Julie Wyman's compelling documentary chronicles the transformation of a transsexual named Theo from a woman to a man over the course of six years. The film successfully captures Theo's physiological and psychological changes during the process, as well as their effects on his lesbian lover and community of close friends. Taking full advantage of the unlimited access she received into an extraordinarily personal process, Wyman carefully composes a moving story about gender identity, relationships, and how even things that seem permanent can change.

 is one of the best videos to date on female-to-male transsexual experience. Wyman spent six years taping Sue's transformation into Theo and then organized a huge archive of material into a moving, informative and smart rendering of what a difference sex reassignment surgeries can make not only to the transsexual himself but also to all those in his immediate circle. Theo is a great subject and Wyman is a talented and imaginative documentarian. If you are looking for a sensitive and sophisticated representation of transsexual experience, look no further." Jack Halberstam, University of California, San Diego

A Boy Named Sue

During the early 1990s, San Francisco was the epicentre of body modification and gender nonconformity, with transgender pioneers like Patrick Califia and Tala Brandeis fighting for visibility, alongside the voice of a bold S/M community.


Michelle Handelman’s provocative and pioneering documentary 

 captures these queer outlaws in their zeitgeist moment, shot on digital video with an unfiltered rawness that mirrors the activism of the era. From pushy bottoms to macho femmes, 

 immerses the viewer in the San Francisco leather dyke scene, shattering assumptions about gender and lesbian sexuality, while broadening the discussion about personal expressions of eroticism and their political implications. In the 1990s, 

 was attacked in congress by the American Family Association for its depictions of radical lesbian sexuality.


Twenty-five years later, the film has become recognized as a treasured historical document of a movement that tore down barriers of sex, gender, and activism.

BloodSisters: Leather, Dykes & Sadomasochism

 chronicles the tale of two unlikely friends who commit petty crimes as they search for a path to understanding themselves and the outside world. Silas Howard plays Shy, a transgender man who leaves his small town after the death of his father, and heads to the big city to live a life of crime. Along the way, he encounters Valentine, a quirky adoptee, in search of his birth mother. An immediate kinship is sparked between these men and they become partners in crime. Suffering money troubles, emotional problems, and physical confrontations, the duo face their issues head-on and learn to trust each other and support each other in pursuit of their goals.

By Hook or by Crook

Troy (Steve Zahn), a troubled but well-intentioned father has recently separated from his wife Sally (Jillian Bell). Aghast at Sally's refusal to let their trans son Joe (Sasha Knight) live as his authentic self, Troy runs off with Joe into the Montana wilderness.

Meanwhile, a police detective (Ann Dowd) pursues them, but her resolve about the case is tested the more she learns about Joe's family.

Cowboys

is a hybrid feature film that blends personal interviews, archival materials, and narrative fiction as a framework for exploring the complicated and often unwritten history of transmasculine sexuality. Testimonials from transgender men both past and present dissect how cultural expectations, political agendas, and gatekeeping practices shape the locus of desire.

The fictional story centers on Ahmad, an Iranian expat who arrived in the US at the onset of the AIDS crisis. Now in his 60s, concealing his trans identity for decades has meant distancing himself from intimacy. Ahmad comes to the LGBTQ archives of Chicago to explore his latent homosexuality and engage in fantasy to reimagine his life as an out, gay trans man.

He is assisted by Kieran, a twenty-something nonbinary archivist who is immersed in queer culture and trans community. An intergenerational friendship takes hold as Kieran realizes they are in the presence of a trans elder in need of guidance. Though they come from radically different cultures, Ahmad and Kieran’s bond is strengthened by a shared fascination with Lou Sullivan, a gay transgender AIDS activist. Ahmad sees himself in Lou, although his story is a sobering reminder of the cost of living as openly gay and trans.

Ahmad’s research blends fact with fiction, often diving into fantasy sequences that re-imagine the gay bathhouses of the 70s and 80s through a transmasculine lens. As his curiosity evolves, Ahmad’s insecurities begin to fall away. He’s fascinated when Kieran shares their experiences in the modern-day bathhouses of Chicago, though he initially lacks compassion when Kieran confesses to an STD scare. As the archive closes due to the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, Ahmad makes a final attempt at reconciliation with Kieran, ending on the promise of a blossoming friendship before transitioning into a final fantasy sequence at a traditional Persian bathhouse filled with queer and trans patrons. At last, Ahmad can finally feel desired for who he is.

Their story is punctuated throughout by intimate interviews with trans-identified men about their varied experiences with gay male cruising culture, affirming interactions in a bathhouse, or lack of adequate healthcare for masculine-of center folks. These brutally honest exchanges bring to light the untold history of a group of people who have been doubly marginalized by straight and gay communities alike.

The film pivots between fantasy, fiction, and fact using the letters and interviews of Lou Sullivan as the historical core. Interspersed throughout are clips of the heart-wrenching final interviews between psychiatrist Dr. Ira Pauly and Lou in his final days before succumbing to AIDS. Alongside the contemporary oral histories from a diverse group of transmen across the US, participants candidly discuss the evolution of their desires and illuminate their struggles with gender (non)conformity, fetishization, transphobia, safer sex, and sexual racism.

 is a tender love letter to the gay transmasculine community and the legacy that Lou Sullivan, and many unnamed others like him, left behind.

