JORDY IN TRANSITLAND
THE STORY.
What does it actually mean to be a woman? And what’s femininity? For Jody (previously named Jordy) this is crystal clear: it’s only when one has the physical characteristics of a woman that one can call herself a true woman. Jody is already a woman in heart, soul and her fantasies. But she’s also on the brink of her physical transition.
Especially now, wandering in the realm between man and woman, she feels that the dichotomy is more poignant than ever. Must she conform herself to fit in? And what is the price for doing so? Through the semi-animated documentary Jordy in Transitland we enter Jody’s fantasy world. A modern, raw fairytale as a poetic protest against today’s parochialism.
THE PRODUCTION.
I had known Jody for six years when we started working on the film. In the beginning, her official name was Jordy. She captivated me from the first moment I saw her and I saw her bloom rapidly. The film Jordy in Transitland was created after many conversations with Jody and emerged from our friendship.
I thought it was important to enter into a co-creation process with her so that I would not make a film about Jody, but with her. Together we searched for a narrative form that suited Jody's world of experience and personality and mine, but that also suited what we wanted to communicate in a broader perspective: about diversity, about self-development and about the tension of the current pigeonholing. The access that Jody offered me to take a look into her life was the key to the success of this film. During the making process she taught me a lot about accepting yourself and about adopting a 'je m'en fous' -attitude towards the ignorant, small-minded and ever-judgmental other.
My role
Director and scenarist
Release
December 2016
Awards
Award for Best Documentary at Vidlings & Tapeheads Film Festival USA
Length
7 minutes
Film locations
the Netherlands & Germany
Year of production
2016
Broadcaster
VPRO
Production house
Copper Views Film Productions
More info on
www.vpro.nl
When the film was released in 2016, transgender people were increasingly visible in the media and on screen, but the stories told about them tended to be one-sided. They often focused solely on the physical transformation—brushing the nuances and complications of being trans under the rug—or they placed an excessive emphasis on the idea that transgender people are actual people, too.
THE STILLS.
