8 Foreign Films About Trans Women
Move over America — you’re no longer #1 in the History of Trans Cinema
Hi, I’m Stephenie Magister ✨ (follow me), and below I’ll take you on a dive through eight movies featuring transgender characters throughout the world.
Note: Links list at the end to watch each movie for free
pixelia — India
Kumar, a bachelor in his thirties, leaves his corporate job in Kochi to become a graphic novelist. Still in Kochi, he embarks on a new life as an Uber driver while working on his graphic novel titled “Pixelia.” One day a trans woman named Mandakini gets into his cab and changes Kumar’s life forever.
Miss — Belgium/France
An unexpected meeting with a long-lost friend reignites a 24-year-old trans woman’s childhood dream of competing in the Miss France pageant.
Roobha — Canada
Roobha weaves a unique romantic tale that deals with the complexities of personality and gender identity within the South-Asian community. Roobha, a trans-woman, struggles to make a living in Toronto after she is ostracized by her family. Her chance encounter with Anthony, a married man with children, leads to a beautiful romance. However, their blissful existence is short-lived as their families soon discover their relationship.
5 Bodos/5 Weddings — India, Canada
An American journalist travels to India to cover Bollywood weddings, only to uncover a mosaic of cultural clashes, transgender tangles, and lost loves with her travels culminating at a destination where the only journey is the one within.
Lingua Franca — Phillipines
This indie festival favorite tells the story of an undocumented transgender Filipino caregiver seeking marriage in New York City for a green card with a Russian-Jewish slaughterhouse worker.
The third feature from Isabel Sandoval — who wrote, directed, produced, edited, and stars — the film comes from Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY and made its world premiere at Giornate degli Autori/Venice Days. Lingua Franca was the first Filipino film in main-competition at BFI London in its 63-year history.
Carlotta — Australia
Carlotta is a biopic telemovie about extraordinary Les Girls headliner and transgender pioneer, Carlotta. Her early forays into transition are covered and show how she became one of the first people in Australia to have full gender realignment surgery. As a woman, Carlotta fell in love with “Aussie bloke” Peter but, after ten years as a housewife in 1980s suburbia, her inability to have children ended in the couple’s separation. Carlotta then returned to the stage and finally found a kind of peace with her mother, Evelyn. The telemovie features song and dance numbers and archival reconstruction of 60s-80s Sydney.
Princesa — Brazil
Fernanda travels to Milan and works as a prostitute to finance her sex reassignment surgery. On the streets she is transformed into Princesa — a stylish and alluring figure who makes a lot of money and many friends among the prostitutes and clients.
The film was inspired by a book of the same name written by Maurizio Janelli and Fernanda Farias de Albuquerque.
No trailer, just the full movie on Vudu
Khastegi/Sex My Life — Persia
Tells the story of seven Iranian transgender individuals living in Tehran who live pieces of their own lives on the screen.
No trailer, just the full movie on YouTube
BONUS: Haymaker (American made but filmed across the world: NYC, LA, Greece, Thailand, and Mexico City)
Haymaker follows a retired Muay Thai fighter (Sasso) working as a bouncer, who rescues an alluring transgender performer (Ruiz) from a nefarious thug, eventually becoming her bodyguard, protector, and confidant. The relationship leads Sasso’s character to make an unexpected return to fighting, risking not only his relationship, but his life. It’s a story about human dignity and love.
Links list to stream for free
- Pixelia (Tubi)
- Miss (Tubi — and Netflix with subscription)
- Roobha (Tubi)
- 5 Bodos/5 Weddings (Tubi)
- Lingua Franca (Tubi)
- Carlotta (Tubi)
- Princesa (Vudu)
- Khastegi/Sex My Life (YouTube)
- Haymaker (Tubi)
Former streaming suggestions
| 5 Free Trans Movies Better Than Anything On Netflix | Trans Men: 7 Documentaries, 3 Movies, 1 Comedy Special, All Free | 10 Extremely Trans Xmas Streaming Selections | Now THAT’S Trans Xmas Music! Volume 1 | 13 More Free Streaming Trans Movies | Two Cool Trans Mini-Series On YouTube Better Than Anything On Netflix |
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