen while she is away.

Starlady discusses public perceptions of Aboriginal communities as being dysfunctional. She then argues that her acceptance by these communities would suggest otherwise. Is Starlady saying that it’s mainstream Australian society that is dysfunctional?”

“As a genderqueer person, I have an interest in seeing authentic, dimensional portrayals of trans and gender-nonconforming characters on screen. The story of Miller & Son centers around the journey of a transwoman mechanic whose skillset in mechanics is just as much a part of her identity as her transfeminine identity. I was more interested in tracking the main character’s emotional journey rather than explicitly stating her identity or creating a teaching moment out of her experience.

Whether or not you identify as transgender, everyone has a desire to belong in the world and has their own stories about masking feelings in order to fit in, move ahead, or protect themselves. I wanted to explore this feeling of compartmentalization, and the compromises that people are confronted with on the path toward authenticity.”

“Honestly speaking, I began this film having almost zero knowledge about the transgender community. As a member of the LGBTQ community, I found it very important to know more about the lives of transgender people, particularly Filipino transgender women. Thus, this documentary film was made.”

“The first reason that comes to mind is the fact that so much of the transgender narrative has been overlooked or watered down that people just aren’t aware of the true experiences we live. I wanted to bring a different point of view. A relatable, believable and watchable point of view.”

“The feedback has been amazing, audiences have really connected with Iman. Most importantly, people from Iman’s community have championed the film, congratulating her on being brave enough to share her story.”

“Brooke is a third-generation firefighter whose father and grandfather were both FDNY firefighters. Her dad was also a 9/11 first responder. The film is partly about this really unique father-daughter relationship that exists both at home and in the workplace.

So even if you’re new to LGBTQ issues, you can probably relate to the family dynamics of the film. We all have those tensions between who we are and who our families want us to be.”

“In the course of my day job as a systems administrator, I began to realize how many software developers were trans women. Later when I was befriended by Sayer Johnson at our church, a transgender man, I shared this observation.

Knowing that in the past, I had been involved in film production, Sayer suggested that this would be an interesting topic to explore in film. I was initially reluctant, as I am a straight, cisgender, man. It seemed to me that this was not my story to tell. Sayer encouraged me, saying, “No one else is telling this story, so you need to do it. Besides, if you screw up, I’ll give you a dope slap.”

“Milena Salazar: I came across Courtney’s project when her #DoIHaveBoobsNow photos were being shared on social media.

I knew immediately that I wanted to make a film about her because she had found a brilliant way to call out double standards and sexism in a way that was very accessible, easy to understand even for people who were not already taking part in this discussion. As a woman, these issues interest me and shape my life, and Courtney was tackling these questions from a very unique point of view.”

“Being a black woman, I feel that it is important to tell stories from within the black community because it is so complex and layered. Producing SHE was rewarding because most folks within the black community are blinded by the realities of being a transgender person in the Bay Area.

This documentary allowed them to get a glimpse of their struggles and the fight for justice they continually seek. In addition, it was important to produce this documentary because of the alarming rates of black transgender women who are being murdered without full media coverage.”

“You should watch this film because you will see a side of life in the Pacific Islands which you have never seen before, and be inspired by the courage, humor, and grace with which leitis and other gender and sexual minorities live their lives, despite tremendous prejudice and discrimination.”

“he lack of alternatives for these women is staggering. A lot of healthcare workers refuse to treat members of the community and implants or feminization surgery are too expensive for many women. Some women feel it is less dangerous going to a pumper than facing a possible hate crime on the street.”

“Skin draws inspiration from my personal journey transitioning from female to male, aiming to capture the internal emotions, struggles, and relief of going through this experience. I wanted to shed light on this topic, showing the beauty of becoming yourself. ”

“When I learned that one of the side effects of taking testosterone is losing the ability to cry I felt compelled to tell the story. There are many side effects we know of like increased body hair, deepening of the voice, but there are many that are much more subtle and all are thought provoking.”

“I think that for both Marco and me this film has been very personal. We both came out to our family and friends so the character of Donna feels very close to our hearts. However the universal part of the film is the fact that the broken family shown in the film can come together in the end through love and some level of acceptance.”

“I remembered a story that the writer, Ian Scott McGregor, had told me. A friend of his was working in a restaurant late one night in a cow town outside San Francisco, when a transgender woman came in.

They appeared very nervous to be in the restaurant, but ordered a full meal, and at the very end of the meal, asked for their picture to be taken with a disposable camera. She went on her way after that, and was never seen again. Ian and I were moved to honor that moment through film, the way she was honoring it through a picture. The rest of the story remains a mystery.”

“This film has been 7 years in the making, purely to take note of my experiences and transition but later became a learning tool for myself, I hadn’t seen many “happy” trans short films about overcoming barriers and being able to express your true self and so wanted to make a film that resembles that just that.”

“I think the first thing I wanted to achieve was just getting people to relate to something through feeling it. If non-LGBTQ people watch this movie and feel that Trans or Queer experiences are more normalized, that’s a huge bonus. We’re all just people going through life and sharing many of the same challenges!”

“I made this series because there is a severe lack of transgender male representation in the media. After I started to feel comfortable in my own transition, I longed to see narrative stories that reflected my experience - which were few and far between.

Everyone knows what it’s like to start dating someone new, to feel that hopefulness of what might be. There may be more intricacies to dating as a transgender individual, but we’re all looking for the same things.”

“Since we approached the filmmaking process with an eye towards authenticity and having LGBTQ representations both in front of and behind the camera, what we ended up with was a series that really has struck a chord with a lot of people and really shows the power of having diversity on sets. When people are a part of telling their stories you see that in the finished product and people respond well to that.”

“I wanted to see two transsexual lesbians kiss in a realistic and also mythical context.”