This screening and panel discussions are seeking to highlight the experiences of transgender men and masculine presenting lesbian, bisexual and queer women across the Global South, with speakers from Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Eswatini, Venezuela, UK and more.
The film is created by a filmmaker, Melanie Grant on behalf of I Am One, with the help and assistance of Kaleidoscope Trust.
Moderator:
Campbell X is a writer/director who directed the award-winning queer urban romantic comedy feature film STUD LIFE. His film Stud Life was voted by the Guardian as one of the top 10 Black British feature films ever made. It was also in Vogue magazine as one of the best films to watch in 2020. Stud Life was also selected by the British Film Institute as one of the top 8 queer films to view while we were all on lockdown.
Campbell directed and produced the short film DES!RE, the documentary VISIBLE which headlined the Scottish Queer Film Festival in December 2018. Campbell directed the award-winning TV webseries DIFFERENT FOR GIRLS and is one of the directors of the transgender webseries Spectrum London. In 2015 Campbell was voted as in the top 50 LGBTIQ people in the UK by the Independent on Sunday Pink List.
In 2013 Campbell was selected to be on the jury for Short films for Outfest LGBT film Festival in Los Angeles, the jury for Lili Award in MIX Copenhagen in 2015, the IRIS Prize, and Doc N Roll Festival and in 2018 in the Short Film Festival. Campbell is currently developing his second feature fiction film produced by Stella Nwimo.
Campbell is the Co-founder with Neelu Bhuman of Wahala Film Fund https://www.wahalafilmfund.com a completion fund for short films by and about QTIPOC people.
Panelists:
Voz- He/Him
My name is Irvys Juarez AKA Voz , I was born in Venezuela, but I have been living in Trinidad & Tobago for the past 20 years, I am a singer songwriter - I released my first Album in July 2019. Though music is my passion I also have a professional career as a Environmental Health & Safety Professional I used to think of myself as a lesbian for most part of my life but thanks to the The King Conference and Show I was able to confront and accepted my feelings about who I really always wanted to be since I was small. I am a Trans Man who is slowly coming out to friends and family, but happy and looking forward to my life as me.
Dawn- She/Her
¨I am Dawn St Cair of the beautiful island of St. Lucia. We all seek avenues to belong, people to support and encourage us and that is definitely one of my strong traits. I believe in uplifting others and lending my support when needed. I believe in unity and fighting for what you desire the most.” Dawn
Star- He/Him
My name is Star Liam Reyes, I’m a trans man from Belize. I’m a trans activist and the director of a documentary media production. Our aim is to highlight the untold stories of my country and to raise awareness on the issues that are affecting the LGBT+ community by educating others.
Veli Madau -She/Her
Veli comes from the beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini. She has been working with the LGBTIQ community since 2013 under different capacities including board member, director, and volunteer. Currently she is the founder and director of Siyavelana organization in Eswatini. In these roles she has contributed to enhancing access to healthcare, research to document the livid realities and creation of safe spaces for LGBTIQ persons in Eswatini.
Shaun- He/Him
Shaun is a member of I Am One management team and has been an advocate for sex workers and transgender people for over five years. He founded I Am Trans, an affiliate of I Am One in 2016 to address the social issues faced by the trans community: the violence they face, their invisibility in legal frameworks, lack of access to health services, limited educational and employment prospects.
Zeleca- She/Her
Zeleca is the Executive Director of I Am One. She has worked closely with LGBTQI youth, women, poor communities and other marginalized groups to create safe spaces, educational opportunities, and expressive platforms that promote empowerment. She is known in I Am One for bringing new and intersectional events and activities to the LGBTQ community such as the King Conference and Show, the Your Story research project, and most recently our social enterprise activities.
KINGS from Katsiaryna Borsuk on Vimeo.