Recap | Transgender Characters & Family in Films
On June 13, the sixth screening day of ShPFF was held successfully. Accompanied by the delicious refreshments, the screening showed two films about the experience of self discovery of transgender people which included a Chinese Short Film, Sorry, and a film co-presented by the Consulate General of France in Shanghai, A Woman is A Woman.
After the screening, we were honored to have the following guests: Leo, the Director of Sorry, and Ralph, the producer of Sorry; Maisy Goosy Suen, the Director of A Woman Is A Woman; and French Trans Sociologist, Karine Espineira. They shared different opinions about the films and the development of the LGBTQ community in French society.
For questions about the character’s attitude towards life, Leo said that the film wanted to express something positive in spite of some depressing plots. On the journey of self discovery of being transgender, the leading role in the film chose to stand strong while facing struggles.
Maisy Goosy Suen explained her reasons for making the film. Being unaware of the LGBTQ community in Hong Kong for a long time, she made the film to let more people know about the community. Maisy admitted it was much more difficult to express oneself because of the religious background in Hong Kong. In many Christian schools, transgender is strongly resisted and that was why she added the religious background into the film. Being one of Hong Kong’s top five films about transgender, the film encountered many difficulties in acquiring both money and venue.
The French Trans Sociologist, Karine Espineira shared some excellent ideas on the social development of the LGBTQ community. She believed that in order to enhance the understanding of the outside world, people should proudly voice support for the community and create new words to express themselves, which needs patience and unity.
In the Q&A, the creators admitted that the public had a more rigid impression on men’s gender role and that was why they choose to narrate through a male transgender in the film. Director Maisy Goosy Suen said the film presented similar individuals in different life backgrounds. She wanted to convey the obstacles and confusion trans people encounter at every stage of their lives. And that is the main reason why everybody should push for progress.
We want to thank the Consulate General of France in Shanghai, Blue Frog and Xuhui CDC for their generous support and gifts.
