WORK
TESSITURA
DEFINITION: the most acceptable and comfortable vocal range for a given singer
TESSITURA explores the entangled ways that voice, character, and gender are continuously reformulated in opera by those who contend with these connections daily. The film delves into the ways that contemporary trans opera singers navigate the traditional categories of their art form, interweaving personal stories with historical contexts to complicate an ongoing dialogue about gender in opera. The film features the talents and stories of Breanna Sinclairé, Katherine Goforth, Lucas Bouk, as well as the insights of Dr. Naomi André. TESSITURA is co-directed by Lydia Cornett and co-produced by American Documentary in partnership with Chicken & Egg Films.
Selected Screenings: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival 2025, True/False 2025
THE SCRIPT
A PUSH AND PULL OF LANGUAGE
Blending personal interviews with dramatized genre recreations, THE SCRIPT explores the complicated relationship between trans and nonbinary communities and medical providers regarding gender-affirming care. With a playful approach toward experimentation, the film examines the limits of language — and invites its participants and its audience to envision a liberated, gender-expansive future, beyond the rigidity of our current moment. The Script is co-directed by Noah Schamus and produced by Multitude Films in partnership with Chicken & Egg Pictures for Queer Futures.
Selected Screenings: CPH: DOX (2023), BFI Flare (2023), Blackstar (2023)
CARO COMES OUT
QUEER TORTURE, BUT HEARTFELT
NYC-based writer Caro sets out on a journey to come out to all of her family members. It’s a documentary about family, Miami, memory, and what coming out even means.
Selected Screenings: Indie Grits (2020), Indy Shorts (2020), Miami Film Festival (2021) - Winner of the Knight Made in MIA Short Film Award
ACROSS, BEYOND, AND OVER
A WEIRD DOC ABOUT memory, trans identity, + firsts
A hybrid documentary about two estranged trans men who used to date in middle school reconnecting over a long weekend to develop a film about their past. Through the pre-production process and writing exercises, they are forced to reconcile the differences in how they want to portray themselves, their relationship, and their trans identities.
Selected Screenings: Outfest Fusion (2020), NewFest: New York's LGBTQ Film Festival (2019), San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (2019)
I-57
GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER?
A narrative short (directed by Livia Huang) about an overly eager mother who tries to support her son and his gender identity by inviting an older transgender stranger to dinner.
Selected Screenings: San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (2019), Black Alphabet (2019)
BOTANICAL BLACK
AN MOS ABOUT GRIEF AND POTTED PLANTS
A film inspired by Danez Smith’s poem, “The Secret Garden in the Hood (or what happens to dead kids when the dirt does its work)”, centered around a florist making her last delivery in a world where Black children who die become potted plants.
Selected Screenings: Blackstar (2018), DC Black Film Festival (2019), Capital City Black Film Festival (2018), Twin Cities Black Film Festival (2018)
TRANS•IENCE
I MADE A MOVIE THEN UNMADE IT TO FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS REALLY ABOUT
What starts as a narrative short film about a boy graduating from college morphs into an autobiographical essay about coming out to yourself.
Selected Screenings: MIX NYC (2016), San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (2016)