What’s up, nerds? It’s Stephenie Magister ✨ here for Queer History.
We’ve got another list about fantastic short films from across the world featuring trans, intersex, and non-binary people.
Today’s movie marathon includes 21 bangers worth five bags each — and oh yeah, a bonus recommendation at the end for a feature-length Pakistani film that will blow your mind.
Note: this article and video are an expansion of a previous article: “17 Incredibly Short Transgender Short Films”
Links list at the bottom of the article or the description of the video on YouTube.
1. The Actress — 7 minutes
This weekend, I finally checked out a movie starring an acclaimed Asian actress who may finally get her due by leading audiences through an inter-dimensional rupture in which an unlikely hero must use the skills, wisdom, and insight from each multi-verse version of herself to return to her own dimension and finally accept her authentic self.
But enough about The Actress, the dimension-spanning short film starring trans actress Isobel Sandoval in which, well…see the above description.
BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!
To me, The Actress is the trans short film version of Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Isabel Sandoval is a trans filmmaker and actress with skyrocketing acclaim across the awards circuits. With her starring role in The Actress (2021), she beat both the Wachowskis and the Daniels to reinventing The Matrix.
Directed by SCAD alum Andrew Ondrejcak, The Actress is a 5-minute short film that retells scenes from classic cinema if a trans woman had played the lead.
In the film, a woman moves through time and space, embodying classic Hollywood’s feminine ideals on a journey of self-discovery. As Sandoval’s character searches for her unique voice, she infiltrates cinematic history and shape-shifts through Hollywood’s most iconic roles.
Yet, when she realizes her sense of self has become obscured, she begins to cast off the glamorous façade, musing on the roles we each play as we reinvent our identities to discover our true selves.”
TRANSlated actors and movies in The Actress include:
Jane Wyman — All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Marlene Dietrich — Morocco (1930)
Isabella Rossellini — Blue Velvet (1986)
Jane Fonda — Barbarella (1968)
Malcolm McDowell — A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Jessica Chastain — The Tree of Life (2011)
Isabel Sandoval also directed the penultimate episode of the true crime limited series Under The Banner of Heaven for Hulu, which put her next to our friendly neighborhood trans ally Andrew Garfield.
Garfield said in an interview, “[Isabel Sandoval] was so precise, so sensitive, so professional, so talented, and astute, and I really, really enjoyed her as a director.” As reported by CNN Philippines, her episode earned the praise “10/10 beautiful trans girl multi hyphenate excellence” from a Letterboxd user, which the director tweeted next to Andrew Garfield’s quote.
Garfield said in an interview, “[Isabel Sandoval] was so precise, so sensitive, so professional, so talented, and astute, and I really, really enjoyed her as a director.” As reported by CNN Philippines, her episode earned the praise “10/10 beautiful trans girl multi hyphenate excellence” from a Letterboxd user, which the director tweeted next to Andrew Garfield’s quote.
Isabel also wrote and directed the short film Shangri-La, the 21st commission from Miu Miu Womens Tales. Her earlier film Lingua Franca — distributed by Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY and featured in the article “8 Foreign Films About Trans Women” at Prism & Pen — was the first Filipino film in main competition at BFI London in its 63-year history.
The Actress is currently streaming on MUBI
Everything Everywhere All At Once is currently streaming through Showtime or available for purchase on VOD
The Matrix does not need to be streamed — the Matrix is all around you
2. Break Free (Rubix Cube Productions) — 5 minutes — 55 million views
In Break Free, Ruby Rose explores the fluidity of gender, and how the only person who can define your identity is you.
Ruby Rose (she/they) — a genderfluid lesbian well known for their transgressive roles on shows like Orange is the New Black and the first season of Batwoman — has on occasion stated that if given a choice, they would have chosen to be born a male. They are grateful, however, that they were born with the reproductive parts that will allow them to perhaps one day give birth.
For further reading, check out “Ruby Rose on gender, bullying and breaking free: ‘I had a problem with authority’” at The Guardian.
Stream here (YouTube)
3. 海上良宵/Blooming Night (Independent Production) — 9 minutes
Mesmerized by a pair of red heels, a lonely street guy in Shanghai follows its owner into a forbidden club. There, he discovers something that challenges, yet awakens his mind. This short is inspired by the real underground elder LGBTQ community in Shanghai.
