Top trans and gender diverse films

Mardi Gras Film Festival always features brilliant content from trans and gender diverse people – both behind and in front of the camera.

From shorts, dramas, comedies and On Demand films you can stream at home, here are the top trans and gender diverse films at Queer Screen’s 32nd Mardi Gras Film Festival!

Crossing

Wed 19 Feb, 7:00pm
Event Cinemas, Hurstville
and
Thu 20 Feb, 8:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St

Levan Akin’s (And Then We Danced) Berlinale Teddy Jury Award-winner explores the vibrant trans and queer community of Istanbul. A retired Georgian teacher and her neighbour seem to be searching in vain for her runaway niece, until a trans lawyer introduces them to a whole other side of the city.

We Forgot to Break Up

Tue 18 Feb, 7:00pm
Event Cinemas, George St

The New Normals are a turn of the millennium indie rock band led by ambitious trans man singer-songwriter Evan. But when the band finds success, it pushes the already fragile relationships between bandmate friends and lovers right to the edge, in this nostalgic exploration of the world of fame.

Layla

Tue 25 Feb, 6:20pm
Event Cinemas, George St

In the glittering London club scene a struggling non-binary, Arab drag queen (Bilal Hasna, Extraordinary) falls for a strait-laced marketing exec. But their passionate romance becomes a relationship of compromise and lost identity, in this empowering tale of self-acceptance.

I’m Your Venus

Fri 21 Feb, 6:20pm
Ritz Cinemas, Randwick

Whilst filming legendary ballroom documentary Paris is Burning, one of its iconic trans stars was murdered. Thirty-five years since Venus Xtravaganza’s tragic death, her two families – biological and ballroom – unite to honour her legacy and seek justice, in this cathartic documentary.

Trans & Gender Diverse Shorts

Mon 17 Feb, 6:30pm
Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
and
Fri 28 Feb – Thu 13 Mar
On Demand, Australia-wide

Explore the many facets of trans and gender diverse lives, with this collection of shorts featuring everything from late in life coming out, a high schooler’s qualms when he’s finally treated like “one of the guys” and the voice of Ian McKellen as an all-singing, all-dancing gender-affirming fox.

National Anthem

Fri 21 Feb, 8:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St

When a young construction worker (Charlie Plummer) falls in with a group of queer and trans rodeo riders in rural New Mexico, he discovers the chance to explore himself, his identity and find true freedom for the first time, in this poetic celebration of found family.

Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story

Sat 22 Feb, 4:00pm
Event Cinemas, George St

With her single “Any Other Way”, Black trans singer Jackie Shane rose to stardom in the 1960s. Yet at the height of her fame, she disappeared. Join her family as they discover the remarkable story behind her sudden retreat and eventual return to the spotlight in this eye-opening documentary.

Ponyboi

Fri 14 Feb, 8:30pm
Event Cinemas, George St

Intersex runaway Ponyboi (River Gallo, in a star-making performance) flees the mob and confronts his past in this raw, tender exploration of queer identity, self-discovery and survival. A hit at Sundance, it also features Australia’s Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus), Dylan O’Brien (the Maze Runner franchise), Indya Moore (Pose) and Victoria Pedretti (The Haunting of Bly Manor).

T4T Shorts

Mon 24 Feb, 7:00pm
Ritz Cinemas, Randwick
and
Fri 28 Feb – Thu 13 Mar
On Demand, Australia-wide

Shining a spotlight on stories that centre relationships between trans people, this collection of shorts explores the power of trans love, solidarity and resilience. Emmy-nominee Nava Mau (Baby Reindeer) plays a woman confronted with a volatile ex, a trans masc couple searches for a potential sperm donor and two trans girl best friends prepare to say goodbye, amongst other engrossing shorts.

Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers

Wed 26 Feb, 6:30pm
Ritz Cinemas, Randwick

Eternal trans icon and Warhol superstar Holly Woodlawn is a total riot as a small-town girl on a bonkers quest for stardom, in this fabulously camp ‘70s musical comedy. Recently rediscovered and restored after 50 years, this fabulously camp romp is ready to claim the cult audience it’s long deserved.

Same, Again

Tue 25 Feb, 7:00pm
Event Cinemas, George St

Ruth Caudeli’s (Eva and Candela) latest film explores the delicate interplay of intimacy and power within a Colombian theatre troupe. As hidden abuses and power dynamics surface, the group must decide to unite or divide in this suspenseful, deeply human drama where personal scars and collective strength intertwine.

Desire Lines

Sun 23 Feb, 4:00pm
Dendy Cinemas, Newtown
and
Fri 28 Feb – Thu 13 Mar
On Demand, Australia-wide

In this loving tribute to the transmasculine community, Desire Lines delivers a hybrid documentary unlike anything seen before. Ahmad, an Iranian trans man, takes an unforgettable journey through the archives that seamlessly intertwines archival and contemporary interviews from the transmasculine community.

Carnage for Christmas

Sat 22 Feb, 8:30pm
Dendy Cinemas, Newtown

Prolific DIY Aussie filmmaker Alice Maio Mackay (T Blockers) teams up with Vera Drew (The People’s Joker) as editor on this grisly neon slasher, about a true crime podcaster who must solve the case of a psychotic serial killing Santa whilst visiting her hometown for the first time since transitioning.