In the late 1950s, a woman named Agnes approached the UCLA Medical Center seeking sex reassignment surgery. Her story was long considered to be exceptional and singular until never-before-seen case files of other patients were found in 2017. Watch as preeminent trans culture-makers of our time breathe new life into those who redefined gender in the midcentury. Starring Zackary Drucker (Transparent), Angelica Ross (Pose), Silas Howard (By Hook or By Crook), and Max Wolf Valerio (The Testosterone Files).
"An incredible film that transforms the most difficult of archives and shows us critical trans study in action, on screen—I will be thinking with and teaching it for many years to come!"
- Julian Gill-Peterson, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh
"'Framing Agnes' cuts between reenactments of Agnes’s case and interviews with the contemporary trans actors who play them. The actors’ own stories and experiences blend with the historical narratives they reanimate, creating a beautifully haunting dialogue... The twinning of trans experiences five decades apart is profound."
"Reframing Agnes". RL Goldberg, The Paris Review, , www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/04/26/reframing-agnes/)
"Unlocking Agnes’ secrets: U. of C. researchers unearth a surprising discovery about 1950s transgender case in Tribeca film fest documentary". Cindy Dampier, Chicago Tirbune, April 25, 2019, www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-transgender-documentary-tribeca-film-fest-20190425-story.html
Audience Award for Best Experimental Short, Outfest Los Angeles, 2019
Audience Award for Best Documentary Short, Translations: Seattle Transgender Film Festival, 2019