Official Selection:
2017 Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival
2017 Shanghai International Film Festival
2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
2017 Sao Paulo International Short Film Festival
2017 NewFest New York’s LGBT Film Festival
2017 Shanghai Queer Film Festival — Winner: Special Award
2017 Cinema Queer International Film Festival
2017 Sehsüchte International Student Film Festival
Stream here (Vimeo)
4. For Nonna Anna (Hands Up Films) — 13 minutes
Directed by first-time writer/director Luis De Filippis and co-produced by Rosenberg-Lee, the film follows Chris (played by Maya Henry, who can also be found on YouTube), a young trans woman who is left home alone to care for her ailing Italian grandmother.
Though not about transitioning from one gender identity to another, the film still has transition in a broader sense at its heart. Chris is still in the coming-of-age demographic, not entirely confident yet as a woman, while her grandmother’s body is failing her. A move to elder care seems inevitable.
De Filippis and cinematographer Kelly Jeffrey tell the story through intimate details, relying on glances, cutaways to religious objects and other decor, and tight framing of the cramped home to capture the empathy and awkwardness between two relatives in different life stages.
For further thoughts, check out the review “Sundance-Bound Short For Nonna Anna Deepens The Trans Narrative” published with Now Toronto.
Stream here (Vimeo)
5. Dusk (Up+Up Productions) — 15 minutes
Starring trans actors in both cis and trans roles, Dusk is the award winning trans short that stormed the festival circuit in 2017 and 2018, screening at 87 festivals internationally.
Dusk is about the life of a trans man from age two to 70, starting in 1950s England. Unable to transition due to lack of medical help and information, “Chris” lives his life as a lesbian in what most perceive to be a same-sex relationship. The film examines how his choices affect the outcome of his life.
Speaking to Curve Mag, the director said, “The inspiration for the film came last year when I received an email from a festival programmer in Canada… Now aged 70, they told me that they were basically happy, but had simply needed someone to know who they really were. The email stayed with me, and made me start to think of all the thousands, if not millions of trans folk who had never had the chance to live as themselves, and how devastating that must have been.”
Awards and selections include:
Premiered at Outshine Miami, winner Best Short Film
Winner of 30 awards including Best Short film at SOMA Film Festival (New York), Best Screenwriter at CFIFF, Best Short Film at GayWise Festival (London), Best LGBT film at MACON Film Festival (Georgia), Best Short Film at SENE Film Festival (New England)
Selected for Tribeca’s United Airlines online film package
Stream here (YouTube)
6. De La Terreur, Mes Sœurs!/Terror, Sisters! (Les Films du Bélier, Altered Innocence) — 25 minutes
Aujourd’hui, c’est une journée comme les autres pour Kalthoum et ses copines. Elles sirotent des cocktails, cherchent l’amour sur internet et essuient, une fois de plus, les insultes transphobes d’inconnus. Oui mais voilà, aujourd’hui ça ne va pas se passer comme ça. Entre un cosmo et un chardo, les quatre amies transgenres vont imaginer leur vengeance…
English translation: Today is a day like any other for Kalthoum and her girlfriends. They sip cocktails, look for sex on the Internet, impatiently wait for love and once again, endure the transphobic insults of strangers. But today it’s not going to be like that: the four transgender friends will imagine their revenge.
“Yes, Terror, Sisters! is silly and dumb and occasionally cringe, but isn’t that what being queer and extremely online is all about? Langlois’ short is such a delightful time because of how deftly it navigates the humor and flat-out anger of being trans in a cis world. Though grounded in a cafe where four trans women voice their frustrations with the world, the short leaves reality to dive into each woman’s fantasy about how she would deal with cisnormative society. Terror, Sisters! rages against everything from expectations of passability to being forced to sit through “trans films” created by and starring cis people who perform vague approximations of us. Reclamation is hard and messy, but at least it can also be a great time.”
Stream here (Mubi)
7. Dawn (Up+Up Productions) — 13 minutes
As dawn creeps across London, two lost outcasts meet in the darkness, more afraid of themselves than each other. As the sun begins to rise, and the veil of night is lifted, the pair are forced to look at themselves and face the harsh reality that life is sometimes what you make it, and that in the cold light of day, it takes more than the eyes to see inside a soul.
