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TRANS LOS ANGELES is a feature film told in four anthology segments with four trans lead characters. Through her gripping and heartfelt vision, director Kase Peña unearths their daily challenges resulting from inequality and discrimination, as well as the enduring hope found in genuine connection, acceptance, and love.
The film is already stacked with a stellar cast - including legendary Trans icon Carmen Carrera, Stephanie Beatriz from BROOKLYN NINE-NINE, Curly Velasquez from VIDA, and Luciana Faulhaber from SHADES OF BLUE.
As a Transgender Latinx woman herself, Peña unifies these stories with unbending truth and emotionality that only she can deliver but will undoubtedly resonate with audiences across the world.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
* DONATE
Your donation to TRANS LOS ANGELES directly translates to supporting trans voices both in front and behind the camera. Now more than ever we need to support filmmakers like Kase, whose writing humanizes and normalizes the trans existence, as we grieve the many lives lost to violence this past year and beyond. The time is NOW for us to act.
1) You can donate your 50 cents to our Venmo: @Translosangeles
2) You can also donate at this page above by clicking "Back It."
Your 50 cents through Venmo makes a difference! If you’re in a position to donate more you may do so here on Indiegogo. No amount is too small. Thank you!
* FOLLOW
You can help us by following our social media accounts! Every like, share, comment goes a long way in increasing our reach and getting the word out about this incredible film.
Follow us on Instagram: @translosangeles
Like us on Facebook: @translosangeles
Follow us on Twitter: @TLA_Film
* SHARE
We understand that donating to a campaign might not be possible for some during these times, but don’t worry! You can still help TRANS LOS ANGELES by spreading the word about the campaign to your friends, family, and colleagues by sending them this campaign through email and sharing on social media. (Don't forget to tag us!) Every effort counts, no matter how small.
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WE NEED YOU
With the success of this campaign, we will be able to tell stories that will undoubtedly resonate with audiences across the world. We are blessed to launch our Indiegogo page with the support and pledges from National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), The Tribeca Film Institute, Panavision Cameras, Allies In Arts, and Light Iron Post.
However, we need to raise an additional $100,000 as a bare minimum to complete this feature film. We would be so grateful for your support on TRANS LOS ANGELES and our mission to unify Trans stories with unbending truth and heart.
SYNOPSIS
* In PERIOD, a Trans Latinx woman gets released from LA County and finds a part-time job looking after a 12-year-old girl, but she also has to continue sex work to make ends meet.
* In PURSE, a 10 year-old Black Trans girl, is exposed to a criminal lifestyle while living at home with her gang-banging, yet loving and accepting dad.
* In PASSING, a Trans Man dates a woman who isn’t aware of his gender identity. He dreads revealing his secret to her, but ultimately has no choice.
* In FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS, a Trans Latina Woman from El Salvador prepares for baptism, all the while seeking Refugee Asylum in the US, running from ICE agents, and desperately waiting to hear from her boyfriend who, last she heard, was illegally crossing the US/Mexico border.
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An award-winning filmmaker, Kase was born in New York City. She’s a Transgender Woman of Color, the offspring of working class parents from the Dominican Republic. Kase is the first Trans Latinx Woman to join the Writers Guild of America. Her feature screenplay I LOVE HATE, the recipient of The Sundance Institute Launch Grant, is being produced by Angel Lopez, a producer on Justin Simien’s Dear White People and Bad Hair; both of these films had their World Premiere at Sundance.
HBO has picked up distribution rights to Full Beat, Kase’s latest short film. Along with her short Trabajo, this marks the second time HBO distributes a film written and directed by Kase Peña. Furthermore, Kase has been the recipient of some of the most acclaimed Fellowships in the industry, including The Latino Lens Narrative Shorts Incubator, Film Independent Project Involve, Women-In-Film, the Ryan Murphy TV Directing Program, among many others. Sony Pictures Entertainment named Kase their Diversity Fellow for 2019.
DIRECTOR STATEMENT
In June 2020, two Black Trans women, Riah Milton and Dominique “Rem'Mie” Fells, were murdered within a seven day period. During that same time, a Black Trans woman, Iyanna Dior, was beaten by a mob of people in Minnesota. The loud noise the Black Lives Matter and the Black Trans Lives Matter movements have made, helps to amplify the message that my voice as a Black Latinx Trans Woman is of paramount importance.
This film is necessary because, thus far, movies about transgender women have been mostly made by filmmakers who aren't us. These plots often center around trauma and are accompanied by violence inflicted upon the Trans characters, often dismissing the complexity of our experience.
As a Trans Woman myself, my writing offers a more realistic, hopeful lens. My stories expand on the confining portrayal of our community the audiences have seen on screen, and reveal the depth of our powerful narratives. My characters will humanize my Trans brothers and sisters and normalize our existence.
The tide is changing and audiences today demand stories by authentic voices. The time is now for us to act.
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Kimberly Han - Producer
Kimberly Han is an independent filmmaker and a Development Executive at a major studio during the day. A Korean-American raised in Seoul and the Silicon Valley, she grew up with numerous math problems and tech clubs without an inkling of an idea that she’d end up in Hollywood. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Han moved to Los Angeles to explore TV production at Leverage Management (BALLERS) and Anonymous Content (TRUE DETECTIVE, MR. ROBOT). Han won the coveted fellowship as a Creative Executive in the 2018 Film Independent Project Involve program, through which she produced several short films. The films sweeped awards across the globe, including the Crystal Bear Special Jury Award at Berlinale International Film Festival 2019 and the Narrative Shorts Jury Award at SXSW 2019. Her short film, FULL BEAT, directed by Kase Peña, premiered at Bentonville Film Festival and can currently be viewed on HBO. Han also founded Koreans in Media in Los Angeles, which aims to unite and highlight filmmakers of Korean descent and their allies.
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Evelyn Angelica Martinez - Producer
Evelyn Angelica Martinez is a first-gen Latina filmmaker based out of Los Angeles. Her most recent film, JOYRIDE, directed by Edwin Alexis Gómez, premiered at the 2020 PBS Short Film Festival, winning the “Most Popular” Award. She is a producer for the upcoming feature films: JOYRIDE and TRANS LOS ANGELES. Along with producing, Evelyn is in the midst of developing her own projects, DUENDES, a fantasy VR short and feature film, LUZ Y SOLEDAD. Previously she was part of the team at Lawrence Bender Productions (KILL BILL, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Quebrada Entertainment, and NALIP (National Association of Latino Independent Producers).
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Kristi Lugo - Producer / Casting Director
Kristi Lugo is an openly queer Latina casting director and producer based in Los Angeles. She has cast projects with ABC, Amazon, CBS, Disney, GLAAD, HBO, Lionsgate, NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers, most recently working as the Associate Casting Director on TRANSPARENT: THE MUSICALE FINALE for Amazon with Joey Soloway executive producing. Lugo began her career casting the short film FULL BEAT, which was acquired by HBO, then SMOKE starring Billy Porter and Alexandra Grey, and just wrapped the indie feature film, WHEN TIME GOT LOUDER, starring HUNGER GAMES actress Willow Shields. In addition, she is co-producing the feature film adaption of the beloved viral short film PRETTY BOY alongside Sundance alum producer Tara Ansley and Adam Engelhard with Cameron Thrower directing.
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