Edhi Alice

In Edhi Alice, director and queer activist Ilrhan Kim interrogates how documentaries about trans communities are made: the creative decisions, relationships, and ethical questions involved. The subject of the documentary is Edhi, who works as a counsellor for LGBTQ+ teens in Seoul, and has decided to undertake gender reassignment surgery. Edhi’s story intertwines with that of Alice, the lighting technician on the film crew and an older trans woman, who is preoccupied with challenging popular stereotypes about female and male bodies.

This powerful and thought-provoking documentary refuses to compromise in its depiction of post-surgery recuperation, but offers an authentic portrayal of the trans experience and allyship in South Korea. Edhi Alice is a generous, delicate film and – courtesy of Alice’s lighting – a visually stunning one.

Showing in partnership with Queer East – a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities.

This screening is being supported by the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, University of Leeds.