“Free Cece!” Opens The Hugely Expanded 10 Day Translations Film Festival

The Belgian film “Ma Vie En Rose” celebrates its 20th anniversary at Translations Film Festival on Sunday, May 14, 2017

In a few hours, the largest transgender film festival in the world will open its door on its 12th edition. TRANSLATIONS FILM FESTIVAL produced by Seattle’s Three Dollar Bill Cinema who program this festival, the fall Twist: Seattle Queer Film Festival and programming through out the year has expanded this year’s Translations beyond its previous weekend long schedule. For 2017, the festival will run for 10 days over an 11 day period beginning with tonight’s opening film, FREE CECE! at the Egyptian Cinema on Pike Street on Capitol Hill and concluding on Sunday, May 14th at Northwest Film Forum with a screening of DIE BEAUTIFUL, a narrative feature film from the Philippines.

Highlights for the festival include:

Thursday, May 4, 2017 at 7 pm at the Egyptian Cinema: Free Cece!

Jacqueline Gares; 2016; USA; 85 min. 

This powerful documentary confronts the epidemic of violence against and incarceration of transgender women of color. FREE CECE! spotlights CeCe McDonald, an African-American transwoman who survived an attack and served time in a men’s prison. Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black) explores the roles that race, class, and gender played in CeCe’s case, which incited a nationwide “Free CeCe” protest movement. Empowered by her supporters, CeCe emerges as a celebrated advocate for issues of race and gender identity, inspiring us all to take a stand and challenge the prison-industrial complex.

CONTAINS VULGAR LANGUAGE, IDENTITY-BASED ABUSE, IMPLIED & GRAPHIC VIOLENCE

CeCe McDonald and director Jacqueline Gares in attendance! 

Stay after the film for our OPENING NIGHT PARTY in the Egyptian Theatre!

Friday, May 5, 2017 at Northwest Film Forum: APRICOT GROVES

Pouria Heidary Oureh; 2016; Armenia; 80 min.; in Armenian and English with English subtitles 

What would you do to ensure that something good in your life remains there? Aram, an Iranian-Armenian youth who immigrated to the United States in childhood, travels to Armenia for the first time—to propose to a girlfriend Aram met and lived with in America. Despite a brother’s love and support, Aram encounters many cultural, religious, and national differences on the 24- hour trip, but even harder obstacles lie ahead: finding acceptance by getting the blessing and approval from those who must transcend their culture.

Satuday, May 6, 2017 at Northwest Film Forum: DESIRE WILL SET YOU FREE

Yony Leyser; 2015; Germany; 92 min.; in English, German, Arabic, and Hebrew with English subtitles 

In a film that plays with the superficial and the surreal, contemporary punk rockers, expats, artists, hedonists, and gender explorers flow through Berlin, struggling to reconcile old and new versions of themselves with versions of the city and the world. Ezra, a writer, clings to Catherine, who thrives on shock value in the name of artistry and pleasure. Sasha stumbles upon this group and is exposed to freedom and concepts that are foreign. This new knowledge is both freeing and complicating for Sasha’s myriad relationships.

CONTAINS VULGAR LANGUAGE, NUDITY, NON-EXPLICIT SEXUAL SITUATIONS, DRUG USE, DEPICTION OR DISCUSSION OF RAPE

“Just A Normal Person” screens at Translations Film Festival

Sunday, May 7, 2017 at Northwest Film Forum: JUST A NORMAL PERSON

Malin Björkman-Widell; 2015; Sweden; 58 min.; in Swedish with English subtitles 

Sam is frustrated and angry. Despite transitioning at a young age and having the support and unconditional love of his mother and twin sister, he never feels that he is truly seen and accepted as a man. He just wants to enjoy life with his friends and not have his gender be an issue about which he must educate others. This candid documentary follows Sam from age 6 to 22, exposing the pains and pitfalls of bullies, adolescence, and feeling different, and the victories in becoming his authentic self.

