Edhi Alice: Take
In-person & Virtual
Date/Time: 9/7 (Sun) 4:30 PM (Doors open at 4 PM)
Location: Firehouse: DCTV's Cinema for Documentary Films (87 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10013)
Streaming period: 9/8 (Mon) 12:00 AM ET - 9/14 (Sun) 11:59 PM ET.
Streaming is only available in the U.S.
Co-presented by:
US Premiere
Director Ilrhan KIM
Country South Korea
Year 2024
Language Korean
Genre Hybrid Documentary
Running Time 130 min
Edhi, born in 1987, works as a counselor for LGBTQIA teens in Seoul. In 2022, she decided to leave for Thailand and have genital surgery done there. She thought that once her physical self matched her identity as a woman, she would feel at peace with herself. But, instead, she finds herself constantly confronting one challenge after another. In most of Edhi’s shoots, there’s always Alice, a 49-year-old trans woman. Alice is a professional lighting director. She has been preoccupied with the thought that her body is not “feminine” enough. As she wrestles with this, she starts to feel the desire to express herself more with her body and even dreams of performing on stage one day.
TW: The film discusses transphobia and death.
CW: The film also includes nudity.
Director’s Statement
An LGBTQ activist myself, I was working on videos with queer content, and Edhi served as the host of a web series I directed, while Alice did the lighting work. Edhi has a very bright, open personality and likes to joke around. Alice’s eyes light up whenever she talks about cinema, and I could feel her passion. During breaks from our shoots, the two started to share intimate details about their lives.
One day, Edhi revealed that she could feel some fluid leaking from her new vagina. This made me think about the sensation I feel during my menstrual period, but then I started to wonder: Is my experience of bleeding during a period similar to hers? How are our respective experiences with our women-identified bodies similar and different? I started to question social belief that transpeople can be accepted only when they change their bodies. I also thought about how changes to one’s body can create a new identity.
For Edhi and Alice, their struggles are harrowing, as they must not only confront their gender change, but also the pushback of larger society. I hope that, through this film, audiences can open their minds to understanding the transpeople, and humanize their struggles. I also hope this film allows the audience to think more deeply about their own bodies like I did.
Director’s Bio
Ilrhan KIM (she/her)
Ilrhan Kim is an award-winning filmmaker and founder of PINKS, a collective focused on queer and women's narratives. Her debut film, Mamasang: Remember Me This Way (2004), won the Women’s News Award. Two Doors (2011) attracted over 70,000 viewers and was named one of the top 100 Korean films. She also produced Miracle on Jongno Street (2010), Korea’s first documentary on gay coming out, and Nora Noh (2013), about a pioneering female designer.
Edhi Alice: Take Screening + Q&A
Date/Time: 9/7 (Sun) 4:30 PM (Doors open at 4 PM)
Location: Firehouse: DCTV's Cinema for Documentary Films (87 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10013)
PrideFull and DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema present a US premiere screening of Edhi Alice: Take. Followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers.
The venue is wheelchair-accessible and has an all-gender bathroom. For more details, visit DCTV’s website.
Tickets/Passes
Tickets
In-person: Regular $16 / Suggested $25*
Virtual: Regular $8 / Suggested $16*
Festival Pass
PrideFull Pass: $32
Virtual Pass: $16
* Purchasing the Suggested ticket helps us cover the costs and sustain this film festival by and for queer and trans people of color. Thank you!