The award winning short film premiered at BFI Flare in London, and was nominated at the Iris Prize Film Festival in both Best British and Best International categories.
Winner of 19 awards including:
Best Director at Toronto Queer West Festival (Toronto)
Best Short at SENE Film festival (New England) Grand Prix du Jury at Image+ Nation (Montreal)
Best Composer at Underwire Film Festival Best Cinematography at FM Festival (Minnesota)
One YouTube reviewer remarked: “When he said “You’re the first girl I’ve touched in ages”, and she burst into tears, I felt that. No words or exposition were necessary to convey what she felt.”
Stream here (YouTube)
8. Masked (Momentum Studios) — 15 minutes
Masked follows the story of Zoe, a high schooler struggling to come out as a trans man. After knowing who they truly are for a while, Zoe finds themselves fatigued by their fear of whether others will accept them or not.
Masked was created in conjunction with the 15–18 year old’s from the Knox ‘Free To Be Me’ LGBTQIA Youth group. The project is proudly supported & funded by Knox City Council, YAC Vic & the Victorian State Government.
Stream here (YouTube)
9. Still Me (Momentum Studios) — 13 minutes
From the filmmakers of Masked, Still Me follows the story of a non-binary teenager (Bailey). After coming to terms with their identity it’s time for them to come out at school and navigate what this means for their social life. However, this proves harder than they anticipate and Bailey is faced with a choice between social ridicule or the closet. Luckily, Bailey makes a new friend named Zach.
Still Me was created in conjunction with the Knox Rainbow Youth Action Group. The project is proudly supported & funded by Knox City Council, YACVic & the Victorian State Government.
Stream here (YouTube)
10. Get Off My Turf! (My Genderation) — 9 minutes
Get Off My Turf! is a short film about a transgender woman who finds out that her neighbor is transphobic. The film delves into some of the modern depictions of transphobia and explores friendship, solidarity, and conflict between two very different women.
My Genderation is an ongoing film project focusing on trans lives and trans experiences. All of their content is created by trans people, about trans people, for a much wider audience.
Stream here (YouTube)
11. The Change Up (Silent Coyote Productions) — 15 minutes
This one is worth describing very simply.
Tatum and Harley go out for drinks, and Tatum becomes distracted by his past.
For deeper touches on the narrative with as few spoilers as possible, the YouTube comments delivered the best possible promo for the movie.
“Really beautiful narrative. It hit some of the core pains in many FTMs lives. The film also highlighted the beauty that some FTMs may experience with CisWomen who can see the beauty we hold and the Men we are. Thanks for sharing your art with us!” — YouTube review
“My names Jordan Robinson i loved this film because it showed so much of what i had to go through just to hide it away for my parents and so i dont get bullied. When i got older i figured out i dont wanna live in misery. I’m trangender Ftm and it’s hard to grow up when everyone expects you to be normal and i loved every min of this film. Thank you so much.” — YouTube Review
“I seen a trailer for this on tiktok. I thought it was going to be a full length movie so I was surprised when I seen it was a short film. It was amazing! I would love to see a full length film with your story. My partner recently told me he was trans. I’ll admit it was hard at first but I couldn’t imagine my life with any other person. This did truly hit home for me. Thank you for sharing your story. Much love!” — YouTube Review
Stream here (YouTube)
12. Like You (Lucky Tooth Films) — 7 minutes — 1.4 million views
Filmed in Iceland in 2016, recorded in Icelandic, made in under 48 hours. On a remote northern Iceland, two strangers connect and realise they have a lot more in common than previously assumed.
Like You is a trans themed short film, created by an all trans cast production team.
“This has some flaws, obviously, but I really like it. It’s very rare to see transgender people depicted in rural areas. I am a transgender person who has grown up in rural Sweden, so this makes me happy to see.” — YouTube Review
Stream here (YouTube)
13. A Trans With a Movie Camera (Frances Damian Arpaia) — 13 minutes
A Trans With a Movie Camera is a non-narrative cine-essay that collaboratively explores the potentials for trans-feminine representation in film.