SEATTLE PREMIERE

CONTAINS VULGAR LANGUAGE, IMPLIED VIOLENCE, DRUG USE, DEPICTION OR DISCUSSION OF SUICIDE & SELF-HARM

Monday, May 8, 2017 at 4:30 pm and 6 pm at  Seattle Public Library, Capitol Hill Branch: NO DUMB QUESTIONS: HOW TO BE A TRANS ALLY

Melissa Regan; 2001; USA; 24 min 

Are you new to transgender concepts? Want to learn how to be a good ally? Join us for a screening of the Sundance award-winning documentary NO DUMB QUESTIONS (Best Short Film, SLGFF 2002), an accessible and lighthearted film that profiles three sisters, ages 6, 9, and 11, struggling to understand why and how their Uncle Bill is becoming their Aunt Barbara. Following the screening, stick around for an introduction to what it means to be transgender and an open discussion with festival director Sam Berliner. Bring all your questions to this educational evening, and come away with a working vocabulary, more understanding of gender-nonconforming folks, and how to be supportive!

Program running time: 60 min. 

FREE! 

Co-presented by: Q Center at UW

Musician Rae Spoon

Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 6 pm at 12th Avenue Arts: COMICS & LIVE MUSIC WITH CLYDE & RAE

Join musicians Rae Spoon (GENDER FAILURE, Translations 2013; MY PRAIRIE HOME, Translations 2014) and Clyde Petersen (TORREY PINES, Twist 2016) for an hour of music and comic drawing. Rae and Clyde will play you jams and we can all draw comics together. Super mellow. Free. Good vibes.

Bring your favorite art supplies (we’ll have some to share) and your creativity.

FREE!

No Programs/Screenings on Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 6:30 pm at Henry Art Gallery: CRIMINAL QUEERS

Chris Vargas & Eric A. Stanley; 2016; USA; 65 min. 

What if we lived in a world without walls? When their friend Lucy (a trans woman of color) is wrongfully put in jail, Yoshi and Joy take it upon themselves to break her out. With cameos by Angela Davis, Miss Major, and CeCe McDonald, this queer critique of the prison-industrial complex by Chris Vargas (FALLING IN LOVE… WITH CHRIS AND GREG; CRY BOY CRY, Translations 2013; HOMOTOPIA) yearns for a world free of prisons, where the strict confines of gender and sexuality would crumble as well.

Criminal Queers is co-presented with the Henry Art Gallery, in conjunction with the exhibition MOTHA and Chris E. Vargas present: Trans Hirstory in 99 Objects. Additional support is provided by the University of Washington Honors Program, the Relational Poverty Network at the University of Washington, and the University of Washington Department of Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies.

CONTAINS NON-EXPLICIT SEXUAL SITUATIONS, DEPICTION OR DISCUSSION OF RAPE, IMPLIED VIOLENCE

Co-presented by: Q Center at UW

Friday, May 12, 2017 at Northwest Film Forum: GLORIA AND GRACE

Flávio R. Tambellini; 2016; Brazil; 94 min.; in Portuguese with English subtitles 

Identity and destiny intersect in this melodrama about a dying woman reconnecting with her estranged sibling. Time and memory are the subjects of the visual leitmotif that features a surfeit of reflective images, suggesting the trajectories of two women grappling with life. Colorful and robust, GLORIA AND GRACE unflinchingly chronicles the struggles of a transgender woman finding herself transitioning once again, but this time away from the life of rugged independence to which she is accustomed, to one of family and nurturing.

US PREMIERE

CONTAINS GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, NUDITY, NON-EXPLICIT SEXUAL SITUATIONS, VULGAR LANGUAGE

Saturday , May 13, 2017 at 7 pm at Northwest Film Forum: REAL BOY

Shaleece Haas; 2016; USA; 72 min. 

