Mammoth Lakes Film Festival has announced the lineup of its ninth installment, held in-person from May 24-28 at venues throughout the California mountain town. Notably, the opening and closing films will feature stories from transgender individuals around the world.
“Two of the most compelling documentaries we came across this year happened to be transgender stories, highlighting characters living in circumstances that threaten their survival, and we are so thrilled to showcase ‘Queendom’ and ‘Kokomo City’ as our opening and closing spotlight films,” said Paul Sbrizzi, director of festival programming.
Opening film “Queendom,” by Agniia Galdanova, is a window into the life of Gena, a transgender Russian performance artist, and the radical acts that put her life in danger. The closing film “Kokomo City” by D. Smith explores the lives of four Black transgender sex workers as they consider what their existence means within the Black community. Koko Da Doll, who was one of the documentary’s four subjects, was fatally shot in Atlanta last month.
The festival holds five core competitions: the Spotlight Presentation and Narrative & Documentary Features, both with a separate category for international and North American films. These competitions will feature 20 films including the projects “Free Time” by Ryan Martin Brown, “Mad Cats” by Reiki Tsuno, “Mississippi River Styx” by Tim Grant and Andy McMillan and “To Kill A Tiger” by Nisha Kumari Pahuja.
In addition, the festival will feature a short films program showcasing over 80 projects, along with music videos and a screenplay competition. In total, over $40,000 in cash and prizes will be given to winners across 10 different categories, all announced at the festival’s award ceremony on May 28.
Jurors at Mammoth include individuals from entertainment publications, universities and other film festivals.