The First International Symposium on Gender Identity, London, 1969

Short Documentary | UK | Development

The First International Symposium on Gender Identity, London, 1969 is a trans-led, hybrid docu-comedy utilising the process of verbatim cinema to reclaim early trans medical archives. Working in collaboration with trans actors, comedians, and drag artists, the film rescripts archival audio recordings from the first medical conference on transgender medicine in 1960’s London. A queered, satirical, and absurdist historical “re-enactment”, The First International Symposium on Gender Identity, London, 1969 acts as a subversive reclamation of the medical archive, exposing historical power imbalances still present in transgender healthcare today.

Director: Erica Monde

Produced by: Clara Harris and Nadja Lapcevic

Production Companies: Sisyphus Films, Varda Pictures

Founders: BFI Doc Society