Diversity Rules Magazine

T11 - Con't from page 5 SG: I think telling more stories about the disabled community is a place to start and I do think there has been posi ve momentum now more than ever in that regard so thats a great thing. But also u lizing our disabled actor community in varied roles opens up the convesa on about disabillity and possibility. JRK: Can you talk about some of your other proj- ects done prior to "T11 Incomplete?" SG: My last feature was STUFF and that was about a married lesbian couple with two daughters who are going through a rough patch in their 20-year mar- riage. They are trying to re-connect because they have lost touch with each other over the years of raising children, caring for elderly parents, career paths etc. This can happen over me with any re- la onship, be it homosexual or heterosexual, and that is what I was examining with STUFF. And before STUFF I made a documentary called My Really Cool Legs! which follows a group of pediatric amputees from ages 7- 17, who challenge themselves beyond what is possible. These kids ski and dance and do trapeze and really meet life head on and push them- selves beyond their limits. Focusing on what they do have instead of what is missing. JRK: In 2001 you lost your leg in the line of duty as a NY State Trooper. Can you talk about that a bit further, and the emo ons you felt about what hap- pened? SG: It was a very sad, scary and complex me in my life. Being a NYS Trooper is a very physical career and to not be able to do that anymore was quite upset- ng. I have always been a strong and athle c wom- an so to lose that career was a major blow. Not to men on how physically my body had changed when I looked in the mirror. Mentally it was a challenge to wrap my brain around what had happened to me and emo onally I had to kind of grieve the loss of who I was before I could fully embrace the new me. And that took years and lots of therapy and a sup- por ve family and friends to help me get through it. But over me I began to pour everything into my work as a filmmaker and I feel so lucky and grateful to be here and to have a chance to add my perspec- ve to the disability and LGBTQ conversa on in film. It's true that some days I dread pu ng on that pros- the c leg. It's bulky and not very graceful but at the same me I am so thankful to God for it because it gives me my life back. I do everything I used to do. I just do it differently. 6 | Diversity Rules Magazine | Apr 2021 The "Make Me A King" team is over the moon to have been selected as the winner for the Pears Short Film Fund 2021. The film follows Ari, a Jewish Drag King ostracised by their family, who clings to their hero - Pepi Li man, the first Jewish proto-Drag King, who performed in the early 20th century. There are no fic on films about contemporary Drag Kings, never mind a Jewish Drag King. It's a story about being your true authen c self. Because the central theme is so universal - one of family in all of its forms - it's a film that has very wide appeal. In a moment when Ari is looking for acceptance and family, will they finally be able to embrace them- selves and their true voice? History and present must come together in this music-loving and brave story. We're excited to tell this story and bring to the screen, a vibrant, complex, contemporary Bri sh community. Natalie Arle-Toyne (Writer) - "I am passionate about this project and its origins: Pepi Li man pushed boundaries and forged a space for Drag Kings over a century ago. She is a fascina ng and inspiring his- torical Jewish figure that speaks to the now - and Ari's story was born through her." Sofia Olins (Director) - "It's ok for men to dress as women, but less so the other way around and we wondered why that was? We're so thrilled to have this opportunity to make a beau ful film where we can all consider this together." - Sofia Olins (Direc- tor) How Natalie Arle-Toyne came across Pepi Li man - "I discovered Pepi when researching performers in the late 19th and early 20th century for another wri ng project and I willingly dove down that rabbit hole. She was a lauded songstress who recorded on many albums, and as a singer myself, I fell in love with her voice and her energy. I found that while she isn't well-known within the Yiddish and Klezmer music scene here, Jewish Drag Kings know all about her and have adopted her as their own." Kings - Con't on page 19 Make Me A King Pears 2021 Winner

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