WHAT ARE WE MAKING?
 

This is the first part of our Transamorous Trilogy of short films.

The trilogy follows Libbie, an Indigenous trans woman.

Part one is Discretion.

Discretion is an uncommon story about a common trans experience while dating. It explores conflicting themes of visibility vs hiding as well as pride vs shame. 

Synopsis: After she moves into a house share, Libbie and her roommate Dael confess their mutual crushes and start dating. As a trans woman, Libbie wants a normative public relationship. But Dael, grappling with his attraction to her, wants a secret one. Libbie then has to decide what’s most important to her. 

BACKGROUND AND SOCIAL CONTEXT
 

Based on a true story, Indigenous and trans creator Kiley May has joined with a team of emerging filmmakers to tell this important story. 

“It needs to be understood how much we trans women are impacted
by being in relationships with men who want to hide us. These are men
who are on the DL and want “discreet” (secret) relationships with
trans women so they can bypass the social burden and avoid the
stigma of their attraction.”  ~Kiley May
 

In media and pop culture, we see and hear of fictional and real-life examples of men liking or hooking up with trans women, then dealing with backlash in the form of judgement, ridicule, shaming and even assault.

This stigma and bigotry lead men to want to never talk about their trans-attraction and keep their relationships with trans women secret.
 

But we don't hear enough about how trans women
deal with these experiences.
 

In Discretion, we do.

We learn how it feels to be kept hidden, and we subvert and reframe this experience through Libbie's perspective.

 

WHY DOES IT MATTER RIGHT NOW?
 

Indigenous and transgender women are both underrepresented and misrepresented in film and tv. The way our communities are depicted influences how we are treated. Representation can make the difference between leading to hatred or respect.

What is needed is improved and increased presence and
visibility to influence empathy and understanding.
 

Libbie's character arc in Discretion reminds us of the value of our dignity and self-worth and that we have the option to choose what’s better for us.

This film will be cathartic for trans audiences and relatable to a general audience, with a protagonist to root for during the heartbreak and equivocal triumph.

Ours is a narrative that we hope humanizes and creates empathy and understanding for trans women and trans-attracted (or transamorous) men.
 

This film, and our entire trilogy, will work towards destigmatizing
and normalizing transgender attraction, sex and love.
 

Our goal is for trans and trans-attracted people to be understood, supported and
celebrated, or at least accepted and respected.

WHAT IS 'THE TRANSAMOROUS TRILOGY'?
 

The Transamorous Trilogy is a series of short films that move through three stages of an Indigenous trans woman's dating and love life. Each film deals with three types of experiences mined from the lived experience of the screenwriter.

Furthermore, the trilogy explores the identity intersection of being an Indigenous transgender woman in our protagonist Libbie.

And we are working to shift away from the tropes and tragic narratives of these identities. Or, at the very last, subvert and reframe them. Instead, we want to explore possibilities.
 

Our stories are about Indigenous transgender empowerment, thriving and joy.

Discretion deals with what Libbie will do when her so-called boyfriend wants to keep their relationship secret because of his internalized shame and stigma.

Disclosure follows Libbie’s apprehension over disclosing her trans identity before a date, then later wondering if the guy likes her for who she is or because he’s a ‘chaser (or fetishizer).

Devotion portrays Libbie in a healthy relationship with a man who claims his love for her publicly and takes her on a trip to meet his parents —an experience she’s never had.

Both Discretion and Disclosure will premiere at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival in October 2021.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
 

We have 60% of our funding from the Toronto Arts Council, imaginaNATIVE, and Charles Street Video (through the Netflix-imagineNATIVE partnership). 

Join us in raising the other 40%!

All of our funding will go towards:

• Hiring Our Crew: Incredible, diverse films are made by an incredible and diverse crew. Could you help us pay them what they're worth?
   
• COVID-19 Safety measures: Covid has changed how we need to sanitize and protect our cast and crew. Please help us help our teams stay safe.
   
• Intimacy Coordination: It wasn’t until recently that our industry fully began to accept the importance of managing scenes of intimacy or violence with appropriate care. Help us support our cast and crew when working in these vulnerable scenes. 
   