“There shouldn’t be something revolutionary about seeing trans people existing on screen, whether it’s watching them kiss or shave or hang out at the beach. And, yet, a film like A Trans With a Movie Camera feels radical simply because of how scant such cinematic offerings are. Billed as “a cine-essay” and explicitly citing and playing off of Dziga Vertov’s silent classic Man with a Movie Camera, Arpaia offers an experimental and poetic glimpse into the beauty and rage of being trans.” — them review
Stream here (Vimeo)
14. Slingshot Prince (Dandelion Lin Pictures) — 20 minutes
It’s 1995 in a small town in the south of China. A 12-year-old trans girl is bullied and tortured, but with her slingshot close by, revenge may be at hand.
This award-winning short was made by Sixin “Dandelion” Lin.
Stream here (YouTube)
15. Frankie (Reed Seed Films) — 10 minutes
Frankie is a LGBTQ, live-action short film about a nonbinary, transgender person who crashes their ex-partner’s men-only 12 step meeting, determined to be heard… no matter the cost.
Speaking to Film Shortage, the director said, “A few years ago, I entered into a men’s codependency group. It was honestly the first time in my life I’d ever been in a space where cisgender men were so openly vulnerable. A common theme amongst all of us in the room was this idea that we’d denied our true selves in an effort to ‘stay safe’ in the face of someone else’s addictions and fears. My spouse Morgan, who is a Producer on Frankie and plays Frankie, was coming out as trans, non-binary at the time, and they were having so many similar revelations about their own experience. The commonality of that human need: to be seen and recognized despite someone else’s fear — that was the seed of Frankie.”
“This short, but vital film is nothing short of a masterpiece. The complexities of this un-story are captured so eloquently, bring to life a narrative we never get to see in our media. There are so many conversations to have after watching Frankie. Although the story specifically explores the intersections of gender, masculinity and recovery there is a universal impact here as we watch Frankie stand up for their truth and demand to be heard. We can all learn a lot from Frankie. As a transgender person myself watching Frankie brought up a lot of my own complex emotions about my own need to be heard, respected, understood, affirmed, appreciated and loved. Morgan O’Sullivan (Frankie) is a tour de force in this short film. They bring an urgency and immense strength to the role that brings you to the edge of your seat. Their performance is a triumph for transgender and non-binary representation. I’ll be keeping a close eye on Red Seed Films, James Kautz, Morgan and the entire team that made this film. THIS is storytelling at its finest. THIS is why I watch films.” — YouTube Review
Filmmakers on LGBTQ Short Film ‘Frankie’ (Out Front Magazine)
Stream here (YouTube)
16. Boy (Station Next) — 16 minutes
Emilie has begun binding and wearing masculine clothes. Their mother is pressuring them to wear a dress at a holiday gathering. The arguments get uglier as the event draws nearer. Danish with English subtitles.
Awards and selections include:
Winner of the Jury Prize at Seoul International Youth Film Festival
Winner of the Audience Award and Jury Award at The Next Film Festival
Winner of the Audience Choice Award at Melbourne Queer Film Festival for Best International Short
Winner of Best International Short Film at Fresh Film Festival
Winner of 3rd Prize for Best Film at Josiah Media Festival
Official Selection: Inside Out LGBT Film Festival Toronto
Official Selection: BFI Flare: London LGBT London Film Festival
Official Selection: National Film Festival of Talented Youth
Official Selection: Rio Festival Gay de Cinema
Official Selection: Iris Prize Festival
17. Impact (2017) — 6 minutes — 397,090 views
A short film about the struggles of being transgender (a trans man in this film) in today’s society.
The short was made in a film course in Järvenpää High School with Sakari Mäkelä as the class teacher.
One YouTube review reads: “Excellent film. Broke my heart up until the end when the young man smiled. I can’t imagine how lonely he felt and thank goodness there are accepting, non judgemental people as portrayed by the young girl.”
Stream here (YouTube)
18. Lost and Found (Princess Joules) — 10 minutes
What would you do if your best friend came out to you as transgender? This is a story about self discovery and friendships.
YouTube review: “Julie we are so proud of you and the platform you are giving our community by doing this. This is going to have a huge impact on young people everywhere.”
YouTube Review: “As a nearly 50-year-old trans woman who began her transition in New York City at the age of 20 (in 1992) It’s so nice to see our lives proudly on display, and to see our stories being told. When I was starting my transition nothing like this existed. In the early 90s everything was still so in the dark. Thank you Julie for opening the worlds eyes, and showing that our stories can have great endings.”
