To break the mold of past documentaries about gender transformation, 

goes beyond the usual gender binary and linear racial focus. This short documentary follows the story of OluSeyi, a cultural organizer, artist, healer, and Queer Nigerian whose spirit is transcending gender. OluSeyi’s journey includes hormone replacement therapy (testosterone) and an understanding of identity as gender non-conforming.

Against the Grain

A 27-year-old Indonesian, Tim, is having a family vacation with both of his parents on a remote island far from the city, where they learn about the myth of a reincarnated deer that exists somewhere along the beach. Island locals believe that seeing the deer is a sign of meeting one’s soulmate. Tim is the only one who secretly hopes to discover the deer, hiding his desire from his very devout Christian parents.

This film is part of Queer as Folk/lore, a QAMERAD x Otherness Archive collaborative film programme at Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest 2024. You can find more info about the programme below:



Fringe! Queer Film & Arts Fest Screening:
QAMERAD X Otherness Archive: Queer as Folk/lore
September 2024


"Fag-smoking behemoths, gender-bending fairies, reincarnated deer, queens of black magic—what’s on the horizon when queer desires reject mere visibility, and instead, manifest through these elusive, mythological characters? As global queer communities face increasing pressure to conform to neoliberal identity politics, these moving images from Indonesia turn back to pre-colonial folklore, escaping current regimes of control, from hetero-patriarchal representations to hegemonic State narratives. Within these works lie promising potential for radical liberation, where queer desires can live mythically and eternally, beyond recognition from society. This programme is curated by Rizky Rahad as part of SHARED CAMERA/DERIE, a QAMERAD x Otherness Archive collaboration supported by the British Council."

Dear to Me

 alludes to the progressive metamorphosis of the translucent vitreous humor within the eye, wherein the vitreous undergoes liquefaction, resulting in minuscule debris suspended within. My identity within China's sexual minority community places me at the periphery of the collective. In 

, the interaction between reality, dreams, and reality is explored. This artistic piece employs traditional folk remedies to challenge entrenched gender stereotypes. As I navigate this narrative, I question the value of passing down outdated perceptions. Is it an homage to the past or a manifestation of resignation? 

 embodies this query, prompting viewers to ponder the interplay between tradition and the present. As dreams serve as a microcosm of actuality, I ask: Can the line between dreams and reality be distinguished? 

 is an expedition of self-discovery and societal introspection, illuminating the delicate balance between tradition and contemporary perspectives.



Floaters

 re-imagines performance lineages surrounding the mythological figure of the Rangda: Bali’s queen of the graveyard and patroness of black magic. The story of Rangda, and her alter incarnation, the legendary witch widow Calonarang, occupies a central role within Bali’s spirit cosmology and frames a narrative around an undesirable woman as a dangerous and deviant social disrupter. 

However,alongside her feared otherness, Rangda is also conceived as a balancing force for spiritual order, and a powerful matriarchal protector. The film centres upon a matrilineal building and passing of knowledge around Rangda, channelling her presence through different bodies,performance genres and landscapes. GROH GOH proposes a matrilineal shapeshifting of Balinese art histories, as a counter to sustained colonial and touristic interpretations, and looks at how these stories migrate and reconfigure in diasporic contexts.

GROH GOH (Rehearsal for Rangda)

Trans-masculine and pregnant in the mid-1990s, Joaquín moves from the city to the anonymity of a 200-year-old colonial farm house in the hill towns of Western Massachusetts (Pocumtuc territory), working as a customer service operator for a local herbal company. Joaquín discovers a shapeshifting spirit guide in a tree nearby their home. 

The spirit's presence permeates the old house as Joaquín awaits their due date. Joaquín's water breaks two weeks early and a precipitous labor ensues. Is this spirit haunting or guiding Joaquín as they await their midwife?

Winner of the 2020 Best in Show Short Film, Boston LGBTQ+ Film Festival

Light on a Path 

The documentary cover an overview of historical and contemporary Native American concepts of gender, sexuality and sexual orientation. This documentary explores the berdache tradition in Native American culture, in which individuals who embody feminine and masculine qualities act as a conduit between the physical and spiritual world, and because of this are placed in positions of power within the community.

Categories

Spiritual