These two BFF entries -- one a film and one a proof of concept for a series -- reflect the dreams and real-life hurdles of the transgender community, sometimes as joyous as adopting a child and sometimes as terrifying as nearly drowning in a river trying to reach the U.S.
'MOM & M'
Jena Burchick, director
Website: jenaburchick.com/mom-m
"Mom & M" is described as "an intimate portrait of modern American parenthood." Elise is a social media influencer; Nikki is a writer, a Ph.D. student and transgender; and Sansa, their daughter, was battling leukemia when they adopted her. "Together they navigate what happens when your partner comes out as transgender while caring for an ill child and that remission is not the end to life's challenges. "
Q. What film first inspired you to love the movies and want to make films?
A. This is always such a difficult question to narrow down because I actually found my interest in filmmaking through writing stories and taking photos for my high school newspaper and participating in theater as a student director. It was always about telling stories and the excitement of captivating an audience.
Q. How did the challenges of being "other" -- not male -- affect the road to your dream?
A. I was raised in film as a grip and electrician, which essentially made finding female mentors nearly impossible. When you do not see anyone in your department that looks like you, it can feel intimidating and isolating. I am thankful for a lot of those experiences, however, because they have crafted how I mentor my students as well as young female and minority filmmakers now. I want their path to be unequivocally more inclusive and easier to navigate which is what makes visibility so important.
Q. What made you want to make this film?
A. I have always been an ally for trans and non-binary folks but felt a strong pull to fill a more active role after mentoring and getting to know a student that came out as transgender. Having the privilege of watching them undergo such a brave experience opened my eyes more substantially to the lack of trans stories that are out in the world. I wanted to make a film that felt like an intimate portrait and one that did not extract from the trans community but would honor it.
Q. What do you hope audiences walk away thinking/talking about after seeing "Mom & M"?
A. After the credits roll, I hope audiences walk away with a deeper understanding that family is a choice. I feel that everyone carries a deep desire to feel chosen and to surround themselves with the level of love and grace that the Richards exude in "Mom & M."
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'Now With Fiona'
Fiona Dawson, director
Website: nowwithfiona.com
"Now With Fiona" is an unscripted series hosted by Emmy-nominated and award-winning filmmaker Fiona Dawson, who shares unexpected stories from the LGBTQ community of people being kind and courageous in the face of adversity.
Q. What film first inspired you to love the movies and want to make films?
A. Ironically my parents restricted the amount of TV and movies we could watch as kids. ... So I'm afraid I can't say I fell in love with the movies and wanted to make films. Studies show that personal stories build empathy and kindness, so that is why I make films.
Q. How did the challenges of being "other" -- not mainstream and/or not male -- affect the road to your dream?
A. It's not my gender or sexuality that has made me feel "othered," but more my outrageous risk-taking and desire to make my dreams come true. ... I'm unconventional in the sense that I'm about to turn 44 years old, and I don't have the typical mainstream life that most people my age have.
Q. What made you want to create this project in particular?
A. Oprah Winfrey inspired me to start. ... Oprah was launching her OWN network and had a competition to win your own show. I realized if I could do anything with my life it would be to host my own show sharing positive stories of people being kind and courageous in the face of adversity.
Q. What do you hope audiences walk away thinking/talking about?
A. I hope that they recognize that LGBTQ+ people's stories are not niche stories. Media projects like "Now with Fiona" deserve to be in the mainstream, especially as we break the binary of gender and sexuality.
