A random collection of films authored by or about my transgender, intersex sisters, and gender-nonconforming persons all over the world. I watched some of them, and I was inspired by some of them. I met some of the authors and heroines, some of them are my best friends, and I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing some of them. If you know of any transgender documentary that I have not covered yet, please let me know.
Director: Marco Mura
Release Year: 2012
Synopsis:
Released in 2012, Iside, il bruco diventa farfalla (translated as Isis, the Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly) is a poignant and deeply personal short film that marks the directorial debut of Sardinian filmmaker Marco Mura. Despite its low budget and simple production values, the film carries an immense emotional weight as it explores themes of gender identity, societal rejection, and personal transformation. Through the lens of the protagonist, Isis, a young MtF (Male-to-Female) transgender woman, the film explores her journey of self-realization and the difficult path to becoming the woman she has always known herself to be.
The film centers around Isis, a young transgender woman living in a small, conservative village in Sardinia. From a young age, Isis has felt that her true gender is female, even though her body and the world around her have insisted otherwise. The film captures her personal struggles with this disconnect, highlighting the challenges she faces both internally and externally.
Director: Alessandro Blasetti
Release Year: 1959
Original title: Europa di notte
Synopsis:
Europa di notte (1959), directed by Alessandro Blasetti, is a captivating, albeit unconventional documentary that takes viewers on a night-time journey through the dazzling and often illicit world of European cabaret. Through a series of vignettes set in famous nightlife spots in major European cities—London, Paris, Madrid, and Vienna—the film introduces a panorama of variety acts, including burlesque shows, dancing, magic tricks, and musical performances. It captures the spirit of post-war European entertainment, reflecting both the vibrancy and decadence of the cabaret scene that flourished during the 1950s.
Blasetti, known primarily for his work in Italian cinema, particularly within the neorealist and historical genres, approached Europa di notte with a distinctive style that blended documentary and spectacle. The film was something of an experimental work for him, designed to be an almost chaotic collage of performances and nightlife, presented as an "artistic documentary" where the line between reality and entertainment was often blurred. He described the film as a "spectacle-documentary," a fusion of reality and artistic performance that might one day disappear as the world of cabaret slowly faded into history. The documentary was a snapshot of an era, featuring some of the most famous entertainers of the time, and it would later be credited with inspiring the genre of "mondo movies," films that expose various aspects of society, often with a sensationalized and voyeuristic tone.
1959,
Coccinelle,
Italian,
Italy,
Jacqueline Charlotte Dufresnoy,
Director: Peppe Lanzetta
Release Year: 2012
Synopsis:
"Sara Sarà" (2012), a short film directed by Peppe Lanzetta, offers a refreshing and poignant glimpse into the life of a transgender woman, presenting her not as a figure of pity or sympathy, but as a vibrant, self-assured individual whose personal and professional identity are as multifaceted as they are empowering. The film tells the story of Sara Carbone, also known as Sara Charlotte, a transgender woman from Naples who works as both a hairdresser and a performer in burlesque shows. With its focus on Sara’s confidence and ambition, Lanzetta’s film stands out for its groundbreaking portrayal of the transgender experience, emphasizing joy, resilience, and self-determination rather than the suffering or victimization often associated with such narratives.
Sara is depicted as a woman with a rich and fulfilling life that includes a successful career in the arts and a deep love for beauty and performance. As a burlesque artist, Sara’s performances blend glamour, sensuality, and humor, allowing her to express herself in a way that transcends the conventional norms often imposed on women, particularly transgender women. The film highlights her exceptional talent as a makeup artist and hairstylist, skills she has honed over the years to become not just a professional but a key figure in the artistic community of her neighborhood. These talents are central to the narrative, which showcases Sara as someone who is deeply engaged in her work and capable of inspiring others, especially the younger generation. She dreams of creating a cultural and artistic project that could engage the kids in her area, encouraging them to explore their own creativity and sense of self.
2012,
Italian,
Italy,
Sara Carbone,
Director: Lina Cascella & Cinzia Sarto
Release Year: 2004
Synopsis:
Femmina Per Grazia Ricevuta (2004), directed by Lina Cascella and Cinzia Sarto, is an intimate and poignant documentary that captures the journey of Sara Carbone, a transgender woman who courageously confronts the complex and often painful realities of gender identity, discrimination, and societal rejection. The title, roughly translated as "Female by Grace Received," alludes to both the grace and the struggle that come with Sara's transformation and the societal forces that push against her as she seeks recognition and acceptance in a world that refuses to understand or accommodate her.
