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Black Trans Miracle

Lindani, a neurotic young trans man, struggles to tell his partner Tam he loves them after a random encounter with a stranger shakes his self-confidence. But as he finds himself pushed and pulled in all directions by the perceptions of others, can Lindani reconnect with himself enough to figure out how he really feels?

  • Tinaye Nyathi
    Director
  • Tinaye Nyathi
    Writer
  • Andy Johnston
    Producer
  • Tinaye Nyathi
    Key Cast
    "Lindani"
  • Celina Yuen
    Key Cast
    "Tam"
  • Flick Smith
    Director of Photography
  • Project Type:
    Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Drama, Coming Of Age, LGBTQIA+, Transgender, Romance, African Diaspora
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 14 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 17, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    6,700 AUD
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    Australia
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Victorian College of the Arts
Director Biography - Tinaye Nyathi

Tinaye Nyathi (they/he) is an emerging filmmaker and actor based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia. He was selected as part of the 2021-2022 intake for the Footscray Community Arts 'Behind The Screens' programme, 'a capacity building program for filmmakers underrepresented in the industry'. From 2020 to 2022, Tinaye attended the Victorian College of the Arts, graduating with a Masters of Film and Television in the Narrative stream. Their graduation film, 'Black Trans Miracle', is their first film shot outside of lockdown with a full cast and crew. Tinaye's recent acting credits include Nguvu Moja's 'The Wiz' and 'Adulterers' web-series.

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Director Statement

The project came from a personal desire to see more nuanced, complex and compassionate portrayals of black, trans life on screen. I wanted to explore the mundane, everyday rituals of trans life and begin to de-centre the sensationalistic and voyeuristic narratives that pervade onscreen representations of transness, especially concerning trans and gender diverse people from the African diaspora.

This story is about releasing the compulsion to perform what we may believe is desirable in order to be fully loved. As trans people, we are keenly aware of how even the smallest behaviours change the way that people perceive us in relation to our gender. I found that the negative and positive validation I was constantly met with early on in my transition made me very oriented towards getting external confirmation of my identity, and made it harder for me to connect to my own sense of self.

It can be easy to forget to make room for yourself and your wants and desires when you are constantly aware of being seen as an object. When you’re so used to having to police and manage your appearance, having to be perfect in order to be respected, it’s hard to put your walls down and be vulnerable and goofy and imperfect.

This film is about that tension in performing what we believe others will see as desirable in order to be loved, but perfectionism and invulnerability prevents us from being fully known. To be loved is to be deeply, unflinchingly known by another person.