Transgender stories
The films on this page explicitly center and highlight stories of trans people of color.
To find these resources through your local library, please use the invaluable Worldcat.org and search by Title or Director or use the search box below!
El Canto del Colibri. Dir. Marco Castro-Bojorquez, 2015. 53 minutes
Immigrants from Latin American nations have not had nearly the voice or representation they deserve in media – certainly not LGBTQ immigrants and their families. This documentary focuses on families with LGBTQ members, and how the patriarchs of those families have wrestled with unlearning homophobic and transphobic attitudes prevalent in both their nations of origin and in America. The film draws wise connections between the types of racism and xenophobia these immigrants have faced and their fears for what their family members will face, all without equating prejudices or oversimplifying. The families tell insightful and fascinating stories of love and acceptance, but also the hard work they’ve had to do to put family above intolerance. This inspiring film is a vital teaching tool and a long overdue amplification of voices silenced.
Drunktown’s Finest. Dir. Sydney Freeland. 2014. 93 minutes
A rare example of an ensemble drama that gives significant screen time to its QTPOC character, this Sundance Festival hit focuses on the intersecting lives of three Navajo 20-somethings trying their best to achieve their dreams in spite of poverty, transphobia, and alienation. One of the three major plots focuses on Felixia, a Trans woman seeking to be a model. Despite some harrowing scenes, this film is ultimately an uplifting rumination on modern lives of indigenous people.
Free Cece. Dir. Jac Gares, 2016. 87 minutes
The case of Chrishaun “CeCe” McDonald became an international cause célèbre after she was attacked in a racist, transphobic, and homophobic incident and killed a man in her self-defense. Instead of authorities accepting her self-defense plea, they planned to send her to prison for 40 years on a murder charge. CeCe was pressured into accepting a plea deal after aggressive interrogation, transphobic media coverage, and enduring unsafe jail conditions. This documentary explores not just the story of that incident and the movement that emerged to agitate for her release, but also her life story before and after prison, the impact of the ordeal on CeCe and her family and friends, and her own activist awakening after her incarceration and it does so with almost radical fairness, including in interviews with people who decided to prosecute her aggressively. What sets this documentary apart, is how it really drives home the fact that, though CeCe is most known for a hate-crime incident and ensuing injustice, the totality of her is so much more. The inherent injustices of the prison system and rampant dangers of being a Trans woman of color are explored from a number of angles. If the film has a weakness, it is perhaps that it tries to interrogate too many issues and so it can’t examine any of them in any great depth, but this is a film that’s more of a call to action than a dissertation. It’s a film that inspires you to challenge yourself to stop being complacent about injustice.
Kiki. Dir. Sara Jordeño, 2016. 96 minutes
This deeply affecting spiritual sequel to the classic Paris is Burning closely examines Ball and Drag culture almost 30 years later, specifically focusing on a number of mostly Black and Latinx queer and trans performers trying to learn, survive and thrive in sometimes very harsh realities. Though Kiki is clearly channeling and building on its predecessor, its artistic ambition and intense interest in painting deeply human portraits of its subject are simply remarkable. Kiki also zooms out beyond just the ballroom scene and focuses on several issues including the continued devastation of homophobia, transphobia, and HIV/AIDS despite years of ostensible progress, as well as the complex reasons people choose to transition and, fascinatingly, what life after retiring from drag looks like. This is a must-see.
Kumu Hina. Dir. Joe Wilson, 2013. 77 minutes
Hina Wong-Kalu, the driven, talented and intrepid protagonist, shines and brings to life this emotional docudrama about the Māhū tradition (analogous but not identical to two-spirit or transgender identities) in Hawaiian cultures and the joys and struggles that accompany modern Māhū lives in Hawaii. Hina uses her strength, determination and deep knowledge of Hawaiian traditions to teach and mentor young students, especially girls who seek to excel in traditionally male spaces. A significant and uniquely insightful subplot of the film focuses on the complexities and expectations of love and marriage as a Trans woman in America.
