To defy gender norms is an understated act of bravery. It is to redefine beauty – craft it rather than plagiarise it, and wear queerness like a badge of honour. It is to dare to be different, to stand out from the crowd, but even so, butches, studs, mascs and trans-mascs remain largely invisible in cinema. As the saying goes, “can’t see, can’t be”, and these short films provide affirming visibility, catapulting our stories out of the shadows with swagger and charm.

 

SHORT FILM PROGRAMME INFO:

DES!RE, Dir. Campbell X

Sexy and revealing, this experimental short explores the desirability of trans and gender non-conforming people assigned female at birth.

Film info: 9 mins, UK, 2016, Digital

 

Welcome To A Bright White Limbo, Dir. Cara Holmes

Documentary and dance performance combine to dive into the mind and creative process behind Oona Doherty’s award-winning show ‘Hope Hunt’.

Film info: 11 mins, Ireland, 2019, Digital

 

Audrey’s Beard, Dir. Alec Butler

A beard growth timelapse with a poetic voiceover showcase one person’s journey from butch dyke to trans man.

Film info: 2 mins, Canada, 2002, Digital

 

Butterflies, Dir. Liza Koifman

After a lonely sex worker finds support in a single, drug dealing, mother, their loyalty is tested by a traumatic incident.

Film info: 23 mins, The Netherlands, 2020, Digital, Subtitled

 

The Brother, Dir. Kai Fiáin

The morning after the night before, Frances finds herself a little bit more involved in a situation than she would want to be – the kind of situation where you don’t ask too many questions.

Film info: 4 mins, UK, 2018, Digital

 

What Does a Lesbian Look Like?, Dir. Shawna Dempsey & Lorri Millan

Examining and embracing a plethora of dyke stereotypes, this film asks: “What exactly does a lesbian look like?”

Film info: 2 mins, Canada, 1994, Digital

 

A Day In The Life of a Bull-Dyke, Dir. Shawna Dempsey & Lorri Millan

Told through the eyes of a big-boned butcher, this fictionalised history is filled with all the joy, pain and ambivalence that a Bull-Dyke experiences.

Film info: 11 mins, Canada, 1995, Digital

 

Hormonal, Dir. Maz Murray

When three trans people get ripped off by their testosterone dealer, they must undertake a daring hormone heist in this working-class, neo-noir flight of fancy.

Film info: 12 mins, UK, 2023, Digital

 

Butch Coyolxauhqui, Dir. Karleen Pendleton Jimenez

A butch lesbian tells the story of her body with the help of her mother and the Aztec goddess Coyolxauhqui.

Film info: 4 mins, Canada, 2016, Digital

 

Code Switch, Dir. Micha Lyric Borneo

A black trans person navigates the barbershop, illuminating the complexity and dynamism of gender expression.

Film info: 5 mins, USA, 2022, Digital

 

Nails & Beauty, Dir. Rhona Foster

A teen girl blossoms after her transformative day with a team of beautiful butch builders.

Film info: 10 mins, UK, 2021, Digital

 

Screening as part of GAZE PRESENTS: UNMASCED – A Celebration of Lesbian and Trans-Masc Visibility in Cinema in partnership with the Irish Film Institute. Full programme available here.