A documentary that follows the lives of four young trans men in Perth has picked up the award for ‘Best LGBT Documentary Feature’ at the .
It’s Not Just Me—directed by NIDA alumnus Jonathan Messer—paints a deeply moving portrait of four different transgender experiences through the eyes of David, Max, Simon, and Logan, who are all at various stages of transitioning.
Messer—who made the film as part of his PhD—was initially going to create a project that focused on three films: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Hedwig and The Angry Inch and Transamerica as a way of exploring how trans identities are represented. But when he looked at all the literature about trans women in popular culture, it sparked another idea.
“I felt like my contribution would probably pair nicely with the information that was there,” Messer tells SBS. “But then I thought, well what’s the reverse of what I’m trying to do? Where are the trans men?
“So I turned my topic on its head and when I started looking for the transgender men experiences there weren’t really any.”
After a long search, Messer found the majority of his film participants via a Perth Facebook page for trans men.
The beauty in the documentary storytelling comes largely from the trust built between David, Max, Simon, Logan and the director, and the fact that Messer gave them creative control over their narratives.
“Not only are they participants telling their own stories, they were also in charge of their own stories,” Messer says. “It was really an exercise in agency, allowing them to tell their own story and even having them in the edit room with me and making editorial decision after cuts had been made.
“There was no manipulation and everyone was completely happy, all of them had final edit of their story.”
It’s Not Just Me brings the audience into the lives of four bright, funny and articulate young men on their respective journeys as they navigate their relationships with family, partners and their bodies.
It simultaneously provides validation for the transgender community while educating the cisgender audience about the diversity of the trans experience.
Simon is one of the four transgender men who features in 'It's Not Just Me'. Image: Supplied Source: Supplied
Representing transgender men on screen
Messer says that there needs to be increased visibility of transgender men so their voices can be heard as loudly as everyone else’s.
“By increasing visibility, [trans men] are able to educate a wider audience that otherwise probably don’t even know that they exist. So by popping your head up above the parapet, you're able to say, 'I'm here and I'm valid, I matter.'”
Messer is currently looking to distribute the film more widely and has received support from members of the transgender community who have affirmed the importance of the documentary.
“I’ve had many young trans people who have contacted me via our Facebook page, and say, ‘Can you please release this film because it will change my life, I need to show my parents'."
Update: It's Not Just Me has been selected for Queer Screen's 25th Mardi Gras Film Festival in February 2018.
