By Charles Springfield
The 28th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will receive a special treat when audiences are introduced to Tika (who now goes by Tik) in the "Realness" during the “Queerer Than Fiction: Documentary Shorts” showcase.
The 28th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival will receive a special treat when audiences are introduced to Tika (who now goes by Tik) in the "Realness" during the “Queerer Than Fiction: Documentary Shorts” showcase.
The documentary short provides a slice-of-life perspective of the funny and charming Black, female-to-male transgendered person as he navigates the gender transitioning process. The film will be screened on Friday, June 9, and Thursday, July 15, at the DGA Theatre.
New York-based filmmaker David Barclay Moore held true to his personal and professional mission of seeing the world differently by producing “Realness.” Moore, who was commissioned by the Ford Foundation, NBPC and ITVS for the masculinity project, set out to make a film that explored masculinity from a female perspective.
“I knew, kind of, what I wanted to do, but it was about finding the right person,” Moore said. “I think Tik has a compelling story.”
Shot two years ago, the film opens up with a montage of gender-bending individuals and couples set to Mariachi music. Viewers are soon introduced into Tik’s world, from picking out a suit that was originally his grandfather’s and getting ready for T-Day (testosterone shot day) to introducing his girlfriend Nicki and enduring the turbulence of changing from female to male.
“It’s exciting and scary,” said Tik, explaining his journey. “It’s a huge thing to change your identity." He likens it to the death of someone or the death of who they once were.
The film allows viewers to sample the ups and downs – funny and painful – aspects of being transgendered, while peeling back the layers of views on Black male privilege and the value of appearing male.
The filmmaker hopes this film gives the audience a more thorough understanding when it comes to thinking about transgendered people and transgendered relationships.
“Basically, I wanted to tell the story about two people that fell in love as Black lesbians and chronicle one’s journey in becoming a man,” Moore said. “Life is life and love is love.”
The “Realness” was selected for screenings at NewFest film festival in NYC in June and is currently being picked up by other festivals throughout the world. Moore was a semi-finalist for the 2008 Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab and a 2006-2007 Yaddo Fellow in Creative Writing & Narrative and was a Grantee in the 2001 Artists Mentor Program at Film/Video Arts.
Visit http://www.outfest.org/ and http://www.davidbarclaymoore.com/, for additional information on OutFest, Moore’s work and a possible follow-up story on Tik’s transition.
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