{"id":5213,"date":"2012-06-15T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2012-06-15T16:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.qwoc.org\/?p=5213"},"modified":"2012-06-15T12:00:02","modified_gmt":"2012-06-15T16:00:02","slug":"10-questions-with-still-black-trans-masculine-documentary-filmmaker-dr-k-ryan-about-his-new-film-passion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/?p=5213","title":{"rendered":"10 Questions with “Still Black” Trans-Masculine Documentary Filmmaker, Dr. K Ryan, about His New Film PASSION"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kortney Ryan Ziegler<\/a>, director of the award-winning film, “Still Black<\/a>“, a documentary about the lives of six black transgender men, is currently casting transgender and cisgender actors of color for his new feature length film, PASSION, set to start shooting in Oakland, California early next year.<\/p>\n

<divider><\/p>\n

Film Synopsis<\/strong>:<\/h4>\n

Approaching his 30\u2019s, Passion, a black trans musician two years into his medical transition, juggles his newfound identity as a black male and the societal expectations that come along with it. Though him and his ska band enjoy local success in Oakland, Ca, Passion is discontent with remaining local and wants to extend the band\u2019s fame beyond the bay area. However, his best friend and band mate, Shields, cannot fully accept his transition which heavily affects the success of the group as he constantly pressures Passion into living stealth and adopting a misogynist demeanor. Afraid of ruining the chances of success for his band and feeling unsure of his own masculinity, Passion begrudgingly begins to closet himself. When he encounters a local queer activist named Uni that reminds him of the beauty of gender fluidity, it propels him to take action in his career as a musician, reconsider his friendship with Shields, and publicly embrace his trans identity and nonnon-traditional expression of masculinity.<\/p>\n

<divider><\/p>\n

I first met Dr. K Ryan in Boston; he was passing through the city with his partner on his way to Western MA (where he later filmed Louis Mitchell, one of Still Black’s subjects<\/a>). A mutual friend was hosting him and his partner and so we all met up for drinks. I had just begun coming to terms with my gender identity then, and had no idea that the filmmaker I’d just met would be instrumental in propelling me from my place of awkward discomfort with my body and gender presentation to a shared awareness of the imposed gender norms that constrict us, and now liberated and intentional solidarity with other masculine of center women of color.<\/p>\n

As a writer of color who’s also gender non-conforming, I’ve been impressed with — and personally touched by — Dr. Ryan’s unapologetic approach to raising awareness of gender and race issues through his writing (if you don’t know about his award-winning blog, blackademic.com, you should), but especially his commitment to creative growth and exploration through the medium of film. It was a pleasure to interview such a prolific media maker and learn about his no-nonsense approach to filmmaking. I believe we can all benefit from Dr. Ryan’s brand of bold. Enjoy.<\/p>\n

It’s been a few years since you made Still Black: a Portrait of Black\u00a0Trans Men<\/a>,\u00a0a documentary. PASSION is a\u00a0narrative film. Why the genre switch?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Aside from STILL BLACK, I’ve made a number of experimental shorts but\u00a0have always wanted to produce a narrative feature. To be honest, the\u00a0genre intimidated me but now I feel that I am in the creative and\u00a0intellectual space to literally follow my dream. I know that in order\u00a0to grow as an artist, I must constantly confront my fears because I\u00a0believe in dosing so, I produce the best work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What did you learn about being a queer\/trans black filmmaker that\u00a0you feel will and\/or already has been invaluable to your new project?<\/strong>
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n

