TILDE, Melbourne’s trans and gender diverse film festival starts tonight

Kicking off tonight (Thursday, 28 November) and running tomorrow and all weekend, TILDE, Melbourne’s trans and gender diverse film festival is taking place at the Footscray Community Arts Centre.

One of a handful of trans and gender diverse (TGD) film festivals in the world, TILDE showcases and supports the work of TGD filmmakers and artists, and works that have TGD content, for TGD people, allies, and the wider community.

TILDE includes opening and closing night celebrations, and a free community party on Friday night with post-film Q&A’s.

Tonight’s opening night reception has two film screenings, with the short Canadian film Framing Agnes and an Australian documentary feature Becoming Colleen.

Becoming Colleen is more than a documentary about coming out as an elderly trans woman, it is a story of two people whose love transcends their traditional gender roles, a small community that comes together to support a friend, and about the joy of finding the perfect pair of shoes.

From 4pm on Friday, the youth session begins, featuring a fabulous collection of local and international dramas and documentaries which celebrate young people.

The Australian short film BOY takes place in a public restroom for men, where “boy” does his makeup until he is interrupted by a knock on the door. This is the first short film by student filmmaker Noko Imai, and shot locally in Melbourne.

Listen features young trans actors in trans roles and depicts some of the myriad struggles experienced by trans children and teenagers every day, with frankness and honesty, giving a much needed voice to this oft-maligned section of the community. And UK short Anemone tells us of a British-Nigerian teenager who expresses their non-binary identity to their conservative community through the magic of marine life.

https://youtu.be/Yxurbdfo-Ak

Friday night’s screenings include the Indian short film Tritiya. After discovering their roommate’s suicide, Sandeep is drawn into an introspective journey steeped in Indian mythology and the strict gender binaries of their childhood.

It will be followed by the Canadian feature Venus, a comedy-drama depicting a South Asian transgender woman navigating the trials and tribulations of coming out to friends, family, and society when, unexpectedly, she discovers she has a teenage son with a former high school girlfriend.

Saturday afternoon is filled with eight powerful, eclectic and moving short films from home and abroad, followed by a local filmmaker’s panel. Saturday evening, meanwhile, sees Australia and Argentina join forces to bring colourful dark humour to the screen.

Enby Enterrupted is an Australian short where two best buddies match with the same unicorn hunters on Tinder. The Argentinean feature Black Heart is a suburban thriller filled with political insubordination and dark comedy.

Sunday afternoon will feature documentary shorts and a Q&A with the director of Transpiration. Shorts will include Do I Have Boobs Now?, Something to Cry About, Lala’s World and My Mama, a Man.

The closing night film includes Brown Queers,  following Krishna Istha, Katy Jalili, Natasha Lall and Umber Ghauri, all individuals who identify as queer and brown who explore current modes of identity through varied personas and styles, posing questions that come out of the layered states of being that embody fluidity, “brownness” and “queerness”.

It will be followed by LUPE from the US, in which Rafael, a young Cuban immigrant and trained boxer, is searching for their long-lost sister Isabel in New York City. Against a gritty and often bloody underworld background, Rafael is joined by Elsa who learns of their suppressed transgender identity and serves as both friend and mentor to Rafae while also on her own journey of self-discovery.

TILDE’s fifth festival runs from 28 November – 1 December at the Footscray Community Arts Centre.

Check out the full program and get tickets via the TILDE website, www.tildemelbourne.com.