From queer director Shaleece Haas comes an affecting documentary about transgender teen and aspiring musician Bennett Wallace. With the support of his best friend Dylan (also transitioning) and fellow transgender performer Joe Stevens, Bennett navigates the ups and downs of his journey to find his voice, including sobriety and patience as his mother weathers his transition, while reaching for the promise of a new life. With a soundtrack that features Bennett and Joe’s original songs, REAL BOY offers deeply emotional glimpses into coming of age, revealing not only heartache and uncertainty but also the ultimate joy that comes with irrevocable change and the realization of one’s truest self.

CONTAINS IDENTITY-BASED ABUSE, VULGAR LANGUAGE, DEPICTION OR DISCUSSION OF SELF-HARM, DRUG USE, BRIEF NUDITY

Plays with: THE SWIMMING POOL (La piscina)

Rocío Llambí & Mariana Winarz; 2015; Uruguay; 11 min.; in Spanish with English subtitles 

What do you do when your mother doesn’t see you for who you are? Sometimes you just have to make a splash.

Co-presented by: PFLAG Seattle & University of Washington, Tacoma & SIFF

Musician Joe Stevens performs live at the Translations Film Festival on Saturday, May 13, 2017 at Northwest Film Forum

Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 9:30 pm at Northwest Film Forum: JOE STEVENS LIVE IN CONCERT!

Joe Stevens and special guest Ben Wallace, subjects of REAL BOY, perform a one-night only concert at Translations! With a folk/Americana sound, Joe’s signature smoky voice weaves stories of his transgender experiences. Joe’s band, Coyote Grace—which released five albums and gained a cult following— is among the first wave of transgender performers to break through into the public consciousness. They’ve toured with the likes of the Indigo Girls, Melissa Ferrick, and Girlyman and shared stages with Chris Pureka, Greensky Bluegrass, and Cris Williamson. They’ve also taught many gender workshops at schools across the country. This is a performance you won’t want to miss!

LIVE CONCERT! 

Co-presented by: Trans FTM Org & Gay City

Sunday, May 14, 2017 at Noon at Northwest Film Forum: MA VIE EN ROSE

Alain Berliner; 1997; Belgium; 89 min.; in French with English subtitles 

Ludovic is waiting for a miracle. With a six-year-old’s certainty, he believes he was meant to be a little girl and that this mistake will soon be corrected. As if in a modern fairy tale, Ludovic believes that Pam—a princess spirit who glides over the rooftops sprinkling glitter and lavender flower petals—is guiding him towards girlhood. But in reality, Ludovic finds only rejection, isolation, and guilt, as the intense reactions of family, friends, and neighbors strip away every innocent lace and bauble. Winner of the 1998 Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.

Join us for this anniversary screening of this beloved film that Three Dollar Bill Cinema premiered in Seattle 20 years ago! 

20^th ANNIVERSARY SCREENING!

CONTAINS IMPLIED VIOLENCE, IDENTITY-BASED ABUSE

Co-presented by: Gage Academy

Die Beautiful screens at Translations Film Festival on Sunday, May 14, 2017

Sunday, May 14, 2017 at 7 pm at Northwest Film Forum: Die Beautiful

Jun Lana; 2016; Philippines; 120 min.; in Filipino (Tagalog) with English subtitles 

Trisha’s only request is that upon death she be dressed as a different celebrity every night of her wake. Just as her long-awaited beauty pageant crowning takes place, she gets her wish, after collapsing on stage. Since her family never came around to having a trans daughter, the wake is kept a secret by her best friend, Barbs. Flashbacks take us deeper into a complex history of unspoken regrets, touching on each relationship she fostered while she was alive, including a caring connection with her adopted daughter. Looming transphobia won’t stop this chosen family from laughing and loving, even after Trisha’s last breath.

CONTAINS VULGAR LANGUAGE, IDENTITY-BASED ABUSE, & GRAPHIC VIOLENCE

Join us after the film for our CLOSING NIGHT PARTY!

Go to the Translation Film Festival site for the full schedule and to buy tickets.