I think my identity has afforded me a different way to approach film\u00a0because I want to see people who share a similar life experience as me\u00a0on the big screen. This urge is what pushes me and has proven to be\u00a0the most invaluable aspect of my career.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I first learned about your film through your casting call first black\u00a0trans men. It made me think about films like Pariah and Transamerica in\u00a0which the gender non-conforming protagonists were played by straight,\u00a0cisgender actors. What are your thoughts on this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I do not want to say that non-queer actors cannot play in queer roles\u00a0because the essence of cinema is the notion of performance, which\u00a0allows brilliant actors to represent something or someone other than\u00a0themselves. However, I do think it is tricky to have cisgender actors\u00a0in transgender roles if the role is strictly based on\u00a0stereotypes–something which films with non-trans actors tend to do. I\u00a0do know that with PASSION, I cannot see anyone else but a black trans\u00a0male actor as the protagonist.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Is casting for a narrative film easier or more difficult than for\u00a0documentary film in your experience so far? Why\/ why not?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the documentary it wasn’t difficult to find subjects because men\u00a0like myself yearned to have our voices heard and overwhelmingly\u00a0supported the casting call. With PASSION, I am experiencing the same\u00a0amount of support. Perhaps the only difference in difficulty is having\u00a0to weed through a larger pool of applicants because of the genre\u00a0change. I am seeing that the trans community is filled with amazing\u00a0actors who many of us don’t even know exists.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As a writer, I will often hear from publishers, what is the why behind\u00a0your piece, story, book? Why \u00a0now? What is the why behind PASSION? Why do you\u00a0feel compelled to tell this story now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is time to tell this story for a number of reasons. For one, black\u00a0indie cinema is revealing itself as an important force in the film\u00a0industry. It is a great time in filmmaking where the thirst for\u00a0stories of the black experience are being answered by black filmmakers\u00a0with unique style and voices. Furthermore, with the success of Pariah,\u00a0it shows that films about the black queer experience can be\u00a0successfully marketed to all types of audiences beyond the LGBT film\u00a0circuit. Basically, it would be silly of me not to produce this
\nproject right now.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How has pre-production been funded\/supported so far? How do you plan to\u00a0fund the film?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pre-production has been financially supported through my own company\u00a0and private investors.\u00a0Eventually I will begin fundraising most likely\u00a0through a crowdsourcing campaign.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Are there any steamy sex scenes? Inquiring minds wanna know :-).<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don’t know about steamy sex but I will say that there will be some
\nscenes that are indeed, sexy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Your film Still Black was a first of its kind, and sparked a lot of\u00a0dialogue within the LGBT community, notably within people of color\u00a0communities about trans masculine issues. Simply put, it was dope. Do you\u00a0feel pressure to deliver another first?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I<\/strong>‘ve been lucky to achieve a number of firsts in my artistic and\u00a0academic career, however, I do not feel pressure at all to continue\u00a0this trend. I am simply driven by the desire to introduce audiences to\u00a0alternative images of blackness without waiting for approval. If\u00a0anything, I am privileged to be able to produce work that sets\u00a0precedent.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What films by other LGBT POC, whether short, feature, or experimental do\u00a0you? Which other filmmakers have influenced you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A number of artists have shaped my point of view as a filmmaker but\u00a0right now I am feeling incredibly inspired by fellow filmmaker, Tiona\u00a0M. Not only because her work is important and timely but I am inspired\u00a0by her business skills as a working artist. I respect her grind and\u00a0always look to folks who understand that to be independent is to wear\u00a0multiple hats and to wear them well.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

QWOC Media Wire is the only platform that exclusively\u00a0amplifies media – books, art, film, music etc – created for and by LGBTQ\u00a0women and gender non-conforming people of color. As a black trans\u00a0filmmaker, we’d love to hear how we (QWOC media wire and the community) can\u00a0support you.<\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I<\/strong> think it is important to continue to provide spaces that highlight\u00a0queer folks of color as I believe there can never be enough.\u00a0Especially, since we are such a driving force in a number of creative\u00a0industries. We have to continue to talk about one another for our own\u00a0survival.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What would you say to young queer folks of color (or anyone for that matter) who’s interested in making films?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Do it, because your time on earth is limited;\u00a0you are going to die. That may seem morbid to some\u00a0but it is the reality and should inspire all of us to pursue our\u00a0dreams.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thanks so much for speaking with us! Any last words?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I’d like to put out there that I’ve slowly started to re-launch my\u00a0award winning blog, blac (k) ademic in order to both chronicle my\u00a0journey with the film as well as provide weekly critical essays on\u00a0culture from a black transmale perspective. So, please visit!\u00a0And thank you for carving out space for me to talk about my work!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To stay up to date on Dr. K. Ryan’s film projects, and learn about his radical black queer point of view, visit his blog, www.blackademic.com<\/a>. You can read the full call for transgender and queer actors of color here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kortney Ryan Ziegler, director of the award-winning film, “Still Black“, a documentary about the lives of six black transgender men, is currently casting transgender and cisgender actors of color for his new feature length film, PASSION, set to start shooting in Oakland, California early next year. <divider> Film Synopsis: Approaching his 30\u2019s, Passion, a black…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,104,28,66],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","category-filmmaker-interviews","category-interviews","category-trans-lucent"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/test.qwoc.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}