Major! Dir. Annalise Ophelian, 2015. 95 minutes
With a fresh visual style, this documentary discusses the crisis of mass incarceration disproportionately affecting Trans people of color in America through the lens of the long history of activism planned, led, and executed by Miss Major Griffin-Gracy. Miss Major, thoroughly respected and beloved by her community, is one of the foremost and most respected Trans activists in American history. Bookended by inspirational messages of the resiliency of the Trans community, this beautiful documentary is a riveting tribute to a powerful activist and an important overview of the history of Trans activism.
Mala Mala. Dir. Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini, 2014. 88 minutes
This energetic and highly stylized documentary examines the unique experiences of trans people living in Puerto Rico. Against the backdrop of the historic fight to pass Law 238-2014, which banned employment discrimination in Puerto Rico based on sexual orientation and gender identity, we follow the experiences of a dozen trans Puerto Ricans as they navigate activism, making a living, transphobia, and the difficult business of finding their true communities. This vigorously infectious documentary shines a light on people and a unique American experience that is widely overlooked.
Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen. Dir. Kortney Ryan Zeigler, 2008. 79 minutes
This sparsely produced, yet pioneering collection of interviews with 6 Black trans men features subjects at different points in their lives, from different classes and cities, and with different perspectives on identity and transitioning. Common underlying themes in this documentary involve self-discovery, find and losing community and the complexities of dating and relationships. This film successfully amplifies the voices of people from a demographic who have been historically rendered invisible in media.
Tangerine. Dir. Sean Baker, 2016. 88 minutes
Sean Baker’s essential, game-changing dark comedy follows the tumultuous but intensely close friendship of two Black transwomen surviving by operating in the often dangerous world of sex work in Los Angeles. Famously shot and edited with an iPhone, this original, frenetic, and stylishly intoxicating film centers transwomen of color in ways rarely before seen in narrative film. In addition to the quick-paced, bawdy humor and occasional heart-stopping tension, this film’s quiet moments of grace and true friendship sneak up on the viewer, creating a truly profound experience. This comes with the highest of recommendations.
Trappings of Transhood. Dir. Christopher Lee and Elise Hurwitz, 1997. 32 minutes
An audacious, energetic and groundbreaking examination of the unique experiences of 11 trans men from various walks of life in the 1990s. The wide-ranging topics discussed by the highly diverse group of interviewees include isolation, violence, the perils of navigating sex and dating, transphobia in the gay community, and intersectional issues like how coming out as trans can play out different in different ethnic communities. This film feels ahead of its time in many ways, but also sobering, as many of the issues the interviewees faced in the mid-90s have actually been amplified and worsened in the ensuing 20 years, rather than solved. Nevertheless, this is a fascinating glance at day-to-day concerns of trans people from a refreshingly diverse array of perspectives and experiences.
Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice. Dir. dream Hampton, 2015. 61 minutes
When Shelly “Treasure” Hilliard, a young, Black trans woman, was murdered under mysterious circumstances, her family, along with the Detroit trans community, decided to agitate for answers and for justice. In this rousing documentary, we learn about the reverberations of this tragedy on the lives of Treasure’s family and friends, as well as the infuriating police malfeasance that led to the murder. Always engaging, and occasionally gorgeous, this film discusses issues facing trans women of color in a unique setting. The dire economic conditions facing the city of Detroit provide a profound backdrop to this bleak and urgent story.
Two-Spirit People. Dir. Michel Beauchemin, 1991. 23 minutes
This early, eye-opening documentary short examines the surprisingly widespread traditions of two-spirit people across many different Native cultures, as well as how contemporary Native gays, lesbians, and two-spirits have navigated life and coming-of-age. What’s fascinating about this film is that it makes clear that the recent pushback to ideas of a gender binary in much of mainstream Western culture is nothing remotely new in many cultures. Ways of knowing and ways of thinking from Indian cultures could provide much fuller understanding to modern conversations about the nature of gender.