The documentary stands out not only for its exploration of transgender identity but also for the deeply human story it tells—one of resilience in the face of immense personal and societal obstacles. Through the lens of Sara Carbone’s life, Femmina Per Grazia Ricevuta offers a broader reflection on gender, identity, and the fight for the right to exist authentically in a world that demands conformity. The film was praised for its raw, unsentimental portrayal of Sara’s life and for its unflinching exploration of the difficulties transgender people often face, particularly in terms of social marginalization, personal relationships, and bureaucratic barriers.
2004,
Italian,
Italy,
Sara Carbone,
Director: Fabiomassimo Lozzi
Release Year: 2013
Synopsis:
Nessuno è perfetto! (2013) by Fabiomassimo Lozzi is a profound exploration into the complex world of transgender identities, told through the personal stories of five individuals who navigate the intricacies of gender, society, and self-acceptance. The film, whose title translates to "Nobody is Perfect!", sheds light on the lived experiences of transgender people in Italy, focusing particularly on the pre-Law 164 era, a period when legal recognition and social acceptance of transgender individuals were still far from being guaranteed. With a humanistic touch, Lozzi and writer Antonio Veneziani craft a narrative that is as emotional as it is enlightening, showcasing how individuals from various walks of life have faced adversity, rejection, and their own internal struggles in the pursuit of self-realization.
The narrative is built around four main characters: Georgiana, a civil servant; Marcello, an eccentric milliner; Andreas, a fishmonger; and Daniela, an escort. Each of them represents a unique facet of the transgender experience, portraying both the challenges and the triumphs they encounter in a world that often seeks to marginalize or misunderstand them. The characters' stories are personal, deeply intimate, and yet universally relatable, exploring not only the external struggles they face in their respective professions and social environments but also the internal transformation that occurs as they fight to express their authentic selves.
2013,
Andrea Berardicurti,
Carmen Bertolazzi,
Italian,
Italy,
Leila Pereira Daianis,
Michele Capozzi,
Porpora Marcasciano,
Director: Antonio Prisco
Release Year: 2012
Synopsis:
In 2012, Antonio Prisco, an experimental filmmaker and graphic designer with a deep-rooted passion for fashion, released Icontroversy, a short yet striking documentary-style film that challenged conventional norms and posed powerful questions about identity, society, and religion in contemporary Italy. With a runtime of only three minutes, Icontroversy was not just a film; it was a raw, visceral commentary on the experience of marginalization, the struggle for acceptance, and the harsh realities of life as a transgender individual in a society fraught with contradictions.
Set against the backdrop of Italy’s complex social and religious landscape, Icontroversy is a brutal and uncompromising exploration of homophobia, transphobia, and the broader issues that affect marginalized communities, particularly transgender people. The film is both a personal and collective reflection on the tensions within Italian society, where traditional Catholic values often clash with the evolving acceptance of gender and sexual diversity. At the core of this short film is an unwavering critique of the social and religious institutions that perpetuate discrimination, and an acknowledgment of the struggles of those who exist on the fringes.
Antonio Prisco himself described the film as a "violent and personal view" of the current Italian social and religious mood. In a society still grappling with the tension between modernity and conservatism, Icontroversy brings into sharp focus the harsh realities faced by those who do not conform to traditional gender roles, including the transgender community.
2012,
Italian,
Italy,
Lia Zeta,
Director: Gianfranco Mingozzi
Release Year: 2008
Synopsis:
The 2008 documentary Giorgio/Giorgia: Storia di una Voce, directed by Gianfranco Mingozzi, offers a poignant and captivating portrait of one of Italy’s most unconventional and groundbreaking artists—Giorgia O’Brien. Born as Giorgio Montana in Palermo on May 11, 1928, O’Brien’s life and career present an extraordinary tale of self-transformation, artistic innovation, and resilience.
As one of the first cross-gender performers in Italy, Giorgia O’Brien’s story spans across decades of social and cultural change, from the post-war years to the 21st century. Through Giorgio/Giorgia, Mingozzi sheds light on the multifaceted journey of this legendary figure, whose voice and talent transcended the boundaries of gender, and whose legacy continues to resonate in the annals of Italian cultural history.
2008,
Giorgia O’Brien,
Italian,
Italy,
