In celebration of International Transgender Day of Visibility (March 31), the folks at CINEMQ, an independent queer collective based in Shanghai with a focus on LGBTQ+ cinema, have put together a Twitter thread with a selection of some short films that focus on trans, genderqueer and non-binary folk.
We’ve rounded that thread up into a Daily Drip, with their permission — check out their recommendations below:
Blooming Night
Blooming Night is a compact 9-minute short, accompanied by this description over on Vimeo:
“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.”
Slingshot Prince
This award-winning short was made by Sixin “Dandelion” Lin. The trailer and pitch video for this one are available on YouTube, with behind-the-scenes footage over on the film’s website.
For a brief introduction to the story, you can head over to the film’s website:
“It’s 1995 in a small town in the south of China and 12-year-old Tomboy girl is an embarrassment to her family who values her younger brother far more than her. Tomboy girl has decided to dress like a boy, think like a man and count the days until she can leave her village and find a place where she can be treated as an equal. The boys in her school are threatened by Tomboy girl’s independence and decide to teach her a lesson by cornering her in a dark alley and sexually molesting her. Determined to avenge this injustice, Tomboy girl chases the boys through town, picking them off one-by-one with her slingshot.”
Kaspar X: If I Had A Soul
This intimate Cantonese-language documentary is set in Hong Kong and follows a transgender boy, Kasper, “as he struggles to realign his body with his soul.”
To watch the full short, head over to Gagaoolala.
Goodbye Mr B Hello Miss B!
While the trailer for this one is readily available, the full 15-minute short proves more elusive. Hong Konger Beatrice Wong documents her transition and the struggles that accompanied it.
Cover image: Slingshot Prince courtesy of Sixin Lin/IMDb
