When it comes to gender, there is a truly Samoan way of seeing the world. Paradise Bent tells the story of the Samoan fa’afafine: boys who are raised as girls and play an important domestic role in traditional Samoan culture. The film explores the traditional roles of the fa’afafine, the anthropological records of this phenomenon, and the impact of westernization on Samoa, particularly the threat posed by the infiltration of the western drag scene.

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Stolen Y-fronts and an obsession with dust cause confusion in a Sydney apartment building in Above the Dust Level by Carla Drago (Australia, 1999, 12 min). Stark city landscapes provide a backdrop for dyke drama in Meep Meep! by Jenni Olson (2001, 1 min). Bare by Liz Baulch takes a playful look at living in close quarters (Australia, 2000, 9 min). Butch and her guest show us how to seduce her with dessert in Baking with Butch by Melissa Levin and Nina Levitt (2000, 5 min). An Australian lesbian discovers her ethnic background in Black Sheep by Lou Glover (Australia, 1999, 26 min). While mom is preparing the Christmas turkey, Anne comes out in Home for Christmas by Frank Mosvold (Norway, 2000, 5 min). A six year old falls for her older brother’s girl… and does something about it in Girl Under the Table by Dominique Zeltzman (USA, 2000, 3 min).

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Neither sensational nor sentimental, the remarkable Southern Comfort is a documentary about 52-year-old female-to-male transsexual Robert Eads who, dying of cervical and ovarian cancer, is neglected by doctors uncomfortable with treating him. “A hillbilly and proud of it,” Robert cuts a striking figure in his home in the Georgia black hills, where he falls deeply in love with male-to-female transsexual Lola Cola. Director Kate Davis functioned as a one-person crew in order to intimately capture this rare blend of humor, romance, and tragedy. Even though Southern Comfort (the title refers to a support group peopled by Eads and his transgender friends) is as much about generosity, courage, and tolerance as it is about a potentially discomfitting subject, the film sent shock waves through the Sundance Film Festival where it won the award for Best Documentary Film. As Eads tries to find help for his condition, his resolute kindness, dignity and compassion in the face of adversity help him build a community of friends and gives Southern Comfort its punch.

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