Jared Leto? On Pride of the Ocean, Transgender People Represent Themselves On and Off the Screen

Ewan Duarte

Recently, Jared Leto was awarded the Oscar for his portrayal of the transgender character Rayon in the film, “Dallas Buyers Club”. While some felt that the character was a positive portrayal of a transgender hero, others felt that the portrayal was stereotypical and didn’t accurately represent the diversity found within the transgender community. Pride of the Ocean prides itself on selecting independent, original, and authentic personal stories by and about the LGBT community.

One such story that Pride of the Ocean has been closely following is that of Ewan Duarte, whose personal journey began with his 2010 documentary short, “Spiral Transition” about the filmmaker’s relationship with his mother and how it changes and evolves as he transitions genders.

“Spiral Transition” Film Still

Ewan’s journey continues in his Master of Fine Arts thesis film, “Change Over Time”, an animated, experimental, personal documentary about the filmmaker’s first year on testosterone, told from an impressionistic and poetic perspective.

Moving into its 5th year, Pride of the Ocean proudly continues its history as a film festival that showcases transgender films and invites filmmakers; however, the one transgender voice that has been missing from Pride of the Ocean has been that of the transgender audience, so if you know a transgender person or are a transgender person yourself, we encourage you to consider joining Ewan and other transgender filmmakers in the safe inclusive space that we have created on Pride of the Ocean by clicking here or on the button below.