These trans filmmakers were able to tell trans stories!
(L-R) By Hook or By Crook; I Saw the TV Glow; The People's Joker
More trans movies deserve to be seen — particularly the ones that come from trans filmmakers.
The 2025 awards season made history with Emilia Pérez winning two Oscars. The film's lead, Karla Sofía Gascón, also became the first out trans actor to be nominated for her performance at the Oscars.
However, most films about trans people aren't made by trans people, and that often leads to actual trans people being left out of the film and the news around it. Case in point, despite Emilia Pérez being about a trans woman and making trans history at the Oscars, none of the winners spoke about trans issues in their speeches.
Going back decades, there are plenty of great trans films written by, directed by, or both by trans filmmakers, and often star trans actors as well.
Trans filmmakers like Silas Howard, Sydney Freeland, and Gwen Haworth have been making films for years, and recently bold new voices like Vera Drew, Jane Schoenbrun, River Gallo, and Theda Hammel have brought amazing new trans stories to life.
Keep scrolling to explore our list of trans movies made by trans filmmakers!
'Adam'
Rhys Ernst directed this 2019 adaptation of Ariel Schrag's novel about a cis boy who pretends to be a trans man in order to date a queer girl. The premise sounds extremely messy, but due to Ernst's masterful hand, the film is a sensitive and curious exploration of gender, sexual fluidity, and community.
Streaming on Tubi.'Drunktown's Finest'
Navajo filmmaker Sydney Freeland has gone on to direct TV shows like Grey's Anatomy, Fear the Walking Dead, P-Valley, Reservation Dogs, and Echo, and released the 2024 film Rez Ball, but before all that, she released the 2014 drama Drunktown's Finest. The film follows three young people living on a Navajo reservation, including Felixia, a trans woman played by Carmen Moore, who wants a spot in the "Women of the Tribe" calendar.
Available to rent on Prime Video.'The Stroll' (documentary)
Co-directed by Kristen Lovell — who used to work at the titular "Stroll" when she was younger — and Zackary Drucker, The Stroll documentary shines a light on Black and Latina trans women who worked as sex workers in the Meatpacking District of New York City in the 1980s and 90s. Sex workers get to tell their own story, which offers a unique perspective on this part of history.
Streaming on Max.'The People's Joker'
Vera Drew's groundbreaking autobiographical superhero parody is as hilarious as it is unique. Combining her own life story with the origins for DC Comics characters The Joker and Harley Quinn, Drew tells the story of a struggling trans comedian in Gotham City who not only has to deal with the struggles of transitioning and being a woman comic, but also with costumed weirdos.
Read the Outreview of The People's Joker.
'I Saw the TV Glow'
Jane Schoenbrun's stunning existential horror I Saw the TV Glow stars Jaden Smith and Jack Haven as a pair of outsider best friends who connect over a TV show and then realize they are living in a nightmare realm created by the villain of said TV show. It's a shocking and visceral metaphor for not being able to come out when you are trans, and it's one of the best movies of 2024. To learn more, check out Out's review.
Streaming on Max.'Disclosure'
Sam Feder directed this brilliant documentary that goes back over 100 years to explore the history of trans representation in Hollywood, and how it has affected the real life perception and lives of trans people. It features luminaries such as Laverne Cox, Jen Richards, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Brian Michael Smith, Alexandra Billings, Trace Lysette, Yance Ford, and Leo Sheng.
Streaming on Netflix.'By Hook or By Crook'
Directed by Silas Howard and Harry Dodge, who also co-wrote the film with Stanya Kahn, and starred in it, By Hook or By Crook follows friends Shy and Valentine, two trans men who embark on a life of crime and friendship.
'Lingua Franca'
Written by, directed by, and starring Filipina filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval, Lingua Franca follows Olivia, an undocumented Filipina trans woman who works as a caregiver and is seeking to get married so she can get a greencard.
Streaming on Tubi.'Stress Positions'
This hilarious and frenetic comedy from writer/director/star Theda Hammel stars John Early as Terry Goon, a stressed out man trying to take care of his injured male model nephew during the height of quarantine in summer 2020 while his queer and trans friends enact chaos all around him.
Read our review.
Streaming on Hulu.'Ponyboi'
Intersex writer and actor River Gallo stars in this film that debuted at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and is coming out in theaters this year. It follows Ponyboi, an intersex sex worker in New Jersey who has to go on the run when his boss Vinny (Dylan O'Brien) kills a member of the mob.
Read Out's review of Ponyboi.
'Framing Agnes'
This documentary by Chase Joynt looks at trans history through having trans actors like Angelica Ross, Zackary Drucker, Jen Richards, Max Wolf Valerio, Silas Howard, and Stephen Ira, reenact various case studies from Harold Garfinkel's work with trans clients at UCLA.
Available to rent on Prime Video.'L'immensità'
This Italian film from 2022 is directed by Emanuele Crialese, who came out as a trans man the year it was released. It stars Penélope Cruz as the mother of three children, the oldest of whom, 12-year-old Andrea, comes out as a trans boy.
Streaming on Tubi.'Something You Said Last Night'
Starring Carmen Modonia as Ren, a twenty-something trans woman, this film from Luis De Filippis follows Ren as she goes on vacation with her family and tries to decide if she wants to stay in her comfort zone or go out on her own.
Streaming on Peacock.'She's a Boy I Knew'
Gwen Haworth's autobiographical documentary from 2007 tracks her process of coming out and transitioning and how it impacted her friends and family.
Streaming on YouTube.'Mutt'
Lío Mehiel stars as Feña, a young trans man in this film from Vuk Lungulov-Klotz. In the film, Feña seeks to rekindle his relationships with his father, estranged younger half-sister, and his straight ex-boyfriend after he transitions.
