Festival Talk: How Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Nonconforming Representation in Cinema Can Change the World
Guests Expected
Actor Asia Kate Dillon and Filmmaker and Film Historian Jenni Olson are expected to attend.
Description
Whoever we are, whatever our identities, it’s vitally important and necessary to see diverse, respectful, bold, and authentic representations of ourselves and our experiences in media, culture, and society. And especially on screen. Amidst the current onslaught of anti-trans fearmongering and dehumanizing rhetoric and the horrifying efforts to retract the fundamental rights of trans people all across the country, the representation of trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people in cinema is more important than ever. Films by and about trans people empower us and give us the cultural reflection we need and deserve while also reminding everyone to embrace our pluralistic values and to see and celebrate our differences.
Join actor Asia Kate Dillon, the star of Outerlands, the closing night film of the 2025 San Francisco International Film Festival, and LGBTQ film historian Jenni Olson to talk about the power of film and the importance of representation for trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming people (and for everyone). This talk is free and open to the public, RSVP required.
Asia Kate Dillon is a performer, writer, producer, and director residing on occupied Lenape territory, also known as NYC. Dillon was the first non-binary gender-identifying actor cast in a major television series when they played non-binary Taylor on Showtime’s Billions. They received supporting actor Critics Choice Awards nominations for the role in 2017 and 2018. Their other roles include the series Orange Is the New Black, The Simpsons, Master of None, Younger, Moon Girl, and Devil Dinosaur, and the films The Outside Story, John Wick 3: Parabellum, and Outerlands.
One of the world’s leading experts on LGBTQ film history, Jenni Olson is a queer film historian and archivist, writer, and filmmaker. Among her many honors is the Berlin International Film Festival’s prestigious Special TEDDY Award for her decades of work championing LGBTQ film and filmmakers. A former co-director of Frameline, she co-founded the pioneering LGBTQ online platform, PlanetOut.com, and Sundance’s legendary Queer Brunch. Jenni is also the proprietor of Butch.org and is in development on her third feature-length essay film, Tell Me Everything Will Be Okay, and an essayistic memoir of the same name.
