Transformed: A Four-part Series Showcasing the Creativity of Trans Filmmakers

Transformed, a four-part series amplifying trans stories, representation and filmmakers, will be shown on Amherst Cinema screens in September and October. During these four weeks, audiences are invited to explore and experience trans storytelling, fostering an appreciation for trans filmmaking as an enduring and essential part of American cinema.

“Artfully curated and community informed, Transformed offers moviegoers an opportunity to experience 11 films written, directed and featuring trans artists who are changemakers in American cinema,” said Executive Director Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer. “And in pairing these films with thoughtful introductions and guided conversations, we celebrate together the artistry, diversity, culture and creativity of trans communities.”

Series Schedule

THE MATRIX
Tuesday, September 26 at 7:00 p.m.
Directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski. 1999. 136 minutes. R

Have you ever had a dream that you were so sure was real? What if you couldn’t wake up? How would you know the difference between dream and reality? Cáel M. Keegan, author of “Lana and Lilly Wachowski: Sensing Transgender” and Associate Professor at Concordia University, offers a pre-recorded introduction to one of the most popular films ever made by trans filmmakers.

DISCLOSURE paired with a Cinema Seminar
Tuesday, October 3: Seminar at 7:00 p.m. Film Screening at 8:00 p.m.
Directed by Sam Feder. 2020. 108 mins. TV-MA

Smith College professor Jen Malkowski offers a Cinema Seminar “Reckoning with Trans Representation, Past and Present,” presented alongside a screening of the documentary DISCLOSURE. Both the Cinema Seminar and the screening of DISCLOSURE are free to the public thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor. Tickets are now available at the Box Office only (not online) on a first-come, first-served basis.

SHORTS PROGRAM
Tuesday, October 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Directed by Elliott Montague, Tourmaline, Sasha Wortzel, and others. 93 mins. No Rating

Co-curated with Rox Samer, Clark University professor, this collection of experimental, documentary and narrative shorts by trans filmmakers showcases the culture and creativity of trans lives. Eight films have been selected as part of the Shorts Program, Have You Ever Seen a Transsexual Before?; I’m Yours; Akin; Stealth; Light on a Path, Follow directed by local filmmaker and Mount Holyoke College professor Elliott Montague and starring Hampshire College professor Vick Quezada; Go Trans; Generations (This Is Me, Ep. 2); Happy Birthday, Marsha! The films will be followed by a discussion with Samer and Montague.

KOKOMO CITY
Tuesday, October 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Directed by D. Smith. 2023. 73 mins. R

In this wildly entertaining and refreshingly unfiltered documentary, filmmaker D. Smith passes the mic to four Black, transgender sex workers in Atlanta and New York City, who unapologetically break down the walls of their profession. KOKOMO CITY will be introduced by Prof. Cameron Awkward-Rich of UMass Amherst.

Transformed is supported in part by Cooley Dickinson Hospital and the Five College Consortium.

Tickets are available online and at the Box Office. For more info, visit: www.AmherstCinema.org

About Amherst Cinema
Amherst Cinema is an independent, nonprofit arts and education center brimming with world-class programs. The comfortable, fully accessible theater offers state-of-the-art projection and sound and is a welcoming crossroads for all. Amherst Cinema presents over 250 programs a year on four screens in more than 35 languages. For more information, visit: www.AmherstCinema.org