Ammonite

Francis Lee : 2020

A raw love story between a solitary palaeontologist and a wealthy, grieving wife. In 1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning works alone on the rugged Dorset coast. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison, she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship. Francis Lee's second feature premiered in the Gala Presentations at Toronto International Film Festival 2020.

Nightwalk

Małgorzata Szumowska : 2020

It's nighttime in Warsaw, Poland. Two very different homes. In one, a father is slovenly stretched out on a sofa, watching sports, expecting his son to be everything he is. In another apartment, all clean modern, an affluent mother sits to have dinner with her daughter, who isn't like her at all. Simultaneously, both the boy and the girl embark on a night journey of transformation, where they shed their inherited gender layers. The city streets become a catwalk of liberation. When they meet, by chance – face-to-face, body-to-body – they wordlessly mirror each other with comfort and assurance. The nineteenth commission from designer Miu Miu as part of "Women's Tales", a series of short films by women who critically celebrate femininity in the 21st century. Małgorzata Szumowska's film screened at Venice Days 2020.

Under the Skin

Robin Harsch : 2019
Sous la peau

Three transgender teenagers, Soän, Effie Alexandra and Logan take the long path of physical transformation to finally arrive at their perceived gender identity, supported by parents and counsellors. They undergo radical physical changes caused by hormone therapy and surgery. This is the external metamorphosis that finally brings their appearance into line with their long-felt gender identity. Behind them lie desperate years in which they had to struggle not only with themselves but also with their family and school environments. This continuous experience of rejection and harassment has made them vulnerable. They long for the day when they don't have to explain themselves all the time. Robin Harsch's documentary premiered in the Next Masters Competition at DOK Leipzig 2019.

Sisters with Transistors

Lisa Rovner : 2020

Think of early electronic music and you'll likely see men pushing buttons, knobs, and boundaries. While electronic music is often perceived as a boys club, the truth is from the very beginning women have been integral in inventing the devices, techniques and tropes that would define the shape of sound for years to come. As one of the film's subjects, Laurie Spiegel explains: "We women were especially drawn to electronic music when the possibility of a woman composing was in itself controversial. Electronics let us make music that could be heard by others without having to be taken seriously by the male-dominated establishment." Sisters with Transistors is more than just the history of a music genre: it's the story of how we hear and the critical but little-known role female pioneers play in that story. With the wider social, political and cultural context of the 20th century as a backdrop, this all archival documentary reveals a unique emancipation struggle, restoring the central role of women in the history of music and society at large. Lisa Rovner's documentary was selected to premiere at SXSW 2020.

Gunpowder Heart

Camila Urrutia : 2019
Pólvora en el corazón

Claudia and María have fallen in love. They roam the streets of the city of Guatemala. Claudia works at a call centre and is uninterested in the world around her. She lives with her activist grandfather, who tries to persuade her to join his cause. María unlike Claudia, is more spontaneous and lives with her mother in the outskirts of the city. The chaotic streets are filled with common stories of abuse, unforgiving police officers, and charming secret corners. Everything changes one night when they are attacked by three men. Although they manage to escape, Claudia is faced with the dilemma of choosing revenge or listening to her grandfather's advice. Camila Urrutia's feature debut premiered in competition at Huelva Ibero-American Film Festival 2019, and was selected to have its North American premiere at SXSW 2020.

Pyrale

Roxanne Gaucherand : 2020

In the middle of summer 2016, the box tree moth takes over the Drôme Provençale region. Accidentally introduced into France, this moth forces inhabitants, virtually forsaken by the authorities and helpless faced with the scale of the phenomenon, to improvise defensive systems to fight the invasion of their houses and businesses as well as the devastation of their lands. In this apocalyptic climate, 18-year-old Lou spends her last summer in the South and discovers her feelings for her childhood friend, Sam. As their relationship gradually develops into a love affair, the urgency and upheaval that she feels echo her environment; an ecosystem subverted by an unexpected invasion. Roxanne Gaucherand's short premiered in the Burning Lights International Competition section at Visions du Réel 2020.

