Transgender and non-binary filmmakers
by MsJessicaAriSinger | created - 26 Dec 2019 | updated - 17 Jun 2020 | PublicTransgender filmmakers advancing visibility behind the camera
1. Lana Wachowski
Writer | The Matrix
Lana Wachowski and her sister Lilly Wachowski, also known as the Wachowskis, are the duo behind such ground-breaking movies as The Matrix (1999) and Cloud Atlas (2012). Born to mother Lynne, a nurse, and father Ron, a businessman of Polish descent, Wachowski grew up in Chicago and formed a tight ...
2. Lilly Wachowski
Writer | The Matrix
Director, writer, and producer Lilly Wachowski was born in 1967 in Chicago, the daughter of Lynne, a nurse and painter, and Ron, a businessman. Lilly was educated at Kellogg Elementary School in Chicago, before moving on to Whitney M. Young High School. After graduating from high school, she ...
3. Janet Mock
Producer | Pose
Janet Mock is a writer, director and executive producer for the FX series "Pose" and the Netflix limited series "Hollywood." She's also the New York Times bestselling and trailblazing author of two memoirs, Redefining Realness (2014) and Surpassing Certainty (2017) about her journey as a trans ...
4. Silas Howard
Director | Dickinson
Silas Howard is an award-winning feature film, documentary film, music video, web series and television director and writer, with a longtime focus in telling honest, boundary-shattering narratives filled with groundbreaking characters. His career took off in 2001, when his first feature film, By ...
5. Yance Ford
Director | Strong Island
Yance Ford is an Oscar nominated director and producer based in New York City. His debut film Strong Island won the 2017 Sundance U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award, the Gotham Award for Best Documentary, and the Black Film Critics Circle Award for Best Doc. Strong Island was nominated for Best ...
6. Jake Graf
Writer | Dusk
Jake Graf is a London based actor, writer and director who has been creating his own content since 2011. Working independently, Jake has developed a wealth of experience in all aspects of filmmaking, and his extensive catalogue of self-auteured work over that time is testament to his passion and ...
7. Selene Kapsaski
Producer | Spidarlings
Selene Rafaela Kapsaski is a writer, film director, and producer living in Manchester, England. Selene is the director of the cult Horror Musical Spidarlings (2016) released by Troma Entertainment and the upcoming Sci-Fi Film The Moon Is a Hologram.
Selene Kapsaski is also the director and a ...
8. Kimberly Reed
Producer | Dark Money
Kimberly Reed is known for Dark Money (2018), Prodigal Sons (2008) and I'm Your Venus (2024).
9. Sydney Freeland
Director | Drunktown's Finest
Sydney Freeland was born on October 29, 1980 in Gallup, New Mexico, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Drunktown's Finest (2014), Rez Ball and Echo (2023).
10. Zackary Drucker
Director | The Stroll
Zackary Drucker is an independent artist, cultural producer, and trans woman who breaks down the way we think about gender, sexuality, and seeing. She has performed and exhibited her work internationally in museums, galleries, and film festivals including the Whitney Biennial 2014, MoMA PS1, Hammer...
11. Rhys Ernst
Director | Adam
Rhys Ernst was born on October 14, 1982 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Adam (2019), The Thing (2011) and Transparent (2014).
12. Ro Haber
Director | Ink
Ro Haber is known for Ink (2016), New Deep South: House of JXN (2017) and Jellyfish. (2014).
13. Sam Feder
Producer | Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen
Sam Feder is a Peabody Award nominated film director. Cited by Indiewire as one of the "exciting trans filmmakers shaking up Hollywood", Sam's films explore the intersection of visibility and politics along the lines of race, class, and gender. Sam's filmmaking practice models inclusion and equity ...
14. Andrea James
Producer | Transproofed
Andrea James was born on January 16, 1967 in the USA. She is a producer and director, known for Transproofed (2009), Transamerica (2005) and Casting Pearls (2007).
15. Dylan Mars Greenberg
Actress | Dark Prism
Paper Magazine said it best: " Somewhere between the faded pastels and grainy VHS footage of the '80s and the neo-Dada internet iconoclasm of today lies Dylan Mars Greenberg." Greenberg got an early foothold into the art world; by the time she was 15 she was performing in East Village clubs and ...
16. Emmett Jack Lundberg
Art_department | The Other Guys
Emmett Jack Lundberg was born on January 8, 1984 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is an actor and director, known for The Other Guys (2010), Premium Rush (2012) and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011).
17. Harper Shecter
Producer | Threshold
Harper Shecter was born and raised in metro Detroit and is a multi-award winning Producer. Her credits include "Five Windows", "The Dark Below" and "Within".
She has been active in film production since 2007. Harper is inspired by her peers in the Michigan film scene and happy to be part of a ...
18. Ariel Mahler
Director | Evan Ever After
Ariel Mahler is known for Evan Ever After (2023), Death and Bowling (2021) and Flock (2020).
19. Joey Soloway
Producer | Transparent
Joey Soloway was born on September 26, 1965 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. They are a producer and writer, known for Transparent (2014), Six Feet Under (2001) and United States of Tara (2009). They were previously married to Bruce Gilbert, and for writing and directing the feature Afternoon Delight (...
20. Reina Gossett
Director | Happy Birthday, Marsha!
Reina Gossett is known for Happy Birthday, Marsha! (2017), Mudbound (2017) and Salacia (2019).
21. Chase Joynt
Director | Framing Agnes
Chase Joynt is a moving-image artist and writer whose work interrogates representations of gender and violence. Awarded the EP Canada/Canada Film Capital Award for Emerging Canadian Artist (Inside Out, Toronto) and jury awards for Best Documentary (Bangalore, Regent Park), Best Short (Ecuador) and ...
22. Antonio Yee
Production_designer | 3 Versos
Antonio Yee is known for 3 Verses (2016), Ascension (2018) and Pandora (2016).
23. Jessica Dunn Rovinelli
Editor | So Pretty
Jessica Dunn Rovinelli is known for So Pretty (2019), Marriage Story (2020) and Empathy (2016).
24. Ashley Cooper
Writer | ReincarNate
Passionate about storytelling from a young age, Ashley established herself as a filmmaker to watch after crowdfunding two short films. Elijah the Prophet, starring Art Hindle (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) & Melanie Nicholls-King (The Wire) raised over $20,000 on Kickstarter, was named one of the...
25. Faraz Arif Ansari
Director | Sisak
Faraz Arif Ansari is known for Sisak (2017), Sheer Qorma (2021) and Siberia (2015).
26. Campbell X
Director | Stud Life
Campbell X is known for Stud Life (2012), Different for Girls (2017) and Low Rider.
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