• Feeding The (Small) Masses: Food is one of the MOST important pieces of a smooth-running set. Help us keep everyone sustained!
   
• Transportation: Covid has added logistical complications and additional costs to how the cast and crew travel to work. Help us get everyone to set safely.
   
• Hiring The Perfect Cast: Movies that change the world are led by actors whose performances have the ability to change our perspectives. Help us bring the perfect cast on board.

Perks: We have some amazing perks. Awkward dance videos from the team, an invite to a private screening, an exclusive video of Kiley May telling the real story behind Discretion, a Q&A with cast and crew, and a private, exclusive Zoom meeting with creator,  star and filmmaker Kiley May herself!

RISKS AND CHALLENGES
 

Making short films can be challenging, and even more so during covid-19.  With limited resources and a low budget, there are often unexpected circumstances that require creative solutions and the ability to think outside the box.

We approach this film with a team that has already produced 6+ short films, two of which were produced during this pandemic. We have worked on some BIG budget sets, and we’ve seen how high the bar is.

As a production company, we believe that we can still have the bar be just as high on our low-budget, small set with a little extra effort. 

With special thanks for the generous support from the amazing teams at imagineNATIVE and Charles Street Video, funding from the Toronto Arts Council, behind-the-scenes coverage from Netflix , Eric Metzloff for filming and editing our Crowdfunding video, and to Lisa Greenbaum & Robert Chuckman for providing their studio to record in, we are destined for success!   

WHO WE ARE
 

Braided Sisters Productions represent Indigenous, Black, transgender, queer, women, and gender non-conforming identities. Our priority is inclusion, diversity and representation—on screen and behind the camera. And we tell stories that shift the narrative forward, increasing and improving the way our communities are depicted.

Current Projects: The Transamorous Trilogy. 

Kiley May: creator, screenwriter, co-director, producer, lead actor.

Joanna Swan: producer, story editor.

Fonna-Tasha: producer.

Em McCourt: producer.
​

(From top left to bottom right) Kiley May, Joanna Swan, Fonna-Tasha, Em McCourt

Kiley May is Hotinonhshón:ni, Kanien'kehá:ka (Mohawk) and Turtle Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River territory and is now rooted ​in ​Aterón:to (Toronto). She is a two spirit transgender, queer multidisciplinary artist and storyteller - an author, actor, screenwriter, director, and producer.

In her acting life, she has a recurring role as assistant pathologist River Baitz on the hit CBC show Coroner and has appeared in IT Chapter Two and The D Cut.

Through her activism, advocacy​ and ​education work​, Kiley is committed to shifting the narrative forward by increasing representation, diversity and inclusion. As a filmmaker, she creates scripts and roles for Indigenous, transgender and queer women, focusing on authentic, positive and empowering portrayals. 

Joanna Swan is an actor, singer, producer and fierce advocate for gender equity and diverse representation. After taking over production of the Toronto ACTRA Women’s Committee (TAWC) Short Film Creation Lab in 2017, she executive produced, produced and co-produced five short films (Moon Dog; Shoegazer; Rainbow Baby; Little Bird; Get Outta Here). 

Turning her focus to support and promote femme-centric, diverse, 2SLGBTQIAP+ focused stories, she is currently co-producing ‘The Transamorous Trilogy’ by Kiley May. (Pt 1. Discretion, Pt 2. Disclosure & Pt.3 Devotion), a trilogy of short films delving into the dating experiences of a two spirit trans woman.

Swan has extensive experience working on large-scale live and broadcasted music events, including The JUNO Awards, The Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely Canadian tour and The Canadian Country Music Association Awards. Some of her on-screen credits include Bomb Girls, Mary Goes Round and Flashpoint. 

Swan is the current chair of TAWC, sits on multiple committees at ACTRA Toronto, and is an active member of CANFAR’s AIDSbeat Committee.

Fonna Seidu is a producer who champions narrative projects that have compelling storylines and niche audiences. Fonna brings her many years of experience as a project manager to 2SLGBTQ+ and BIPOC-led productions with bold, vibrant stories often untold.

