The Splendour of Gender: International Gender Diversity Shorts

The Splendour of Gender Shorts

A collection of fantastic narrative, documentary and animated tales that span the gender spectrum.

I’ve Heard a Siren Calling – dir. Dylan Mitro/12:00/Canada/2024 A Great Lake Surfer has recently begun her transition as a Trans Woman. She now is having hesitations with putting her wetsuit back on, but something is calling her back. In the isolation of her cabin in a small fishing town, she seeks to find the courage to face her fears.

CeCe/Shades: Amplify Her Voice – dir. Salima Stanley-Bhanji/3:30/Canada/2024 Filmmaker, model and advocate Cece Chow talks about coming out at age 42 as a trans woman, her Asian heritage, Japanese kokedama plant art, and parenting her two children.

Body Varial – dir. Audrey Kerridge/15:01/Canada/2023 After recently undergoing top surgery, a transmasculine skateboarder attempts to reintegrate themselves back into their daily life. Throughout their recovery, they discover newfound struggles both physically and mentally in life post-operation.

Estetica Unisex- dir. Alvaro Acosta Gutierrezr/8:00/Peru/2022 The life of three trans women come together through Mishell´s memories. From Huancayo City to Atta Alley in Puno, Peru, the memories come with music, dance and also death.

Snakeskin – dir. Emily Bendeck Garay/12:00/Canada/2024 A trans girl misses her train stop one night and embarks on a surreal journey back home as her dreams start leaking into her reality.

Clementine – dir. Sally Tran/14:30/USA/2024 A late-blooming Trans woman reluctantly confronts an assigned-male-at-birth Trans specific life-altering dilemma. With the help of her besties, she attempts to process this debacle in order to determine which path to take on her journey of decolonizing her womanhood.

Bull, Trans- dir. Rivanildo Feitosa/14:50/Brazil/2024 “Bull, Trans” tells the history of Mahhy Silva, a singer who shines as the chanting voice leading the performance of the traditional Buma-meu-boi Mimo São Jorge in the inlands of the northeast of Brazil. The doc talks about the relationship between Mahhy’s family conflicts and nature’s waters .

Pietra – dir. Cynthia Levitan/13:00/Portugal/2024/Portuguese with English subtitles In daydreaming about unlikely relationships, the flower – as delicate as it is revolutionary – represents an act of love amidst the suffocation and embrace of a classic Portuguese neighborhood.

Featuring a pre-show musical performance by Max Gries.

Max Gries (they/them) is a local queer and non-binary trans masculine piano teacher who believes in the magic of singing together and building community. They lead the local monthly Gender Diverse and Vibrant Voices Song Circles, and are one of the co-facilitators for Beyond the Binary. They have organized festivals, concerts, conferences, dinners, and other gatherings both large and small to bring people together around trans and gender expansive voice and singing, trans health, and more topics of justice and spirit. Max loves to be in or on the water, play in the ice and snow, and listen to the birds, rocks and trees. They believe interdependence, accessibility and inclusion, networks of care, and community space for grief and joy are required in these times.

Community Sponsor: TransFamily Kingston