A new film series at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, "Masc: Trans Men, Butch Dykes, and Gender Nonconforming Heroes in Cinema," celebrates the rarely depicted masculine identities of queer and gender non-conforming trailblazers.
Screening from January 19 to February 25, the series is curated by Jenni Olson and Caden Mark Gardner.
Representing six decades of LGBTQ cinema, here is a list of this year's inspiring films.
"The Aggressives" (US, 2005) features several butches, studs, and masc folks of color from New York City's vibrant ballroom and nightlife scene, including actor Marquise Vilsón.
"By Hook or by Crook" (US, 2001), co-directed by Harry Dodge and Silas Howard, traces three weeks in the life of a gorgeous, small town trans man with a unique outlook. After his father's death, he moves to the city where he soon meets Valentine and the two embark on a beautiful friendship.
"Chavela" (Mexico/US, 2017) is the amazing life story of Chavela Vargas, the internationally-known lesbian gunslinger singer and macho butch who dated both Frida Kahlo and Ava Gardner. The film traces her career from the 1960s to collaborating with Pedro Almodovar to winning a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy's.
"Lifetime Guarantee: Phranc's Adventure in Plastic" (US, 2001) is the uplifting documentary about the folk singer Phranc, a Jewish butch lesbian and super-salesperson for Tupperware. Variety described Phranc as a "1950s sitcom-dad-styled androgyne hawking kitchenware to housewives."
"No Ordinary Man" (Canada, 2020) is about trans jazz musician Billy Tipton, leader of the Billy Tipton Trio and recording artist. When he died in 1989, his identity was discovered, fueling sensational headlines in the press. This film aptly corrects the narrative and celebrates the life of a great musician.
"Shinjuku Boys" (UK, 1995) is a candid look at Japanese AFAB (assigned female at birth) identity through the eyes of three friends who work at Tokyo's New Marilyn Club, a nightclub where straight women can socialize with onabe (a term for both butch lesbians and trans men) and talk freely.
"Southern Comfort" (US, 2001) documents the noteworthy story of Robert Eads, a trans man with ovarian cancer who endured medical malfeasance and transphobia from the medical establishment in the 1990s.
'Masc: Trans Men, Butch Dykes, and Gender Nonconforming Heroes in Cinema,' Jan. 19-Feb. 25, at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center St. Berkeley. $5-$14. www.bampfa.org
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