Sundance Institute has selected six artists for its inaugural Trans Possibilities Intensive. Ava Davis, StormMiguel Florez, River Gallo, Carol Grant, Mitchell (MiSha) Owens, and Savannah Ward are participating in the the three-day virtual program, which is designed to advance transgender storytellers and their projects. According to a press release, the intensive kicked off October 18 with a conversation entitled “Beyond the Tipping Point.”
Sundance Institute Outreach & Inclusion and Indigenous Programs Coordinator Moi Santos designed and is overseeing Trans Possibilities. The Intensive “provides a supportive environment [for artists] to work on their projects, sharpen their craft, develop community, and challenge the obstacles that continue to exclude transgender artists of color,” per the source. “Fellows will participate in a robust schedule focusing on key areas of craft including group exercises, discipline specific workshops, and work closely with established creative artist advisors” such as Sam Feder (“Disclosure”) and Yance Ford (“Strong Island”).
During the program, Davis will work on “The Waltz,” which sees a fully transitioned woman learning to waltz from an unlikely partner. Florez’s “Welcome to Roswell” is about a trans filmmaker coming out to his family, which collides with his partner’s interest in the 1947 UFO crash in Roswell. Gallo’s “Ponyboi” is a surreal tale of sex work and organized crime set on Valentine’s Day, while Grant’s “Eurydice V” is a sci-fi take on immigration. Owens’ “The Boy from Across Town” follows a drag performer who becomes involved with a local drug ring and Ward’s “Meta” explores toxic masculinity using the trope of werewolves.
“This Intensive is the result of ongoing and evolving priorities through Sundance’s Outreach and Inclusion work and a year of thoughtful and intentional planning, heartfelt commitment, and a belief in supporting transgender storytellers of color and their stories,” said Santos. “We are honored that the Fellows have chosen to share their artistic journeys with us and look forward to continuing our relationship and building community together for years to come.”
Along with the Intensive, Sundance Institute has partnered with GLAAD and the filmmakers of trans representation doc “Disclosure” to build a toolkit for industry execs and creators who want to tell trans-inclusive stories. It will be available online next month.
Bios for the inaugural Trans Possibilities Intensive class and details on their projects are below, courtesy of Sundance Institute.
Ava Davis, also known as the Duchess of Grant Park, is a trans actress, producer/filmmaker, and writer living in Atlanta, Georgia. She is also an advocate for increasing trans and queer representation, especially that of black and other minorities.
The Waltz: Career-driven Claire has fully transitioned into a woman, and finds an unlikely partner who can help her realize her lifelong dream of learning to waltz, but both find themselves unsure of the others’ feelings.
StormMiguel Florez is a trans, queer Xicane filmmaker, actor, and lifelong musician, whose film work includes documentaries The Whistle (Producer/Director) and MAJOR! (Co-Producer/Editor). He’s originally from Albuquerque, NM and has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 25 years. He lives with his partner and their 3 chihuahuas.
Welcome To Roswell: A middle aged trans filmmaker returns to his father’s birthplace, Roswell, New Mexico to document coming out to his family. His partner’s obsession with the 1947 UFO crash takes him and his film crew in a very different direction.
River Gallo is a GLAAD award-winning Salvadoran-American filmmaker, actor, writer, model and intersex activist. They are the creator and star of the short film Ponyboi (Tribeca 2019) which was the first narrative film created by and starring an out intersex person in cinema history. River is currently developing Ponyboi into a feature film, produced by Ezra Miller. They are represented by CAA and Management 360.
Ponyboi: When a high-profile john expires coitus interruptus, intersex sex worker Ponyboi suddenly finds himself in a fever dream on the run from the New Jersey mob on Valentine’s Day.
Carol Grant is a screenwriter and Nicholl Quarterfinalist from the San Fernando Valley. Between writing screenplays about queer identities and bodies, she writes for publications like Vice, Indiewire, and Little White Lies. Carol’s stories come from both a trans and a neurodivergent perspective, discovering the thin boundaries between flesh and mind.
Eurydice V: In a decaying Earth, a troubled mercenary must smuggle a young, illegal clone that’s escaped from her creator through a dystopian Mexico to a sanctuary on a colonized moon.
Mitchell (MiSha) Owens
Born and raised just outside of the Navajo Nation I’ve always wanted to tell stories that would resonate with audiences. Whether it be raw, and gritty, or light hearted and comical, I want my stories to remain authentically real by staying true to who I am as a TransFeminine individual.
The Boy from Across Town: After a late night hook up, a small town Drag Performer gets caught up in an old classmate’s involvement with the local drug cartel.
Savannah Ward is a Black trans/non-binary writer who’s currently an Executive Story Editor on Cruel Summer, the thriller drama series produced by Jessica Biel for Freeform. In their spare time, Savannah writes Horror features because, “what is more horrific than being a Black, queer, trans person in America?”
Meta: Insecure about his masculinity, Black transgender teen Jake, aims to be a star athlete and transfers schools to run on the Boys Cross Country team. But when he discovers that most of his teammates are a pack of bloodthirsty, toxically masculine Werewolves, Jake must define what it means to be a man for himself.
