The Tribeca Film Festival premiere of a
transgender comedy is being protested by the Gay & Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Ticked-Off
Trannies with Knives is supposed to be a “hilariously campy
homage to the exploitation films of the 70s and 80s,” according to
Dallas-based filmmaker Israel Luna.
“When a group of transgender women
are violently beaten and left for dead, the violated vixens turn
deadly divas,” the description says, then adds, “this revenge
fantasy proves that it takes more than balls to get even.”
GLAAD, however, is not amused, and has
demanded the Tribeca Film Festival pull the film's April premiere,
adding that the film exploits and sensationalizes anti-transgender
violence.
“The film, its title and its
marketing misrepresent the lives of transgender women and use
grotesque, exploitative depictions of violence against transgender
women in ways that make light of the horrific brutality they all too
often face,” the group said.
Speaking to independent film website
IndieWire.com,
director/writer Luna spoke about the controversy surrounding his
film.
“Just like any film, there's a
certain flow that this movie has,” Luna said. “My movie is not
'fight fight torture torture torture.' I tried to make a revenge
fantasy. When I was making it, I thought I was doing something good.
It's just a movie. It's a revenge fantasy, not a documentary.”
In a statement released Friday, Tribeca
officials defended the film and showed no indication they were
preparing to give in.
“The filmmakers provided a copy of
this film to GLAAD in February, and for weeks the organization had
been supportive to the filmmakers. In fact, GLAAD representatives
advised the film's producer, director and cast on how to describe the
film to its core constituency,” the festival said in a statement.
Tribeca “looks forward to the film's
premiere at our festival next month.”