The polarizing although either way Industry favorite “Emilia Pérez” landed 13 Oscar nominations, setting the record for most nominations by an international film. The Spanish-language French musical crime film, written and directed by Jacques Audiard, is also linked to “Gone With the Wind”, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring”, “Forrest Gump” and “Oppenheimer” For the second most Oscar nominations, ever. / Jeremy Mathai from the film Called the film “A Swing and a Miss”, “ And with an audience score of 32% Rotten Tomatoeshe’s certainly not the only one who thought the film was a huge direction.

Let’s say you’re someone who liked the movie. In this case, I’m not here to tell anyone how to feel about a work of art. But given the legitimate criticism that has been leveled against the film regarding both its trans representation And its representation of Mexican cultureIt is extremely disappointing to realize how many Academy voters are completely disconnected and clearly voting for the employment of the performative progress of what “Emilia Pérez” symbolizesrather than letting the communities represented in the film take the lead and determine whether or not it is a representation worthy of celebration.

“Emilia Pérez” won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival and earned a bunch of critical praise, but the overwhelming majority of it was written by cisgender critics. The more trans and queer critics have seen the film, the more obvious the problems become. Gllad Even called the film a “deeply retrograde depiction of a trans woman,” a sentiment I share. But those who love the film continue to hail it as “progress,” noting that Karla Sofia Gascón’s nomination for best actress is a historic first for transgender actors everywhere (despite the fact that it implicitly criticized Queer and Trans who didn’t like that his film was “stupid”). But who gets to dictate what “progress” looks like: the well-meaning people at CIS desperately trying to prove they’re not transphobic by expressing a regressive mess, or the actual LGBTQIA+ community that has been speaking out since Sadly famously, from the clip of the song “from the penis to the vaginaaaaaaa” started to make the rounds on social networks?

Honestly, I don’t want to waste any more words talking about “Emilia Pérez” because no amount of my complaints in one article will change the nominations. Instead, I’m going to shout out the incredible list of trans movies that came out in 2024 that are worth your time.

While “I Saw the TV Glow” wasn’t Jane Schoenbrun’s first feature film, they really arrived with their second feature about two friends named Owen and Maddy whose obsession with a TV show called ” The Pink Opaque” opens up a supernatural world mirroring their own, shattering Owen’s perception of reality and identity. He was hailed as not only One of the best horror films of the year But one of the best films of the year, period. If the academy was really looking to highlight a trans film this year, why not the haunting and poetic examination of the “Egg Crack” experience actually written and directed by a trans person? “I Saw the Glow TV” was such a monumental achievement in transgender cinema that its message of “There’s Still Time” inspired many people to finally accept the truth about themselves and come out as transgender. I can’t say “Emilia Pérez” had the same impact.

And while it’s doubtful whether Alice Maio Mackay’s “Carnage for Christmas” was ever in the Oscar conversation, Australian transgender filmmaker fifth feature film (all completed before turning 20) is a microbudget holiday horror film 89% off Rotten Tomatoes. This is a podcaster and broadcast of the real-life detective named Lola, who faces the vengeful ghost of an infamous murderer in her hometown during her first vacation visit since she was on the run and in transition. Mackay’s films have been fan favorites On the shivering streaming app For years, and he’s a promising young talent who continues to improve with each new feature. “Carnage for Christmas” is her best film yet, but that won’t be true until she releases her next film.

“Emilia Pérez”‘s record-breaking standard as an international release was also praised for the film’s “groundbreaking” subject matter. Yet not only does a Spanish-language transgender musical already exist (2005’s 20 Centimeters), but it wasn’t the only trans-American film released in 2024. Levan Akin’s ‘Crossing’ has gone criminally underwater , despite winning the Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Guadalajara International Film Festival. The story focuses on a retired teacher on the search for her long-lost niece, ending in Istanbul where she meets a lawyer named Evrim who is fighting for transgender rights. He currently has a 97% off Rotten Tomatoeswith critics praising its portrayal of transience and life in Istanbul.

2024 also marked the feature directorial debut of activist and drag performer Amrou Al-Kadhi with “Layla,” the story of a struggling non-binary British drag artist who hides their vulnerabilities and his desperate desire for love and approval behind the confidence of their drag personality. It’s admittedly a bit uneven from a narrative standpoint, but the lead performances from Bilal Hasna as Layla and Louis Greatorex as Max are so captivating that it doesn’t really matter. “Layla” is also unafraid to delve into inter-community conflict, something that most mainstream LGBTQIA+ films shy away from, it would provide ammunition for the absolute worst people on the planet.

The independent film circuit is home to the majority of films about or made by creatives from marginalized communities, and it’s bursting with killer projects telling trans stories in 2024. Most notably, Vera Drew’s superhero satire “The People’s Joker” Performed to sold-out theaters across the country as she took her twisted retreat from corporate comedy (and treating intellectual property like sacred cows) on tour, with audiences full of people wearing clown makeup .

And then there’s the transgressive brilliance of “Castration Movie Anthology I. Traps” zero interest Appealing to a stuffy CIS audience or playing the respectability politics game, and the result is a sprawling raw epic spanning four and a half hours. The story follows a trans sex worker named Michaela “Traps” Sinclair, who seeks an alleyway orchiectomy between seeing clients and spending time with her friends. The film also features Vera Drew and Alice Maio Mackay in supporting roles, and we love seeing trans filmmakers help other trans filmmakers bring one to life!

Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions” Might Be the Only Covid-19 Comedy of the Quarantine Era People are stuck with them due to safety regulations. Hammel’s sense of humor is so sharp and his delivery so perfect that when another character asks him, “But did you always know you were a woman?” She can respond with, “No, no one feels that way. I wanted to kill myself and it helped me, sort of,” and the audience wants to scream instead of calling someone for a welfare check- be.

Underwater is also painfully photographer Luke Gilford’s directorial debut, “National Anthem,” the story of a construction worker who joins a community of queer rodeo performers in the American Southwest. Eve Lindley absolutely dazzles the sky, and the image of her carrying the American flag and ragged daisies on horseback with her hair blowing in the wind makes for one of the best images in any film in 2024.

There’s never been a shortage of trans stories in the documentary space, but 2024 was a banner year for them. Most famous is “Will & Harper,” the road trip documentary about Will Ferrell and comedy writer Harper Steele traveling across the country to provide security for Harper as she revisits diving spots in the States reds, while the pair learn what their relationship might be like moving forward. “Will & Harper” is a transparent film perfect for cisgender audiences And a touching look at friendship through the lens of one of America’s most famous faces.

Going international, there was also “RESH”, a documentary hybrid where former prisoners from Buenos Aires reenacted their lives and stories through flashy musical numbers. Some of the ex-Cons are trans and some are IC, but all are showcases of resilience, hope, and limitless possibilities for imagination even in the most difficult circumstances.

But for my money, “The Trans Doc” of the year was Sav Rodgers’ “Chasing Chasing Amy”; “Part journey of self-discovery, part film history lesson, and part examination of how movies have the power to fundamentally change us. Kevin Smith’s rom-com ‘Chasing Amy’ initially received praise as groundbreaking for its frank portrayal of queerness, but has since been criticized as “poorly aged” and even *gasp* problematic, But that didn’t stop it from being one of the most impactful films of Rodgers’ childhood. SAV is also the founder and executive director of the Transgender Film Center, with “Chasing Chasing Amy” as his first feature film.

Which is all to say that Oscar nominations are cool, but they’re not necessarily a reflection of quality or importance. Please don’t let these other incredible trans films be lost to time in favor of one that has been extremely rejected by the communities it claims to represent.