Series Site
January 19–February 25, 2024
Masc spotlights a rich tapestry of stories of the courageous lives of trans men, butch lesbians, gender outlaws, and gender nonconforming rebels. This program surveys six decades of cinema history in search of authentic, complex representations of masculine identity that exist outside the realm of cisheteronormative masculinity. Featuring tales of youth and adulthood, of obstacles and allies, this series presents multifaceted narratives of unforgettable subjects and characters. As with other under-represented groups, seeing ourselves on screen is a relatively rare experience for AFAB (assigned female at birth) transmasculine folks; this series encompasses a cinematically rich array of genres and styles, and these remarkable films offer a vital, necessary, transformative gift for all viewers. The series includes No Ordinary Man, an acclaimed rehabilitation of a real-life trans figure of the past, and the compassionate Sundance award-winning documentary Southern Comfort, which explores still painfully relevant issues of ignorance and exclusion. There are winning portraits of butch heroes in Chavela and Lifetime Guarantee: Phranc’s Adventure in Plastic. Shinjuku Boys and The Aggressives spotlight AFAB masculine subcultures within their unique time and place, and an eclectic collection of shorts are showcased in Masc—The Shorts. While these films are grouped within the broader umbrella of masc, the nuances, intersections, and differences of what butch and trans can represent on-screen also serve as a continuous dialogue.
—Jenni Olson and Caden Mark Gardner, guest curators