‘These voices should be uplifted and celebrated’
Filmmakers discuss recordbreaking diversity at the 2021 Florida Film Festival
The 2021 Florida Film Festival is underway. This year’s lineup features 90 female or non-binary filmmakers, which is the most in the event’s 30-year history and represents 55 percent of the programming, according to Enzian Theater.
“We never set out to break records, but having so many female and non-binary identifying filmmakers represented at this year’s event I think speaks volumes to the quality of what is being made today, the confidence to use the medium to film as a megaphone to address issues that are very personal in nature and the industry’s realization that these voices should be uplifted and celebrated,” said Tim Anderson, programming coordinator at Enzian Theater, in an email.
Em Weinstein, a non-binary filmmaker who uses the pronouns they/them, said it has been amazing to give underrepresented LGBTQIA+ stories — especially those of transgender males — a larger platform.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to have these conversations both at film festivals that are specifically about queer and trans issues and also at places like Florida Film Festival, which really takes on a diverse array of films in terms of both who the filmmakers are and what the subject matter is,” they said.
While Kelly Walker (bisexual director of “My Fiona,” which makes its U.S. premiere at the Maitland event) said the Florida Film Festival’s record number of female and non-binary filmmakers is exciting, it’s more impressive that these films haven’t been placed in separate categories but are instead part of the full lineup.
“The festival is celebrating storytelling and not having to focus solely on this is like female empowerment, this is non-binary
empowerment,” Walker said. “This is just film empowerment or indie filmmaking.”
She feels the event’s record-setting representation correlates to viewers’ increased interest in diverse storytelling.
“People are open and wanting to see films by diverse cultures and by diverse people and non-binary and females,” the 34-year-old Los Angeles resident said. “It also means that we’re no longer looking to film as a female or a male perspective. We’re just excited about storytelling, and we’re open to those different variations of it.”
Angela Washko — the director of “Workhorse Queen,” which makes its East Coast premiere at the Florida Film Festival — said increased representation is great, but it is important to recognize the difficulty of breaking into the entertainment industry.
“It’s harder for women and people of color and people across the LGBTQIA+ spectrum to get access to the funding that they need to produce projects, to get access to the sales representation that they need to get their projects distributed,” the 34-year-old Pittsburgh resident said. “I think it’s incredibly important to acknowledge how much more difficult it is for people who’ve been historically marginalized from the industry to even get to the point of having their work looked at by a festival.”
Growing up as a kid obsessed with movies, Weinstein recalls most of the films they treasured were directed by white males. The film industry’s diversification today is important not only in front of the camera but also behind-the-scenes in director, cinematographer and other roles, they said.
“It means the world to me that that’s changing and that filmmakers coming up today have so many more people they can look up to and films that they can be inspired by,” Weinstein said. “As long as the artists making work … are from diverse, underrepresented backgrounds, I believe that has a big impact on the culture and on the conversation.”
Their film, “In France Michelle is a Man’s Name,” about a young transgender man returning home to the rural American West makes its Florida premiere at the event.
“He’s been estranged from his parents for several years,” said the 29-yearold Philadelphia resident. “Basically, the film shows his reunion with his parents, and then a fatherson bonding moment that sort of takes on an unexpected twist as the film goes on.”
Washko’s documentary — which is represented by GQue Films, a non-cis owned and operated film sales company — tells the story of telemarketing manager Edward Popil, whose life changes when he is launched into stardom as his alter ego Mrs. Kasha Davis on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
“It’s looking at somebody who I feel like wasn’t a great fit for reality television and looking at how reality television has really kind of shaped the economy around this subversive subculture, this sort of incredible queer performance community,” Washko said.
“My Fiona” follows a character named Jane as she forms a friendship that turns into an affair with the widow of her best friend who committed suicide. Despite her film being female-driven, Walker advocates for a balanced crew and set. For example, when women were in front of the camera, she paired the scene with music by a male vocalist.
“I love to promote the idea of men and women and non-binary working together cohesively,” Walker said. “I think that’s what Florida Film Festival is doing so well, and it’s like kind of a reflection of the film.”
As the screening date draws near, Weinstein looks forward to the conversations their short film will spark.
“It’s also fun in festivals because your short is being presented with a whole bunch of other films, and sometimes the films end up kind of inadvertently having conversations with each other,” they said. “I think the more queer and trans and non-binary and female filmmakers there are, the more exciting that conversation between all the films is.”
Walker hopes other festivals will follow the Florida Film Festival’s example.
“One thing for me like making a movie that is about … queer characters, what I love is that we’re not the only film in the festival like that,” she said. “I think that’s also as important as these cis-festivals promoting these stories but not shining a light on them and separating them. They’re all together.”
If you go
The Florida Film Festival takes place April 9-22 online and at Enzian Theater (1300 S. Orlando Ave. in Maitland). Catch “Workhorse Queen” at 8:45 p.m. April 10, “My Fiona” at 2 p.m. April 18 and “In France Michelle is a Man’s Name” at 4:45 p.m. April 18. All three are also available for online viewing. Tickets, passes and packages cost $12-$1,500. For more information, go to floridafilmfestival.com.