A film about how New Zealanders define their sex and sexuality and how they deal with people seeking transgender status will be one of the features of Documentary Edge 2011. Is She or Isn't He? is the work of festival-favourite Justin Pemberton. It follows a self-proclaimed “fat, hairy, woman with a penis”, on her journey from Graham to Ashleigh, as she struggles with her identity. Pemberton met Ashleigh before she had told her family about her plans, or chosen her female name. She tells Pemberton that she is a woman with 'a deformity', and she wants more than anything to be an attractive woman "with beautiful big breasts that a [heterosexual] man would love". According to the synopsis, Ashleigh dreads being identified as 'transgender' and after visiting an exhibition of photographs of transgender women, leaves dismissive of those 'tragic transgenders'. For Pemberton, seeing Ashleigh's attitude toward others who have also undergone gender transformation is quite bizarre. "The painful irony is that she becomes transgender, which is not considered by most to be 'normal'," he says. Is She or Isn't He? screened on TV One in June last year and is the longest documentary project ever commissioned by New Zealand On Air. Documentary Edge Festival 2011 Auckland Feb 16-Mar 28 - Event Cinemas Newmarket, Academy Cinemas, and Victoria Picture Palace (Devonport). Wellington Mar 10-27 - Angelika at Reading Cinemas Courtenay and City Gallery Wellington
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 17th January 2011 - 12:59pm