Laura Horak, "Trans Cinema: Making Communities, Identities, and Worlds" (U California Press, 2026)

About this episode

Dr. Laura Horak discusses her book on trans cinema and its role in shaping identities and communities.

Since the 1990s, a largely underground upwelling of trans creativity has helped new trans identities, communities, and political movements come together. In Trans Cinema: Making Communities, Identities, and Worlds (University of California Press, 2026), Dr. Laura Horak provides an entryway to the wildly diverse and creative cinema made by trans creators, including those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Overlooked until now, this rich collection of media ranges in genre from romantic comedies to horror films and asks essential questions about how to be human and how to craft a livable life in a world on fire. Okay.Using the fundamentals of film studies, Horak reveals the innovative approaches taken by trans and gender-nonconforming artists to explore how we relate to other people, what it's like to have a body, and how we survive in an oppressive society. These filmmakers tackle the challenging paradox of representing trans lives when greater visibility is associated with ever-increasing levels of harm. In the process, they produce art that emphasizes trans survival and resilience and imagines a more expansive world for trans communities. This interview was…

People in this episode

Host: Miranda Melcher

Guest: Laura Horak

Topics covered

• trans cinema
• trans identities
• community building
• film studies
• art and resilience

Keywords

• trans creativity
• film
• trans communities
• media representation
• gender-nonconforming artists

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of California Press

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