Happy Birthday, Marsha! (14 min) is a film about iconic transgender artist and activist, Marsha "Pay it No Mind" Johnson and her life in the hours before she ignited the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City. And Then (15 min) is a short film about two women who meet and grow closer to each other through their insomnia, exploring a new city, and their shared love of art. The story follows Mana, a Japanese-American woman who arrives in Tokyo seeking to find a break from her life as an artist, and Haru, a Japanese woman from the countryside who dreams of becoming an artist herself one day. It is a story about missed connections, finding purpose, and the possibility of reconnecting with those we've lost touch with. Ni Aquí/Ni Allá (15 min) is a personal documentary that centers a conversation with filmmaker Ley Comas' mother about their gender identity. Comas is the middle child of christian pastors who never imagined that transitioning was possible. Growing up in the Dominican Republic, all the trans people Ley knew were portrayed as evil characters, punchlines in movies and TV shows or freaks. At home, anything that God disliked was an abomination. This documentary follows Ley Comas physical and psychological quest to become themselves while struggling to find a middle ground between them and their family.
New York City, NY; NYC