Irish Premiere

In the 1950s and ‘60s, an underground network of transgender women and cross-dressing men found refuge at a modest house in the Catskills region of New York. Known as Casa Susanna, the house provided a safe space for them to express their true selves without fear of being incarcerated. Told through the memories of those whose visits to the house would change their lives, incorporating a rich trove of archival footage and photographs, the film provides a moving look back at a secret world where the persecuted and frightened found freedom, acceptance, and the courage to live out of the shadows.

Notes by David O’Mahony

Screening as part of the IFI Documentary Festival 2023.