Desire Lines

 is a story of an unlikely and daring friendship that develops despite social norms and religious beliefs.


Although Rana is a traditional wife and mother, she is forced to drive a cab to pay oﬀ the debt that keeps her husband in prison. By chance she picks up the wealthy and rebellious Edi, who is desperately awaiting a passport to leave the country. At ﬁrst Rana attempts to help, but when she realizes that Edi is transgender, a dangerous series of conﬂicts arises. Directed by Negar Azarbayjani, 

 is the ﬁrst narrative ﬁlm from Iran to feature a transgender main character.

"At first, Rana is afraid of Edi upon finding out he identifies as a trans man, but as she learns more about what being transgender means, she becomes his biggest ally. This is one of the only films made inside Iran which mainly centres the complexity of being a trans man in Iran, and dangers that may follow due to unsupportive families and laws such as the compulsory hijab laws that also affect trans men as well as  women."

- Katayoun Jalilipour, written on behalf of Otherness Archive for #TransLifeFreedom: A list of 5 Iranian films that center trans identities, gender non-conformity and queerness, with a focus on trans masculinity

Facing Mirrors

Emerging from years in isolation to an enraptured crowd, a transgender, septuagenarian musical genius finally finds his place in the world. Part biopic, part tour documentary, Keyboard Fantasies tells the time-travelling tale of this mystical musician and vocalist, as the present finally catches up with him and he embarks on his first international tour at the age of 74

Keyboard Fantasies

 takes us into the heart of transgender male (FTM) culture, revealing unexpected truths about gender, masculinity, humanity and love. Four trans men (who like the film's director were born and raised female), take a variety of life paths toward stepping on stage at Trans FitCon, the only
all-transgender bodybuilding competition in the world (held in Atlanta, GA). 

 is a character-driven, intimate, and riveting verité-style competition film, but also a unique social justice narrative. It speaks to the ways in which we all choose to define and reshape ourselves, both figuratively and literally.

Man Made

Four friends – Nic, Leo, Andrea and Raff – tell the stories of their gender transitions. Looking back on their childhood and youth, they share their personal memories and experiences. Even if they did not always conform to the social norms of femininity – all four were socialised as girls. Each of their gender biographies may be different, yet there are parallels. This helps them to understand each other and feel less alone. 

The discussions with partners, the choice of pronouns, the hormone therapy, decisions about surgery and dealing with the authorities – the processes are diverse, and lengthy. In the strictly binary world we live in, the decision to determine one’s own gender identity is a subversive act. 

 gives trans people a space to describe their personal paths to their own identity with the name they have chosen for themselves. The film is also a frank and sensitive depiction of the hurdles that they have had to overcome in society in order to implement the necessary social, physical and legal changes.

Nel Mio Nome

 is an intimate story of a family in transition. As 19-year-old Bennett Wallace navigates early sobriety, late adolescence, and the evolution of his gender identity, his mother makes her own transformation from resistance to acceptance of her trans son. Along the way, both mother and son find support in their communities, reminding us that families are not only given but chosen.

Real Boy 

Twenty-year-old Lukas is a female-to-male (FTM) Transgender man, taking the steps through his gender reassignment treatment. His friendship with Ine, who is lesbian, is making the changes and assimilation easier. Lukas sees his romantic world open up for him as Ine introduces him to gay life in Cologne. As he becomes more and more interested in a local gay boy, things are getting more and more complicated.

Romeos

After skipping town a decade ago, transgender activist Caz Davis returns to the remote, politically divided dairy community of Rūrangi, hoping to reconnect with his estranged father, who hasn’t heard from him since before Caz transitioned.

Rūrangi

One trans man’s pioneering quest to fulﬁll an age-old desire: to start his own family. This is the story of the dad who gave birth. Freddy is 30 and yearns to start a family but for him this ordinary desire comes with unique challenges. He is a gay transgender man.


Deciding to carry his own baby took years of soul searching, but nothing could prepare him for the reality of pregnancy, as both a physical experience and one that challenges society's fundamental understanding of gender, parenthood and family. He quickly realises that what to him feels pragmatic, to others feels deeply confusing and confronting; this was not part of his plan.


Against a backdrop of increasing hostility towards trans people the world over, Freddy is forced to confront his own naivety, mine unknown depths of courage and lean on every friend and family member who will stand by him.
Made with unprecedented access and collaboration over three years, the ﬁlm follows Freddy from preparing to conceive right through to birth. It is an
intimate, audacious and lyrical story for the cinema about conception, pregnancy, birth and what makes us who we are.

