Remembering pain on screen as Academician K B Selvamony’s 29-minute documentary ‘Memories of Trans’ to be screened at IDSFFK
Academician K B Selvamony’s 29-minute documentary ‘Memories of Trans’ will be screened at the 11th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala
Published: 16th July 2018 04:14 AM | Last Updated: 16th July 2018 04:14 AM | A+A A-
K B Selvamony (right) during the shooting of ‘Memories of Trans’
KOCHI: ‘Memories of Trans,’ a 29-minute documentary on the continuing struggle of the transgender community to gain acceptance in society, has made it to the 11th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK).
The documentary will be screened in the ‘Short Documentary Focus Section (Out of Competition Section) at the five-day IDSFFK which opens in Thiruvananthapuram the coming Friday. K B Selvamony, an assistant professor of Malayalam literature at the University College here, scripted and directed the documentary to express his solidarity with the community which, despite a welcome change in the mindset of the society, still has several hurdles to cross.
“It is true that society as a whole is more open to them today. But they still find it difficult to get a job in the private sector or to land a job that does justice to their qualification,” Selvamony said. “Within the institution of the family also, they continue to face difficulties in gaining acceptance.”
Several members of the transgender community have shared their experiences in ‘Memories of Trans.’ In recent years, the transgender community has won many small victories; many institutions have thrown open their doors to them, the state government announced a transgender policy, but the hurdles also abound. For instance, It is still hard for them to get proper medical care if they fall ill. They face discrimination in other public spaces, such as public toilets, offices or police stations where they are shunned or received with disdain.
‘Memories of Trans’ was released at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi last September. Selvamony, who hails from Sasthamkotta, has directed the documentaries ‘Chilar’ and ‘Purohitharude Veedu’ and written six books. Lesli has produced ‘Memories of Trans.’ Madhu has handled the camera. T K Sanitha has sung the songs and the music is by Harikrishna Murthy. Adarsh Adyah has done the editing.
