My Transparent Life

Paternal Instinct

July 2004 •English

In contrast to the recent spate of gay parent documentaries Paternal Instinct is a fascinating and absorbing insight into the breeding process. We follow two gay men in their search for a suitable surrogate mother, a Wiccan from Maine, and then the agonizing three year long process of trying to get her pregnant. There is the anguish as they discover the impotent link in the fathering chain, the comedy of the repetitive conception rituals and the ecstasy of the birth of their child. With unfettered access to the participants, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Murray Nossel charts every step, and the camera never flinches. Whether you're into the whole parenting thing or not, the sheer humanity of this piece makes it totally absorbing.

They and Them

November 2023 •Dutch

At the age of 15, can you know if you ever want to conceive or give birth to a child? The team coordinator at the gender clinic in the Dutch city of Zaandam is doubtful. And yet this is one of the questions he asks the young people who register for psychological guidance. A fellow psychologist trusts that young people know what is good for them. He is a trans man and one of the experts by experience who work at the clinic. The use of language, already such a sensitive instrument, proves to be more complex than some expect. There are those who see it as unnecessary to mention your pronouns when you introduce yourself, but the majority are in favor. Director Ingrid Kamerling switches smoothly between observation and interviews. Above all, there is a sense of the need to equip young people and their parents as well as possible for the emotional journey of drastic change that lies ahead of them.

Boys on Film 18: Heroes

April 2018 •English

Boys On Film comes of age with uplifting and powerful tales recounting the lives of everyday heroes striving for their own identities and fighting for the right for us all to be ourselves. Volume 18: Heroes includes ten complete films: Dean Loxton's "Dániel" starring Csémy Balázs, Hilda Péter, and Henry Garrett… Niels Bourgonje's "Buddy" starring Daniel Cornelissen and Tobias Nierop… Tamara Shogaolu's animated "Half A Life"… Victor Lindgren's "Undress Me" starring Jana Bringlöv Ekspong and Björn Elgerd… Sam Ashby's "The Colour Of His Hair" starring Sean Hart and Josh O'Connor… Hope Dickson Leach's "Silly Girl" starring Ciara Baxendale, Mollie Lambert, and Jason Barker… Søren Green's "An Evening" starring Jacob Ottensten and Ulrik Windfeldt-Schmidt… Alejandro Medina's documentary "AIDS: Doctors And Nurses Tell Their Stories"… Kai Stänicke's "It's Consuming Me" with Volkmar Leif Gilbert… and Mikael Bundsen's "Mother Knows Best" starring Alexander Gustavsson and Hanna Ullerstam.

Church & State

August 2018 •English

Church & State is the improbable story of a brash, inexperienced gay activist and a tiny Salt Lake City law firm that joined forces to topple Utah’s gay marriage ban. The film’s ride on the bumpy road to equality in Utah offers a glimpse at the Mormon church’s influence in state politics and the squabbles inside the gay community that nearly derailed a chance to make history. Church & State is a story of triumph, setback and a little-known lawsuit that should have failed, but instead paved the way for a U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized gay unions nationwide.

How I Like It

October 2021 •Urdu

In Pakistan, the public space is dominated by men. The confidence with which they walk the streets or weight train quickly disappears once they are confronted with female sexuality. Off-screen, several anonymous women talk about their sexuality. The images of the conventional partiarchal society are in sharp contrast to the liberating explicitness of the accounts of clit stimulation, sex with multiple partners, pissing, abortions, and rape.

Andrew and Jeremy Get Married

January 2004 •English

Director Don Boyd's portrayal of the extraordinary love story between a retired bus driver from Croydon and a retired teacher from Chelsea. One took to cruising public toilets and succumbed to drug addiction, crime and prison before personal rehabilitation. The other moved in a social sphere of dinner parties and T S Eliot readings at the seaside, yet had struggles of a different kind. (Storyville)

The Salivation Army

April 2002 •English

A tale of blood, sex, spit, spunk and cult recruitment. “This Is the Salivation Army” was, in his own words, a queer pagan punk publication produced by Scott Treleaven from 1996-1999. The film tracks the rise and demise of Treleaven's zine and the strange cult it spawned.

