Emerson Whitney
Writer, reporter and artist
Sundance Afterglow: Rhys Ernst and the Wilds of Trans Filmmaking
Posted: 05/11/2012 1:06 pm
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emerson-whitney/rhys-ernst_b_1500454.htmlLOS ANGELES, Ca. -- Rhys Ernst's films are a tactile fusion of art and queer theory with tones of subtle surreality that nudge at gender identity and real life fabulousness. Ernst's recent short film The Thing, about a woman, a transgender man, and their cat en route to a mysterious roadside attraction, was invited to internationally premiere at the Sundance Film Festival last January.
Still basking in the Sundance afterglow, Ernst has now begun work on a short film called She Gone Rogue with celebrated artist Zackary Drucker. Ernst is also directing another upcoming short based on a segment of the documentary Forever's Gonna Start Tonight, about legendary trans performer Vicki Marlane.
"I don't want to be sensationalist or reductive of trans stories in my filmmaking," said Ernst in an interview with me. "I choose to downplay identity issues and focus more on the broader human struggle -- larger than life characters in often close-to normal life situations."