We Are the Radical Monarchs

Linda Goldstein Knowlton : 2019

Queer besties and community activists Anayvette Martinez and Marilyn Hollinquest wanted to empower the young women of colour in their Oakland neighbourhood, by setting up a youth group. Instead of selling cookies and learning to sew, these girls march on LGBTIQ+ Prides and meet activists from Black Panthers. They earn badges for units on social justice, such as Black Lives Matter, Radical Beauty, Disability Justice, and being an LGBTQ ally. We Are the Radical Monarchs follows the creation of this social justice radical troop and the blossoming of self-love. We also follow Martinez and Hollinquest as they struggle to keep Radical Monarchs alive alongside full-time jobs and limited funding. This joyous film is full of hope and inspiration to see the next generation of fierce, confident young women more than ready to take on the world. Linda Goldstein Knowlton's documentary premiered in competition at SXSW 2019, and was selected to have its UK premiere at BFI Flare 2020.

Transkids

Hilla Medalia : 2019

Four Israeli teenagers undergo the process of life-and-identity-saving gender transformation in a country where military service is mandatory and Orthodox Jewish religion is the law. Sixteen is a riotous age – full of promise and excitement, riddled with hormone explosions and petulance. Four teens let the cameras in to share a crucial juncture in the formation of their identities. Romy is a typical beauty queen, whose secular single mum tried to steer her away from femininity with orthodox school. Liron tried hard to be super girly before realising it was completely wrong for him. Noam is born into a religious family and wants to become a rabbi. And Ofri is a regular tomboy scout who always knew he was different. Delving into its subjects' lives as they divulge the turning points in their transitions, the film examines the impact upon them of the society they live in. Hilla Medalia's documentary was selected to have its UK premiere at BFI Flare 2020.

Aviva

Boaz Yakin : 2020

Aviva is the story of a couple and their complicated relationship in trying to balance both sides of their respective characters; the masculine and feminine. Aviva and Eden as with all new relationships are facing conflict within their partnership. These conflicts extend outward, touching everything, resulting in disruptive behaviour that challenges their very real connection. Aviva and Eden, in the story of their journey as a couple from courtship to marriage, to a divorce and finally into deep loving friendship. It is a theme of the masculine/feminine duality in each of them and how that balance or imbalance affects the relationship between them. For the purposes of this story, each character is played by a man and a woman to reflect the conflicting sides of our own inner male and female perspectives. Aviva is the unique exploration of gender within ourselves, told through the lens of a modern-day romantic relationship from Paris to New York. Boaz Yakin's narrative feature was selected to premiere at SXSW 2020.

Summerland

Jessica Swale : 2020

Secluded in her picturesque countryside cottage, Alice toils away at her academic thesis on pagan myths while the rest of the world is in turmoil. The Second World War rages, yet its impact is barely felt by the solitary and prickly writer. Unmarried, she attracts the consternation of local villagers and is tormented by their children. Nursing a heartache from her past, Alice would quite like the world to leave her alone, but it has very different plans for her – in the form of Frank, an evacuee from London. Initially determined to be rid of this interloper, the guilelessness of youth soon breaks though Alice's tough exterior. The boy opens old wounds with innocent questions about Alice's past. Flashbacks reveal an all-consuming love affair with the decadent Vera, which unfolded when both women were barely out of their teens and everything seemed possible. Jessica Swale's directorial debut was selected to premiere at BFI Flare 2020.

Petite fille

Sébastien Lifshitz : 2020
Little Girl

When she grows up, she will be a girl. This is something Sasha has dreamed of since childhood. Her family soon realises how serious she is. In addition to interviews with the parents, who acknowledge their daughter as such without hesitation, the film depicts the family's tireless struggle against a hostile environment as well as their everyday lives. We see Sasha at play, practising ballet and during a visit to a therapist specialising in gender identities. At school, Sasha is not allowed to appear as a girl but must wear gender-specific boys' clothes. Tenderly filmed images and close-ups of Sasha's face create a gentle intimacy. Sometimes, it is as if she does not understand why everything is so complicated and why she cannot simply be what she is and wear what she wants. A touching portrait of an eight-year-old who questions her gender and who, in doing so, provokes some disturbing reactions from a society still stuck in a biologically deterministic boy-girl way of thinking. Sébastien Lifshitz's documentary premiered in the Panorama Dokumente section at Berlin International Film Festival 2020.

