By Jessica Herndon
It’s vital to keep pushing for a world where all identities are valued and seen in all their authenticity. Through Sundance Institute–supported films that center honest portrayals of trans experiences brought to life by trans actors, we continue to create space for a broad spectrum of dynamic stories. These movies, and the performers at their core, are empowering, vital, and deliciously entertaining.
As we celebrate the voices and stories of transgender artists on Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the resilience, accomplishments, and ongoing fight for inclusivity of the trans community. Visibility isn’t just about being seen — it’s about being acknowledged for who you truly are.
Premiering at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, complicated romance Sauna features Nina Rask, and the hilarious dating drama Sweet Talking Guy stars Dylan Wardwell. Hari Nef’s performance elevates the sharp commentary of 2018’s Assassination Nation, while Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodgriguez bring raw portrayals of ambition, survival, and friendship in 2015’s Tangerine.
Below, find our watchlist full of multifaceted, unapologetically real movies featuring transgender actors. And be on the lookout for the June 27 release of Esteban Arango’s Ponyboi starring trans artist River Gallo, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Assassination Nation, Hari Nef — 2018 Sundance Film Festival
This chaotic thriller, written and directed by Sam Levinson, dives into the lives of four high school girls whose town is turned upside down after a series of secrets are exposed online. Hari Nef plays one of the four central characters alongside Suki Waterhouse, Abra, and Odessa Young. A trailblazing artist who was the first openly transgender woman to receive a worldwide modeling contract, Nef’s part in Assassination Nation was one of her first feature roles, paving the way for performances in shows like You and The Idol as well as films like Barbie. Click here for viewing options.
Drunktown’s Finest, Carmen Moore — 2014 Sundance Film Festival, supported by the Native Filmmakers Lab and the Sundance Institute – Ford Foundation Fellowship in 2009; the Annenberg Film Fellowship Grant, Creative Producing Summit, and Directors and Screenwriters Labs in 2010, the Maryland Filmmakers Fellowship in 2011; and the Film Fund Grant and NativeLab Fellowship in 2014
Drunktown’s Finest offers an intimate look at the lives of three Navajo Native American characters struggling with identity and personal demons. The film, written and directed by trans filmmaker Sydney Freeland, touches on self-discovery and societal expectations and features a brilliant performance by Carmen Moore as Felixxia, a trans woman who hopes to make it big as a model. The role marked Moore’s first lead in a feature and earned her an American Indian Movie Award Best Actress nomination. Click here for viewing options.
Framing Agnes, Zackary Drucker, Jen Richards, Angelica Ross, Max Wolf Valerio, Silas Howard, and Stephen Ira — 2022 Sundance Film Festival, winner of the Audience Award: NEXT and the NEXT Innovator Award presented by Adobe
Trans writer-director Chase Joynt’s groundbreaking documentary-drama reimagines the life of Agnes, a trans woman involved in early gender health research at UCLA. Starring a stellar lineup of trans actors, including Zackary Drucker, Jen Richards, Angelica Ross, Max Wolf Valerio, Silas Howard, and Stephen Ira, the film blends archival materials and reenactments of 1950s transcripts from the UCLA Gender Clinic to examine trans healthcare. Click here for viewing options.
In The Summers, Lío Mehiel — 2024 Sundance Film Festival, winner of the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic, and U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic
Starring Lío Mehiel, Alessandra Lacorazza’s coming-of-age drama follows two siblings navigating their relationship with each other and their volatile father during adolescence and early adulthood. Set against the backdrop of multiple summers in New Mexico — which is when the siblings spend time with their father — Mehiel, in their second lead role in an award-winning Sundance-supported film following 2023’s Mutt, beautifully portrays a young trans person finding their way among a complex family dynamic. Click here for viewing options.
I Saw the TV Glow, Jack Haven — 2024 Sundance Film Festival
Jane Schoenbrun’s psychological drama delves into the lives of two teens, Maddy (Jack Haven) and Owen (Justice Smith), whose intense obsession with the supernatural late-night TV show The Pink Opaque leads them to question reality as the lines between fiction and their personal experiences blur. Despite the surreal aspects of the storyline, the film tackles universal truths surrounding isolation, escapism, and gender identity, which Haven told Teen Vogue they were especially proud of. “The film feels important to me as it’s a pulse of resistance in a long lineage of resistance art,” they said. “It’s not the end of anything. It’s not the beginning of anything. It’s just a reminder that we’re not going anywhere.” Click here for viewing options.
Mutt, Lío Mehiel — 2023 Sundance Film Festival, winner of the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Acting
Starring Mehiel in their first lead role, Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Mutt follows a young trans man who must confront their identity while reconnecting with old friends and family during a single day in New York. “The script was so poetic and so real and so beautiful, and I had never seen the complexity of my experience outside of the coming out story ever rendered,” Mehiel told the Festival audience following the film’s 2023 premiere of their desire to star in Mutt. Powerful in its subtlety and emotional depth, Mehiel’s award-winning performance brought the film’s take on the complexities of transitioning and the struggle for freedom from external influences to life. Click here for viewing options.
Tangerine, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor — 2015 Sundance Film Festival
Sean Baker’s fast-paced comedy-drama — shot entirely with iPhones — follows two trans women, Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), as they comb the streets of Los Angeles in search of a cheating boyfriend. Delivering incredible breakout performances, trans actors Rodriguez and Taylor’s blend of humor and heartache is unforgettable. Following the film’s debut, Taylor’s portrayal earned her the Best Supporting Actress award at the 2015 Film Independent Spirit Awards, making her the first openly trans woman to win in that category. Click here for viewing options.
