Transgender Day of Remembrance 20 November 2015

18 Nov

Friday 20 November 2015 will see Sheffield’s annual commemoration of the International Transgender Day of Remembrance.

This day is a vital opportunity for transgender communities and their allies to unite and make their voices heard against the injustices that are still levied at transgender lives.

So far in 2015, more than 20 transgender people are reported to have been murdered in the USA alone. Even more have committed suicide as a result of transphobic bullying and harassment, and there will likely be more still which have gone unreported across the world. Transgender women of colour are disproportionately affected, making up a large percentage of those killed.

‘Trashing Transphobia’ by E.D.E.N Film Productions

E.D.E.N. Film productions launched a filmmaking project in 2015 to look at the impact of transphobia, by collaborating with trans people and members of the LGBT and non-LGBT communities to get a glimpse of what it is to be transgender in Britain in 2015. The final film project, which has been funded by the Big Lottery Fund, will receive its premiere at The Odeon cinema in Sheffield as part of a bigger Trans Day of Remembrance programme (see below for more details).

Claire Watkinson, Managing Director and Founder of E.D.E.N Film Productions spoke to SIGNAL (Sheffield Hallam’s LGBT+ Staff Network) member Tom Reaney about the project:

Tom: Tell us a little about the project – what brought the idea about and what do you hope to achieve with it?
Claire: Trashing Transphobia is a free filmmaking course funding by The Big Lottery Fund for the LGBT community. The idea initially came from E.D.E.N Action! – a previous filmmaking course we ran at E.D.E.N for unemployed members of the LGBT community. The participants on this course wanted to produce a short educational film on how to be a Trans ally, but soon realised that it was in fact a project in itself. Inspired by the enthusiasm the E.D.E.N Action! team had for the project, we sat down and drafted a project idea to apply for funding with The Big Lottery Fund. We were over the moon to be successful and are hoping to achieve awareness for Trans* issues and rights through the power of the film.

Tom: What have you enjoyed/found challenging/rewarding about the project?
Claire: The project has been extremely enjoyable working with so many fantastic people from the LGBT community. The project has involved filmmaking workshops, filming several interviews and editing sessions. It has been nonstop fun! The main challenge for us was working within the timescale; the film the group is producing is ambitious but we are on track for the screening on the 20th of November at the Sheffield Odeon. The most rewarding aspect of this project is watching members of the project grow and learn new skills that they can then take with them after the course has completed. There has been so much dedication from the participants to perfect their skills and be involved with all aspects of the filming.

Tom: How was it working with the project group? They seem like a great bunch!
Claire: It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience working with everyone on the group; there has been a lot of laughter! Participants have brought something special and unique to the process of the film and it has been a joy to work with them! I am hoping that I will be able to work with them again in future projects that we run at E.D.E.N.

Tom: Transgender equality is still being so fervently fought for, due to disparate (often non-existent) levels of acceptance, both on a wider scale and within our own LGBT communities and the larger injustices levelled at trans* people (including transphobic bullying, hate crimes and even murder). With this in mind, how did you and the group find filming and discussing these issues with your volunteers on camera?
Claire: The film is following a presenter on a journey, Laura Holt, she has been working alongside the group participants to ensure that each interview has been handled sensitively and professionally. Laura, has been a gem throughout the project and leads the film effectively that is sure to connect to a wide audience. We have worked closely with the Transgender community and each volunteer on camera has been fully briefed of the aims of the project. Each interview has been an excellent experience that will form [the film], ‘Trashing Transphobia’.

Tom: Is there anything this project revealed to you that you’d like to have covered but didn’t get chance or would like to tackle in a future project?
Claire: This project has demonstrated even further how important it is to keep raising much needed awareness. There is so much we wanted to cover but didn’t have time to. We will continue to focus on raising awareness for Trans* community through our future projects and workshops at E.D.E.N. We already have several plans to continue the work we have started. Most importantly, the project further revealed how much still needs to be done to trash transphobia and the scary level of discrimination that is inflicted onto the lives of trans* people every single day. This must stop and we will ensure we do as much as we possibly can to assist with this.

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2015 – Sheffield

Below is the programme of events planned for Friday 20 November – all elements are free to attend:

Candlelit vigil
Millennium Square from 5.15pm

Live music, speeches, performances
Winter Gardens from 5.45pm

‘Trashing Transphobia’ film premiere, with Q&A
Odeon Cinema from 6.30pm

Please note: Tickets for this event have now sold out, however some seats uncollected/unallocated prior to the start of the film will be allocated on a first come, first served reserve list for those there on the evening. The film will be available to view afterwards online at www.edenfilm.co.uk and will be screened at other events in the future.

After-party with DJs, live music, performances and more
The Viper Rooms, Carver Street from 8.30pm

Full details and updates are available via the Facebook event and keep an eye on the Sheffield International Transgender Day of Remembrance Facebook page.