FILM: Atif Siddiqi stars in House for Sale
ON SCREEN / Trans actor on identity, inspiration and filmcraft
Matthew Hays / National / Monday, March 05, 2012
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/FILM_Atif_Siddiqi_stars_in_House_for_Sale-11640.aspx (http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/FILM_Atif_Siddiqi_stars_in_House_for_Sale-11640.aspx)
Atif Siddiqi is stumped by the very first question I ask: how does Siddiqi identify -- as a gay man or as a trans person?
"You know what? I'm identity-less right now. I'm not sure how I identify. I know I'm part of the trans spectrum, but in the past I've identified as a gay man."
It's a fitting answer from Siddiqi, who is perhaps too complex a person to pin down to any one label. A writer and performance artist, he has also directed his own first-person documentaries (including Solo, about living the single life) and acted in a number of films, including 300 and Barney's Version. And yes: I asked, and he's cool with that pronoun.
In the short film House for Sale, Siddiqi stars as what he calls "a gay/trans crossover character" named Salim. Siddiqi gets a tour of a house that's up for sale by a woman who has no idea that Salim had an affair with her husband. It's all about closets and the various secrets that Salim is forced to keep while he's getting a real-estate sales pitch.