Ro Greengrass & Maddy James
Down There the Seafolk Live, 2020
Documentary Film, 1080p
Being both a transgender man and a singer creates conflict. Starting hormone replacement therapy lowers the voice and may damage singing abilities permanently. In order to transition medically as a trans vocalist, you must make a choice and take a risk. Your voice, or your comfort. Down there the sea folk live, a film about gender transition and singing voices, is a Poetic Documentary from Director Ro Greengrass with Cinematography by Maddy James. Offering a subversion of trans narratives, the film explores the experience of trans masculine performers and their complicated relationships with their voices and stage personas. Visually captivating and enchanting, Seafolk takes the audience on a journey through the many facets of the trans-masculine community, from drag performances to live music. The film provides an intimate insight into the lives of trans men struggling with the sacrifices that gender transition present - and why it’s worth it.
About the artists:
Ro Greengrass & Maddy James
https://maddyjames.co.uk/| @rogreengrass @studio.gossima @Mddyjms
Ro Greengrass and Maddy James are Queer Filmmakers based in London. After graduating from Goldsmiths University in 2020, they founded the Independent production company Studio Gossima with the goal of innovative filmmaking as well as amplifying voices that would not normally be heard. With documentary work previously exploring LBGTQA+ and BIPOC experiences, and an emphasis on storytelling through captivating visual style and immersive Soundscaping, their work had achieved acclaim past the scope of the queer scene. They collaborated with the Feminist Library and Tate Exchange in 2018 and debuted ‘down there the seafolk live’ at the BFI film festival 2020.
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