Masc

Masc

11 Episodes

Spotlighting the rich stories and courageous lives of trans men, butch lesbians, and gender-nonconforming heroes, this collection—curated by writer-archivist-filmmaker Jenni Olson and critic Caden Mark Gardner—journeys through nearly four decades of cinema history in search of authentic, complex representations of masculine identity as it exists outside the realm of cisgender men. From nuanced explorations of gender-nonconforming youth (VERA, TOMBOY) to powerfully moving documentary portraits (SHINJUKU BOYS, SOUTHERN COMFORT) to innovative narratives that deconstruct both gender and genre (BY HOOK OR BY CROOK, MAGGOTS AND MEN), these films celebrate the courageous queer visionaries who have blazed these trails and who continue to show the way forward and inspire us all.

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Masc

11 Episodes

  • Vera
    1:27:22
    Vera
    Episode 1

    Vera

    Episode 1

    Directed by Sérgio Toledo • 1986 • Brazil
    Starring Ana Beatriz Nogueira, Raul Cortez, Aida Leiner

    Based on the tragically short life of Brazilian poet Anderson Bigode Herzer, this intense drama tells the story of Bauer, a trans man who navigates a difficult upbringing in an orphanage before find...

  • Shinjuku Boys
    53:15
    Shinjuku Boys
    Episode 2

    Shinjuku Boys

    Episode 2

    Directed by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams • 1995 • United Kingdom
    Starring Gaish, Tatsu, Kazuki

    This remarkable documentary offers rich insight into gender and sexuality in Japan via a candid portrait of Kazuki, Tatsu, and Gaish, three trans masc hosts working at the New Marilyn Club in Tokyo...

  • Maggots and Men
    54:45
    Maggots and Men
    Episode 3

    Maggots and Men

    Episode 3

    Directed by Cary Cronenwett • 2009 • United States
    Starring Stormy Henry Knight, Travis Clough, Scout Festa

    This experimental historical narrative set in a mythologized version of revolutionary Russia reimagines the story of the 1921 uprising of the Kronstadt sailors and features the largest cas...

  • Tomboy
    1:22:19
    Tomboy
    Episode 4

    Tomboy

    Episode 4

    Directed by Céline Sciamma • 2011 • France
    Starring Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson

    TOMBOY tells the story of ten-year-old Laure (played by the amazing Zoé Héran) who moves to the suburbs and decides to pass as a boy among the pack of neighborhood kids. As “Mickäel” she catches the atten...

  • Max
    27:10
    Max
    Episode 5

    Max

    Episode 5

    Directed by Monika Treut • 1992 • Germany
    Starring Max Wolf Valerio

    Pioneering trans writer Max Wolf Valerio talks about his life and experience of transition in this groundbreaking short, one of the first portraits of a trans man on film.

  • Stafford’s Story
    03:08
    Stafford’s Story
    Episode 6

    Stafford’s Story

    Episode 6

    Directed by Susan Muska • 1992 • United States

    Stafford recounts a memorable encounter at a sex club.

  • Ifé
    05:22
    Ifé
    Episode 7

    Ifé

    Episode 7

    Directed by H. Lenn Keller • 1993 • United States

    This stylized short, both sex-positive and slick, follows a day in the life of a Black French lesbian in San Francisco. Ifé loves women but vows never to fall in love. As she extols the beauty of women in San Francisco, she slowly cruises the cit...

  • Trans
    09:23
    Trans
    Episode 8

    Trans

    Episode 8

    Directed by Sophie E. Constantinou • 1994 • United States
    Starring Henry S. Rubin

    In this playful direct address, trans man Henry gives nuanced voice to his experience and extols the singular joy of wearing a suit.

  • Vámonos
    12:24
    Vámonos
    Episode 9

    Vámonos

    Episode 9

    Directed by Marvin Lemus • 2015 • United States
    Starring Vico Ortiz, Jessica Camacho, Natalia Cordova-Buckley

    Vico Ortiz (OUR FLAG MEANS DEATH) and Jessica Camacho (ALL RISE, THE FLASH, WATCHMEN) costar in this beautiful story about what it looks like to show up as an ally for our gender-nonconf...

  • Monsieur Le Butch
    12:09
    Monsieur Le Butch
    Episode 10

    Monsieur Le Butch

    Episode 10

    Directed by Jude Dry • 2022 • United States

    When Jude ends up unexpectedly living at home in their thirties, they must deal with a lovingly opinionated Jewish mother who doesn’t quite get the whole “trans thing.” Shot in the dog days of quarantine during a picturesque Vermont summer, MONSIEUR LE...

  • Pete
    07:11
    Pete
    Episode 11

    Pete

    Episode 11

    Directed by Bret “Brook” Parker • 2022 • United States

    This animated short tells a true story about gender identity, Little League Baseball, the people who inspire change by being themselves, and the superheroes who allow that change to happen.

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