Seahorse: The Dad Who Gave Birth

Buck Angel, master of redefining gender brings you never revealed secrets of trans men sexuality. This groundbreaking educational adult film consists of interviews and jack-off scenes with four different trans men (aged 20-35).
Each scene starts with an interview in which the performers share intimate details about who they are and why they transitioned from female to male.
Removing their clothes, they take you on a thrilling journey as they show you how their sexuality has been supercharged by testosterone.

(Note from Otherness Archive: We recognise and do not endorse Angel as a artist to elevate. 'Sexing the Transman' exists within this archive for documental purposes.)

The transguys reveal what turns them on as they stroke their enlarged clits and use their favorite sex toys in all their holes. Each riveting scene ends with an explosive orgasm. As an added a bonus, there is a super hardcore sex scene of Buck Angel with another hot FTM, Fallen.


The all-original music features amazing opera arias by Hilary Whitmore and great rock and roll music produced by Ponyboy. Buck Angel’s new film, 

, has been chosen to screen alongside the best contemporary gay, lesbian, transgender and/or bisexual films from all over the world.

Sexing the Transman

This film introduces three onnabes who work as hosts at the New Marilyn Club in Tokyo. Onnabes are women who live as men and have girlfriends, although they don't usually identify as lesbians. As the film follows them at home and on the job, all three talk frankly to the camera about their gender-bending lives, revealing their views about women, sex, transvestitism and lesbianism.

Shinjuku Boys

 documents the final year in the life of transgender man Robert Eads, a fifty year old farmer living in Toccoa, a small rural community in Northern Georgia. Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1996 he seeks help from dozens of doctors but each one of them refuses to operate out of fear that treating a transgender person would negatively impact the reputation of their clinic. Film takes its name from the “Southern Comfort Conference” which is held every year in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the most important transgender events in the Eastern part of the USA, gathering celebrities, doctors, therapists etc.

14 page article on Transgender Tapestry Magazine

Southern Comfort

JJ is a 'Stud' Lesbian. Together with her best friend Seb, a gay pretty boy, they work as wedding photographers. When JJ falls in love with a beautiful diva, JJ and Seb's friendship is tested. JJ is forced to choose between her hot new lover and her best friend.

Stud Life

TRANSformazzjoni is a documentary that provides an insight into Trans* peoples’ everyday lives in Malta. The documentary puts a spotlight on 5 Maltese Trans* people from different walks of life giving full visibility to a wide range of people in the Trans* community, which all represent a section of Maltese society and to which different people can relate to.

TRANSformazzjoni 

This pioneering documentary filmed in NYC from 1997-2004 follows a group of "Aggressives," or "AG's" - masculine presenting and/or identifying - queer people of color who were assigned female at birth. It explores their dreams, secrets and deepest fears as well as their social spaces like the "ballroom" and club scene.


Ultimately the film focuses on the humanity of the subjects while attempting to unravel evolving terms around gender definition.

The Aggressives

An exclusive and intimate portrait following the first pregnant man, Thomas and his wife Nancy, into the delivery room as Thomas gives birth to their baby daughter Susan.

The Pregnant Man

An utterly fascinating, beautifully crafted exploration of the world of drag kings—women who dress, perform and/or live as men. 

Shot over a period of several years, we enter into the intimate lives of the film's subjects, Drag King pioneer Diane Torr, garbed as her alter ego Danny King, German performance artist Bridge Markland and in London, Del LaGrace Volcano a photographer whose startling images take us into a subculture of “new men” who experiment with male hormones.

Venus Boyz

Anderson (birth name ‘Vera’) is a transsexual man who lives in a correctional facility for young people. He later meets a benevolent man, who helps him come into his gender identity and begin to dress as a man, and eventually falls in love with a woman and passing as cisgender to her family.

CW: Disturbing themes and use of outdated language 

Vera

 follows a group of Transgender individuals struggling to make their way in every strata of 1980s America. From ﬁnding employment to ﬁnding acceptance, the ﬁrst question the world forces them to ask is always, "

What Sex Am I

There is no privacy… there is no safety… the terror will follow you home.


Emily Hollander becomes the subject of a lesbian obsession at the hands of Andrea Glassen, her next-door neighbour.

 released in the same year, has been accused of being homophobic before being reevaluated as a queer classic later on.

Windows

Lyle, Max, Michael, Steven, Ted, and James: a photographer who lifts weights, a cop, a mechanic, writers, an artist; one is gay, at least three are in serious relationships with women; one was in the seminary; one has three children from a previous marriage. 

All six were assigned female at birth, and all are female-to-male (FTM) transgender men. They talk about childhood, deciding to make the change, telling parents and friends and co-workers, testosterone therapy, surgeries, organs, embracing their histories, and how their lives are now. Friends, a parent, lovers, and two children also talk. All six men express joy at their new-found and more complete identities.

You Don’t Know Dick: Courageous Hearts of Transsexual Men

"It takes a village to raise a child, but if you’re queer, it also takes a village to understand the process of creating one. Through sensitive and vital conversations, many from the perspective of those conceived by sperm donors, Johnson navigates relationships, sperm banks, multiple queer communities and the national health service itself, in an attempt to do family and reproduction differently." - Jay Bernard

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