Always Amber

Lia Hietala & Hannah Reinikainen : 2020

At the age of 17, Amber opted for the gender-neutral Swedish pronoun "hen" and began consulting a therapist specialising in gender identities. Together with best friend Sebastian, the two queer youngsters share a world far away from the judging eyes of society. When they are together, anything feels possible. We get to hang out with Amber and Sebastian during this identity building period, when they share everything from dreams and parties to new friendships. But when Amber falls in love with Charlie, something starts to challenge their utopian world. Trust issues begin to emerge, and in the midst of it all Amber has to face going through their transition alone. Possessed of a pop icon-like sense of style, Amber's social-media-savvy circle of friends celebrates a spectrum of fluid identities and the value of the close ties that can only emerge from this freedom. Lia Hietala and Hannah Reinikainen's observational documentary premiered in the Panorama Dokumente section at Berlin International Film Festival 2020.

Las Mil y Una

Clarisa Navas : 2020
One in a Thousand

Clad in sportswear, 17-year-old Iris dribbles her basketball through the wide courtyards of her social housing estate somewhere in Argentina. She has been expelled from school and spends the warm days and nights with her two best friends – her cousins – in cramped rooms, fiddling with her mobile phone, or on the empty streets of the town. While playing hide-and-seek, the boys disappear with other boys, they strip off in front of the webcam and write passionate texts in which they rail against a heteronormative society. There is a deceptive lightness in the air and the promise that, when it comes to love and sex, anything is possible. When cool and self-confident Renata enters the scene, Iris is fascinated, and it is not long before they begin flirting. But on the estate, the rumours about Renata's past are getting louder and louder. Caught between coming out and cyberbullying, community life and poverty, love and violence, the film captures the transition between the tenderness of childhood and the bitter reality of the adult world. Clarisa Navas's feature debut premiered in the Panorama section at Berlin International Film Festival 2020.

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

Sam Feder : 2020

An unprecedented, eye-opening look at transgender depictions in film and television, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender. Leading trans thinkers and creatives, including Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton, and Chaz Bono, share their reactions and resistance to some of Hollywood's most beloved moments. Grappling with films like A Florida Enchantment (1914), Dog Day Afternoon, The Crying Game, and Boys Don't Cry, and with shows like The Jeffersons, The L-Word, and Pose, they trace a history that is at once dehumanising, yet also evolving, complex, and sometimes humorous. What emerges is a fascinating story of dynamic interplay between trans representation on screen, society's beliefs, and the reality of trans lives. Reframing familiar scenes and iconic characters in a new light, the director invites viewers to confront unexamined assumptions, and shows how what once captured the public imagination now elicit new feelings. Disclosure provokes a startling revolution in how we see and understand trans people. Sam Feder's documentary premiered at Sundance Film Festival 2020, and was selected to have its UK premiere at BFI Flare 2020.

Kelet

Susani Mahadura : 2020

20-year-old Kelet is a Finnish Somali trans woman living in Helsinki who dreams of becoming a model in Vogue magazine. Trans people, especially those of colour, continue to face disproportionate amounts of violence and discrimination all over the world, including Finland. Trans women of colour are in a clear minority when it comes to public visibility and are especially vulnerable, falling victim to transphobic hate crimes considerably more often than their white or male counterparts. They go through everyday life at the intersection of many different oppressive structures, as they are subjected to transphobia, racism and misogyny in addition to other forms of discrimination and alienation. The threat of violence, the difficulty of finding work, the lack of representation and supportive communities means that the need for works that include positive role models is immense, as is the urgency for change of societal attitudes. Through the story of one individual's exceptional life, Kelet seeks to highlight a number of issues that are of huge importance worldwide in the current political climate: LGBT and especially trans rights, racism, beauty standards and gendered norms in society. Susani Mahadura's documentary was winner of the Audience Award when it premiered at DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film Festival 2020.

