Transgender Media Portal

This note was written in collaboration with Laura Horak, Director of Carleton University.

Discover films & videos made by trans, Two Spirit, nonbinary, intersex, & gender-nonconforming artists.

Project description

Too often people think that trans people have hardly made any films. In fact, trans+ people have created thousands of films spanning various genres such as horror, comedy, romance, documentary, animation, drama, and more. They’re just hard to find. That’s where the Transgender Media Portal comes in!

The Transgender Media Portal is similar to IMDb but it’s exclusively focused on highlighting the work of trans+* creators. Jump through the Portal to explore thousands of trans-made films, television shows, and online videos! You can search for media created by specific types of artists, like “comedy films by trans Indigenous artists,” or “music videos by Black transfeminine artists.” While we don’t host the films ourselves, we provide links to where you can watch them–whether it’s through streaming services, on DVD, or in an archive.

Our primary focus is on artists from Turtle Island (North America), but we also feature creators from other regions. We are particularly enthusiastic about showcasing the works of Black, Indigenous, POC (people of color), intersex, and disability+ filmmakers.

The Transgender Media Portal is an ongoing project developed by a dedicated team of student scholars, artists, designers, and developers at the Transgender Media Lab at Carleton University, which is situated on the unceded territory of the Algonquin Nations, known colonially as Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. We are also partners with the Data+Humanities Lab at University of Ottawa.

We have received funding support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade. Additionally, we benefit from in-kind support from Carleton University and the Audiovisual Research Centre at Carleton University.

Our lab wants to be clear about how it operates. We're building a database that collects information about trans+ media creators and their work, focusing on Black, Indigenous, people of color, intersex, and disability+ creators. We understand that ideas about gender, race, and ability have been used to oppress people. These concepts are always evolving, and we are committed to learning and growing in ourunderstanding of them. We share our rules and how we collect and showcase data openly. Our approach is flexible and open to change so we can be accountable to the communities we serve.

For more information about the project, visit the project website.

Community

Trans filmmakers, teachers, researchers, students, activists, the general public.

For questions on this project, Sign up for our mailing list or follow us on social media !

Organization name: Transgender Media Lab at Carleton University

Website: https://carleton.ca/transmedialab/

Organizations or people involved: Humanities Data Lab at University of Ottawa

Launch date: 2019-01-01

Relevant fields of practice: Media Arts

Additional Keywords: transgender; media; film; cinema; database; digital humanities

Total Budget: Between $500,000 and $1,000,000

Funding Type and Partnerships: Federal, Provincial, Universities

This note is part of interConnect. If you are the content owner or the organization concerned and would like to take control of ownership of the note, write to IMAA at info@imaa.ca.