She entered the screen-based industry in 2018, and since then, she’s worked on over 40+ commercials, docs, and films. Fonna’s producing debut was the multi-award-winning short, PROMISE ME, directed by Alison Duke. In 2019, she co-produced BEING BLACK IN TORONTO, a six-part documentary anthology with Oya Media Group and the Fabienne Colas Foundation, currently on CBC Gem’s Absolutely Canadian and recently was awarded a CSA for Winner of the 2021 Best Direction for Documentary Series.

Currently, Fonna has multiple projects in development with CBC, including Aden Abebe’s upcoming IPF funded series virgins! and Lu Asfaha’s short film FRESH MEAT, winner of BIPOC TV & Film’s Reel Work Filmmaking Initiative and the feature script was a Screencraft Film Fund finalist.

Other projects on her slate include Carolyn Wu’s short film TOE THE LINE, which won Breakthroughs FF pitch contest; co-producing Kiley May’s romantic comedy DISCLOSURE supported by ImagiNATIVE and Charles Street Video; working on the fully-funded feature VILLAGE KEEPER with Karen Chapman and Lora Campbell, and in development on a queer comedy heist feature called LET’S DO THIS. Through her company, Snail Mail Media, Fonna produces projects funded by CBC, IPF, CMF, and Telefilm. You can find more of her work at www.fonnaseidu.com.

Em Siobhan McCourt is a Canadian genderfluid actor, director, producer and actor-combatant, whose creative mandate is to bring women and minorities to screens and stages around the world. He produces, writes and directs with her artistic partner Ariadne Deibert, on their comedy YouTube channel ‘5 Minutes You’ll Never Get Back. 

Em is associate producing Disclosure,  the second film in the Transamorous Trilogy, and has produced and produced the short film Home Again.

Acting credits include Jupiter’s Legacy, Kim’s Convenience, Murdoch Mysteries, and the Tribeca Film Festival nominated Bunker Burger. 

Em is an active member of outACTRAto, ACTRA Toronto’s 2SLGBTQ+ committee, and is organizer and co-chair of Working The Scene in Rainbow - outACTRAto’s initiative to bring more awareness and visibility to Toronto’s Queer writers and actors.

THE DISCRETION TEAM

Thirza Cuthand - Co-Director

Born 1978, Regina, Canada. Since 1995 Thirza has been making short experimental and narrative videos and films about sexuality, madness, Queer identity and love, and Indigeneity, which have screened in festivals and galleries internationally. She completed her BFA majoring in Film and Video at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2005, and her Masters of Arts in Media Production at Ryerson University in 2015. She has also written three feature screenplays and does performance art. In 2017 she won the Hnatyshyn Foundation’s REVEAL Indigenous Art Award. She is a Whitney Biennial 2019 artist. She is of Plains Cree and Scots descent, a member of Little Pine First Nation, and currently resides in Toronto, Canada. 

Ashley Iris Gill - Cinematographer

  Ashley Iris Gill is a queer Cinematographer from Toronto, Canada. She has worked on projects ranging from music videos, documentaries, shorts and commercials. Some of the clients she's worked with have been Mercedes Benz Canada, Absolut Vodka, Sprite, NBA,  Toyota, Walmart, Fiat, Rogers, and Sleep Country. Her work has aired on many platforms, and she's currently working as a commercial DP at Video Nerve, a division of Publicis, and represented as a Cinematographer with Sesler. Ashley plans to continue capturing the world through her emotive and unique gaze. She's continuously growing, exploring her craft, and focusing on scripted work in the future.

Other Ways You Can Help

We know that sometimes unexpected circumstances can make it hard to donate financially. But that's not the only way to be a part of this!

Reach out to your friends and family, share this with them and ask them to do the same.

We want you to be with us on this journey, no matter what it looks like.

Every little bit matters ad helps us bring this story into the world. 

THANK YOU!

You can also follow us on social media and share our campaign there:

IG: @TransamorousTrilogy         |     @Braidedsistersproductions

TW: @Transamorous3                  |     @BraidedSisters

FB: The Transamorous Trilogy   |    Braided Sisters Productions