November 20 is International Transgender Remembrance Day, on which people around the world pay tribute to transgender people who have been victims of transphobia / homophobia.
We present 7 films that present the lives of transgender people from different angles, their struggle for LGBT + rights and equality.
Ma Vie en Rose (My Life in Pink) 1997
Ma Vie en Rose (My Life in Pink) is a film by Belgian director Alain Berliner. The Golden Globe-winning film tells the story of one family. Hannah and Pierre have been dreaming for a long time and move into a new house with little Ludovico, who does not obey gender norms and introduces herself to everyone as a girl.
The cult film of the 90s very well shows how gender frameworks and definitions can harm a minor. The whole settlement is set against Ludovico. However, at the same time, the film with childish naivety describes Ludovico’s life in shades of pink.
Tangerine 2015
“Mandarin” is a 2015 film with an equal footing in the genres of comedy and drama. The girls decide to take revenge and embark on strange adventures.
The film also features non-professional actors and the entire film is shot on the iPhone 3 5S, with further editing and color correction done entirely through mobile apps. The film has won numerous prestigious awards.
Todo sobre mi madre (All about my mother) 1999
“All About My Mother” is a film by Pedro Almodovar, which brought great success to the Spanish director. Filmed with bright colors and strange scenery, the film tells the story of Manuela, who after the death of her son decides to travel from Madrid to Barcelona and meet Manuel’s father, a transgender woman who does not yet know that she had a child.
Pedro Almodovar’s Oscar-winning film is both dramatic and surprisingly funny, you will meet a lot of transgender people, gays, lesbians, sex workers in the film. The director responds with a characteristic handwriting to the AIDS outbreak of the 80s, the problems of stony love and human birth.
Raising Koi 2016
“Raising Koi” is a documentary film that responds to a high-profile incident that took place in 2013. Jeremy and Katherine are the parents of 5 children, one of the children, 7-year-old Koi, is a transgender girl, the child came out in kindergarten and everything went well, although the events developed dramatically after going to school. The girl has problems on the first day of school and the principal warns the parents that the child should only use the boys’s toilet.
Following a major change in the principal, the child’s parents, with the help of various NGOs, began to fight against unfair school charters and eventually achieved that every child in California today chooses which toilet to use and which sports to play in.
In a Year of 13 Moons (197 lunar year) 1978
“Year 13 of the Moon” is one of the latest films by the legendary German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, which was dedicated to the memory of his girlfriend, Arvin Meyer. The film tells the story of a transgender woman, Elvira, who decides to change her gender because of her beloved man.
According to many film critics, Fassbinder’s 1978 film is the pinnacle of the director’s creativity. With poetic footage, dramatic storytelling, and flawless performance by Walker Spingler, the film perfectly depicts the life and hardships of a transgender person.
The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert 1994
The Adventures of Desert Queen Priscilla is another film that tells the story of three friends. A transgender, cross-dresser, and drag queen friends decide to drive to the desert to attend a drag queen evening.
Recognized as a classic, the film perfectly manages to portray marginalized groups with the help of comedy, all the characters in the film are free from stereotypes, however, at the same time, they do not lose their brightness and evoke positive emotions in the audience.
Wild Side 2004
“Wild Side” is a film by the modern French director Sebastian Lifshitz, which tells the story of Stephanie, who is involved in sex work. Stephanie returns from Paris to take care of her sick mother. The seemingly sad story changes after Stephanie develops feelings for his flatmates, Algerian Jamal, and Russian Mikhail.
In the film, there are themes which are very skillfully and easily changing, the themes of love and death, Stephanie, on the one hand, tries to cope with a sick mother with whom she has many unspoken issues, and on the other hand, tries to cope with a new relationship with two men. The title of the film is borrowed from a famous song by Lou Reed.
