The first of two trans-themed shorts programs in this year’s fest begins with a mermaid and ends with a unicorn. It dances in many places, and tells many stories. Come along on this journey to many lands and spaces, many views and faces, of trans experience.

It's not often that queer Asian stories get brought to the forefront, let alone to the big screen. But last year, in a historic moment for Asia, Taiwan made headlines by legalizing same-sex marriage, setting the stage for the furtherment of LGBTQ+ rights across the continent. This 2-part LGBTQ+ Asian shorts program is an ode to queer Asian love--from India to Taiwan and more, we bring you tales of passion, loss, fear and hope, keeping the spotlight shining bright on queer Asian stories.

Queerness on television has moved from subtext,in series such as Xena: Warrior Princess,to all-out multi season relationships between women, as seen on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lost Girl, and Carmilla. But things still aren’t perfect. In 2016, a record number of queer women died on fictional shows, which broke the hearts of queer fans and launched a successful fight for better,more diverse LGTBQ2S+ representation. Stars such as Ilene Chaiken, Stephanie Beatriz, Lucy Lawless and Angelica Ross join with the voices of numerous kickass fangirls in this fast-paced history of queer women’s representation of contemporary television. Queering the Script not only charts the evolution of queerness, but also demonstrates the extraordinary impact of activism on its many diverse fans,ensuring that they see themselves accurately portrayed onscreen.