Make Up

Claire Oakley : 2019

19-year-old Ruth travels alone to a seaside holiday park in Cornwall to be with her boyfriend Tom. It's off-season, so the resort is mostly deserted, except for a few residents and a handful of staff who are getting the mobile homes ready for the winter. Ruth gradually settles into her new environment, finding work and making a new friend in the form of make-up enthusiast Jade. But one afternoon, while giving Tom's caravan a spring clean, Ruth finds evidence that he might be cheating on her. In the emptiness of this life, there is plenty of space for new emotions and her imagination, fed by inexplicable events. As her desire to uncover the truth turns into an obsession, while also struggling with her feelings for Jade, Ruth begins to realise she might be looking for something else entirely. Claire Oakley's feature debut premiered at BFI London Film Festival 2019, and screened in the Bright Future section at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020.

Emilia

César Sodero : 2020

Following a bust-up with her girlfriend, Emilia returns from the city to her mother's village, somewhere in Patagonia. Her mother isn't overjoyed about Emilia's return, as this disrupts her peaceful existence. Emilia tries to decide how she wants to carry on with her life, but is confronted with people and feelings from her past. Bored and frustrated, or just looking for intimacy, she seduces a number of men, including her childhood sweetheart, but also falls in love with a girl at the school where she teaches gym – an obsession that distracts her from her broken heart and musings about the future. César Sodero's feature debut premiered in the Voices section at International Film Festival Rotterdam 2020.

Alice Júnior

Gil Baroni : 2019

Alice is a teenage transgender girl who is full of life and wants to give her first kiss, but first, she just wants to be who she really is. Alice is loved by her family, especially by her father, Jean, who is willing to do anything for his daughter. Jean, a perfumist, is transferred by his company to Araucárias do Sul, the place of the rare Imperial Flower. Alice reluctantly moves with her father. She leaves her crush and her friends in Recife, and now she needs to make new friends with the inhabitants of the small town. To make things worse, she has to study at the only school in town: the ancient and conservative Salesian college. Determined not to be discouraged, Alice is the personification of resistance, and little by little she is going to captivate her classmates and the people of Araucárias do Sul. With her charisma and her fertile imagination, everybody will fall in love with her. Gil Baroni's feature premiered at Mostra Internacional de Cinema 2019.

Love, Spells and All That

Ümit Ünal : 2019
Aşk, Büyü vs.

We all believe in certain ideas and dedicate our lives to them. The story of two women who question their belief in love and the nature of reality. Eren and Reyhan had a romance at the respective ages of 16 and 17. Eren is the daughter of an influential politician, while Reyhan's father is the caretaker at Eren's family summer house on Büyükada, an İstanbul island. Reyhan remembers the romance as "Rich girl falls for a poor girl. A perfect melodrama!" When the girls are found out, Eren's family forces them to break up, and banishes Reyhan and her father from the island. Years of not seeing each other follow. Until Eren returns to the island 20 years later. Is love real or a superstitious notion like a magic spell? The two women meet again 20 years on and remember the passionate and painful love affair of their teens. They spend a day journeying through memories and trying to undo a forgotten love spell. Ümit Ünal's feature was winner of the Turkish Film Critics' Association Best Film Award when it premiered in competition at Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival 2019.

Lingua Franca

Isabel Sandoval : 2019

Olivia is a transgender undocumented Filipina woman living in Brooklyn. She works as a caregiver to Olga, a Russian-Jewish woman who lives with her grandson Alex, who has just returned from a rehab trip to Russia. Soon complicated feelings emerge between Olivia and Alex. Alex is very much a product of the macho-masculine and sexist culture he has grown up in, something he must question when he learns that Olivia is transgender. Olivia tries to focus on her life, working hard to send money back to her family in the Philippines, even if they don't approve of her identity. She sees pursuing a love life as a self-indulgence that she shouldn't waste her time on, so she tries to suppress her emotions concerning Alex. The story that ensues involves both of them addressing their emotional shortcomings and hopefully growing past them. A deeply moving work of great intimacy and insight and an incisive critique on race and immigration in Trump's America. Isabel Sandoval's feature premiered in competition at Venice Days 2019, and had its UK premiere in competition at BFI London Film Festival 2019.