Stream here (YouTube)
19. The Real Thing (Demetra Felina Katz) — 8 minutes — IMDB ranking 8.2/10–250k views
When a soldier returns home, things have often changed. For Staff Sergeant Michael Waltze, the ultimate change is in his child.
While on his tour of duty, his daughter has transitioned and started living her truth. Today he is coming home to surprise her.
YouTube review: “I’ve seen this so many times, but every. single. time. the father says “hi Allie,” my heart melts and I tear up.”
Stream here on YouTube
20. Night Ride (2020) — 14 minutes
This 14-minute Norwegian short made waves following its New York premiere at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival. It went on to earn a nomination for the Best Short Film (Live Action) category at the 2023 Oscars. This makes it the only LGBTQ+ film to be nominated in 2023 across both short categories.
Though the film lost at the 2023 Oscars to An Irish Goodbye, it still represents a stunning achievement in the history of trans cinema. Besides, who needs an Oscar? Night Ride won Best Narrative Short at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2022.
Night Ride follows Ebba, an unassuming woman who accidentally commandeers a tram one night. She picks up a number of passengers as she travels across Norway, one of whom is a trans woman named Ariel.
When two men on the tram begin to accost Ariel, things take an unexpected turn.
Speaking to PinkNews, the director said, “We could easily have shown it more from the trans person’s perspective. But this story is about bystander bravery.”
“Night Ride” was shot throughout the course of a few days in December, 2019, in the town of Trondheim, Norway. Heidi Arnesen, a producer on the film, told me over Zoom about the challenge of finding a location: “In Oslo, they said, ‘No, we don’t want to show that it’s that easy to steal a tram.’ ”
Stream Night Ride for free courtesy of The New Yorker
21. Sam — 10 minutes — 8 million views
“Sam” is a short film about gender identity and LGBTQ bullying written and directed by Sal Bardo.
After being bullied at school for dressing as a boy, Sam escapes into the fields surrounding his house, where he’s forced to choose between who he is and who society thinks he should be.
Sal Bardo is an award-winning writer-director whose movies and music videos often tackle issues affecting the gay and LGBT communities and have screened at film festivals around the world.
YouTube review: “THE GIGGLE WHEN HE LOOKED HIMSELF IN THE MIRROR AND BASICALLY TOLD HIMSELF “I AM A MAN” WAS SO IWNDOSBXOABDOWH WHOLESOME”
YouTube review: “Whoever’s reading this..no matter who to what gender you are, you are beautiful. Some people need to understand that we’re all human and we live the life we want. You are great the way you are.”
Stream it here on YouTube or on the film’s website
BONUS
Now, I know I said this was just short films, but the next list is going to be a bunch of gender funky feature length films and documentaries, and while there are a bazillion hidden gems I can’t wait to tell you about, there’s two in particular I want you to go watch RIGHT NOW.
It’s streaming for free in its entirety on YouTube. The movie is called Bol, and it is one of the highest-grossing Pakistani films of all time.
Bonus Film: Bol (2011)
Bol is a 2011 Pakistani Urdu language social drama film. The story concerns a religious Muslim family facing financial difficulties caused by too many children and changing times, with a major plot involving the father’s desire to have a son and his rejection of his existing intersex child.
Where to Stream Each Movie
Break Free & go here for Ruby Rose @officialrubyrose
for NONNA ANNA and go here for Maya Henry @Mayavhenry
Dusk and go here @JakeGrafFilms
Dawn and go here @JakeGrafFilms
Masked and go here for Momentum Studios @MomentumStudiosAU
Still Me and go here for Momentum Studios @MomentumStudiosAU
Get Off My Turf and go here for My Genderation @MyGenderation
The Change Up and go here for Carter Ray @CarterRay
Like You and go here for The Fox Fisher @TheFoxFisher
Frankie and go here for Film Shortage @FilmShortage
Boy and go here for Lucas Helth @LucasHelthPostma
Impact and go here for Made by Chamber @madebychamber
Lost and Found and go here for Princess Joules @princessjoules
The Real Thing and go here for Demetra Felina Katz @morganefelinakatz8848
Night Ride and go here for The New Yorker @newyorker and go here for a great article “Night Ride Is the Oscar-Nominated LGBTQ+ Short Film More People Need to Know About”
Sam and go here for Sal Bardo @SalBardo and here for the film’s website
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