The Splendor of Gender: Short Program

The Splendor of Gender

A collection of animation, experimental, documentary and narrative stories that run across the gender spectrum that is as diverse as the emotions evoked throughout. Content Warning: Although we have attempted to program a collection that overall will leave our Trans/NB/GF/Intersex/Gender diverse audiences feeling seen/heard and uplifted, there are some incidents of transphobic microaggressions and discussions around conversion therapy on this journey so please be advised.

I Would Like to Live on the Moon- dir. Emily Burke/UK/2:23/2023 A young non-binary person feels overwhelmed and wants to escape – literally, to the moon.

Outside the Lines dir. Stan Oversteegen/The Netherlands/4:48/2023 In this short animated documentary, young queer people share their experiences on what it’s like to deviate from the straight-, cis- norm and how this makes them feel.

This Light is My Birthplace- dir. Shaun Soutar/Canada/14:28/2023 Two opposing TV signals compete for airtime. The usual narratives of trans identity touted by dominant media are disrupted by authentic stories from trans people.

Vegas dir. Anna Wheeler/Canada/10:30/2023  A disillusioned artist- turned taxi driver picks up an unassuming stranger and things take a dramatic turn when it is revealed not everything is as it appears. Vegas is a coming of age dramedy, wrapped inside a neon-noir urban mystery.

River – dir. Rafal Sokolowski & Kanat Umurbekov/USA/9:00/2023 River, a trans woman, returns home to attend the funeral of her estranged father. She arrives consumed by regret for not seeing him before he passed, but instead of closure, she finds that the funeral has been staged and that her father faked his death to lure her into ‘conversion therapy’.

Lambing – dir Katie McNeice/Ireland/18:00/2023 A young dad in rural Ireland must face his anxiety around gender and bullying when his baby is born Intersex.

Aban – dir. Abbas Taheri & Mahdieh Toosi/Iran/15:59/2023 Under constant pressure from her ex-husband, Nazanin should turn their child – Aban, nine years old – away from a very driven feminine taste. One day, Aban goes to the hospital thinking of undergoing life-changing surgery.

Mickey- dir. Stevey Hunter/Canada/5:19/2023 Mickey isn’t one to share their feelings. But after a winter-break fling, everything changes. Will they work up the courage to express how they really feel?

Gorditx – dir. Malik Ever/USA/14:55/2023 As summer comes to a close, kung-fu obsessed Ursula discovers she’s not the only outcast at an exclusive country club summer camp. With the kids’ golf tournament looming, Ursula hopes to win and prove her worth with the help of Chef Cormac, the transmasculine former ladies golf pro.

Becoming Queer Joy dir. Ronnie Cheng, Leo Litke/Canada/5:58/2023 Tien is the first Asian trans man to publicly come out in the Vancouver, then, gay and lesbian community of 2001. In this profound and inspiring film, Tien shares his story as a trailblazing, racialised, transgender immigrant and his journey to discovering his true purpose in life — cultivating and becoming joy.

Community Sponsors: TransFamily Kingston  & Beyond the Binary