‘She’s a boy I knew’ at AIFF 2008

On Saturday March 29th I went to see the documentary ‘She’s a boy i knew‘ at the Amnesty International Filmfestival at the Kriterion film theater in Amsterdam. I went together with my brother, because I already read on the documentary’s website that it was meant for the families of transsexuals to see it. So I invited my brother to come along with me to Amsterdam to see this documentary, as far as I know he was very impressed by it. Now I’ll be telling you how I perceived this documentary made by Canadian filmmaker Gwen Haworth.

Not only is Gwen Haworth the maker of this documentary, together with her ex-wife, best friend, and her family she is the subject of the story she tells. This is the story of herself, her past, her transition, her present. Pictures, home-video material, video interviews and animation create a documentary which is impressive in its entirety.
The most important people in Gwen’s life have their own story in this bigger story. There’s the story of her parents, her sisters and even her grand parents. This way she puts the history of herself and her family into an interesting perspective, the people in her story gain a lot of depth this way. It enables the viewer to get a better understanding of the perspective Gwen’s family has on Gwen, her transitioning and her new life. The same goes for Gwen’s best friend Roari and her ex-wife Malgosia.
Malgosia plays an important and impressive role in this documentary. Gwen came out to the people around her when she was already married to Malgosia, at the time they married Malgosia didn’t know of Gwen’s gender dysphoria. To her and Gwen’s family and friends Gwen had been Steven for about 27 years. A guy whom hadn’t shown any signs that he didn’t feel right in his body. Gwen’s coming out to Malgosia caused a lot of sadness and pain in both their lives. The story of Gwen and Malgosia is mostly a story of Steven and Malgosia, home-video material and pictures of the time before Steven became Gwen show a really happy couple. Malgosia’s phrase that she fell in love with Steven, and Gwen isn’t Steven anymore to her, depicts a feeling which is more common among transgendered people whom out themselves to their partner later in marriage. Malgosia deserves a lot of respect for her attitude and dedication towards Gwen, although they didn’t stay a couple, they do still share a love for one another.
The documentary not only shows how Gwen’s relation to Malgosia changes, but also how the change from Steven to Gwen affects her family and how their perception of Gwen changes during her years of transition. Gwen’s parents and two sisters are both interviewed earlier on and later on in Gwen’s transition. It also shows how Gwen’s own attitude to her family changes, something very crucial. It takes a lot from one’s family to understand what is happening with you, and it is important to keep them involved in your life when you transition. It is difficult, especially if your attitude towards them wasn’t one of involving them in your life before you started transitioning. Gwen coped with this very well, it shows the struggles it brings upon her parents, but as Gwen opens up they learn to know her and they continue their love for their child. This is something I encounter in my own process now too, and it still can give me and my parents hard times, but seeing how Gwen’s family came out of this I have good hopes for me and my family.
In that sense and thanks to how it’s presented, showing the difficulties and the laughs ’She’s a boy I knew‘ does give a representation of a person transitioning with a lot of recognition both for families and the person transitioning. It is a positive representation which can give one strength to be yourself and to involve the people around you in a process with a lot of difficulties and pitfalls and the continued love between people whom go through this process of one person together.
This documentary is one to see, one to purchase and absolutely one to spread the word about, as I’m doing here.
Gwen, whom was present at the screening at the AIFF, called upon the community to self-represent oneself. Self representation was one of her biggest motivation to make this documentary and I can understand very well why. There are multiple representations of transgendered people in the media, but few are self representations which are this impressive. Gwen convinced me and I am thinking about extending my self representation beyond this blog into something which can mean empower the transgender community and their families and friends in this perspective. I don’t know if I will succeed, but seeing how Gwen made this happen I have hope for myself. Gwen is a positive and admirable example for the younger generation of transgendered and queer people in this world.
I take this opportunity to thank Gwen for making this documentary and I will do my very best to show it to everyone I know, for they too have to see this marble of a documentary.

‘A jihad for love’ at AIFF 2008

Friday March 28th I went to see the documentary ‘A jihad for love‘ at the Amnesty International Filmfestival, screened at the Kriterion film theater in Amsterdam. This documentary is made by Parvez Sharma, an Indian Muslim now living in the United States. This documentary depicts how gay Muslims find a way to be true to themselves and their believes. It shows their struggle with the believes of others and the situation they are in. In a country like Iran gays can face a death penalty, the idea to be unallowed to live if you are true to yourself, is one no one person on this world should be confronted with. Though not all of the persons are both proud of their sexuality and their believes, the proudness that is showed in this documentary projects the strenght these people possess.
One can say a lot about the style of the documentary which isn’t one like ‘An inconvenient truth‘ or ‘Fahrenheit 9/11‘, this documentary finds it’s strenght in the people which it depicts, strong people whom have strong believes and show the love they find in their religious believes as well as in their friends and the oppurtunity to gain freedom wherever in this world. This documentary tells us not to look away anymore when people are discriminated against, are being persecuted, or being forced to flee their country for being homosexual, for being whom they are, being themselves. These are people like me and you whom have loved ones, believes, hopes and dreams, and everyone should have all this in freedom.
I support Amnesty International and will keep doing so, and if I one day can help the cause of Parvez Sharma in an other meaningful way I more than willing to do so.
I recommend everyone whom has a heart for freedom and has an affinity with human rights to watch this documentary.