Superstar in a Housedress: The Life and Legend of Jackie Curtis

May 2004 •English

Andy Warhol described Jackie Curtis as “A pioneer without a frontier.” In this biographical documentary, Curtis’s co-workers and friends speak of her work and her influence, along with clips from Curtis’s Warhol films as well as never-before-seen footage from her stage shows.

This is Jessica

August 2021 •English

Jessica Bair, a longtime LGBTQIA+ rights advocate with Human Rights Campaign, shares her struggle to remain in her Mormon faith despite coming out as transgender.

I Am a Woman Now

December 2011 •English

Whoever wanted a sex reassignment surgery in the 1950's could do so in Casablanca, at French gynaecologist Georges Burou's clinic, without fear of psychological examination. The French transgender singer known as Coccinelle was one of the first to use Burou’s services, and many others followed. Michiel Van Erp’s film follows five women who underwent surgery during that time, just before the sexual revolution and the Gay Liberation movement of the 1960's. Intimate interviews reveal their lifestyle, what made them change their sex, how it influenced their lives, and how they cope with the unavoidable ageing.

Blade Rollers

August 2024 •English

Honour West and Joan Camuglia-May share their experiences in this upbeat roller-skating documentary.

Les Invisibles

November 2012 •French

Several elderly homosexual men and women speak frankly about their pioneering lives, their fearless decision to live openly in France at a time when society rejected them.

Gay USA

August 1977 •English

Documentary about the gay rights movement during the year of 1977, capturing the intersections of diversity in queer life; from vox pop style interviews with lesbian feminists, street drag queens, and straight allies to taking a look at the fight against Anita Bryant and her notorious "Save Our Children" campaign.

Sexo é Bom

January 1987 •Portuguese

Mala reputación

October 2022 •Spanish

A film that sets a magnifying glass on the representation of lesbians in fiction products that were broadcasted on Argentine television from 1992 to 2014 on over-the-air channels. Based on interviews with professionals from various disciplines and archival images, the documentary reveals a negative characterization that predominates in the representations. The characters lack social depth and are distant from reality. The small screen presents us with lives marked by a dramatic coming out of the closet or, even worse, their permanence in it. The voices of Albertina Carri, Ernesto Meccia, Analia Couceiro and Vir Cano reflect on fictions from their backgrounds and their own life stories.

High Heels Revolution!

September 2016 •Japanese

From a young age, Natsuki knew she was a girl despite her sex assigned at birth. Against the backdrop of conservative Japanese society, this poignant docudrama tells her remarkable story of gender transition. Reflecting on her high school years, Natsuki interviews the supportive friends and family who supported her choices – and also confronts the people those who oppressed her freedom. Tracing Natsumi’s story to the present, this compelling portrait of gender identity in contemporary Japan offers insights of a layered experience in a complex society.

Me llamo Marian

October 2022 •Spanish

The struggle of a trans woman to have her identity recognized at her workplace.

Last Chance

January 2012 •French

This feature documentary tells the stories of 5 asylum seekers who flee their native countries to escape homophobic violence. They face hurdles integrating into Canada, fear deportation and anxiously await a decision that will change their lives forever.

The Archaeology of Community

September 2024 •English

Through archival footage of his parents' wedding, the filmmaker embarks on a personal and societal reflection on the theme of love and marriage in contemporary Serbia. The film follows scenes from a traditional Balkan wedding, where songs, dances, and rituals reveal deeply rooted heteronormative values. As he watches these moments, the filmmaker questions his own relationship to marriage as an LGBT individual in a society grappling with change, yet resistant to equality. Will he, as their son, ever have the chance to experience love and marriage the way his parents did? The film explores the dilemma between tradition and modern love, confronting the past with hopes for a future where everyone has the right to love and union without restrictions. Through this personal narrative, the filmmaker addresses the issues of acceptance, family, and dreams that may never become reality in the current social context.

Amores Bonitos Demais Para Se Esconder

August 2022 •Portuguese

With the aim of studying sexuality and the role of disciplinary power in controlling the female body for a Philosophy of Communication course, the short follows accounts by non-straight women about their process of discovering their sexuality and acceptance.