Sydney’s trans* film festival returns

Sydney’s trans* film festival returns

THE Sydney Transgender International Film Festival (STIFF) will celebrate its second edition at the Red Rattler Theatre in Marrickville from December 3 to 10.

In the line up of this year’s event, there will be three feature films from Denmark, Pakistan and the US as well as 14 short films from Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Macedonia, the UK, Ukraine and the US.

The selection also includes many world, Asia-Pacific and Australian premieres.

‘The selection committee panel consisted of members from transgender communities in Sydney being totally aware and up to date with transgender social and political developments and representations locally and globally,” festival curator Vahid Vahed said.

A highlight of the selected films include Hide and Seek by Saadat Munir, a co-production between Denmark and Pakistan that is a heart throbbing and award-winning feature documentary showing the secret, yet open lives of a group of Pakistani sexual minorities, while raising questions about trans* activism, religion, underground gay life, social acceptance and collective familial customs of trans* people in urban Pakistan.

Other highlights include The Last Gospel of the Pagan Babies by Jean Donohue and Vagine Regime by Erica Tremblay from the US, all of which are Australian premieres.

“It would have been great to have included more feature films, especially a documentary entitled The Sisterhood by Roger Horn from South Africa and many more wonderful shorts but due to lack of space and time, we were unable to do it,” Vahed said.

Award winning shorts in the line-up include: Call Me Barbara by Ana Jakimska from Macedonia; Fragile by Rungano Juliana Mango and Rudo Juliet Mango of Australia; Darkness by Simon Savory from the UK; BrocKINGton by Sergio Ingato, Maggie Sloane and Mason Sklut; as well as Two Spirits by Danielle Villegas from the US.

Also, STIFF will host the world premiere of Stop Outing! by Nelson Pena, which was entirely shot on an iPhone and is about being outed at work after confiding in a co-worker that she is a trans woman.

‘This is an Australian premiere screen event dedicated to the transgender communities in Sydney,” Vahed said.

“It is also a platform to raise and discuss transgender social, cultural and political issues utilising moving images.

“Through this event, we aspire for cultural and curatorial exchanges with similar podiums all around Australia and beyond.”

STIFF has also established a partnership with the trans* film festival communities in Los Angeles, Amsterdam and Kiel in Germany. Locally, they have partnered with the Melbourne Trans and Gender Diverse Film Festival that was held this week (ending today, November 23).

 

For details on STIFF, click here.

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