MovieLine.com has apparently been following the controversy over Dallas filmmaker Israel Luna’s latest flick, “Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives,” and Thursday posted this story about Tribeca Film Festival’s response to GLAAD’s call to action for the festival to remove Luna’s film from its 2010 line-up.
This is the statement from Tribeca:
“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. Tribeca is proud of its ongoing commitment to bring diverse voices and stories to its audiences, and looks forward to the film’s premiere at our Festival next month.”
12 Comments
This is dismissing trans people’s protest over this film on process, when trans people who are commenting about the film, and its marketing, are protesting the substance of the film and the film’s marketing.
I personally covered the Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial in from the Greeley, Colorado courtroom in April of 2009. I’m also a transsexual woman, who sociopolitically identifies as transgender. Seared into my memory from that trial are the images I saw in the courtroom of Angie Zapata lying on her living room floor, a large pool of dried blood around her head.
I have two major issues with the marketing of this film. The first is found in the trailer for the film: it opens by citing Angie Zapata’s murder. I’m deeply disturbed that a film that Arnold Wayne Jones at The Dallas Voice described as a “‘transploitation’ action comedy” (https://ow.ly/1rkX0) begins by citing the real bludgeoning death of an 18-year-old trans woman.
My second major issue with the film’s marketing is the film’s use of the epithet “tra**ies” in the title. The writer/director/producer of the film is affiliated with The Dallas Voice (https://ow.ly/1rkRj) , and as such, should have been aware that the term is considered offensive to many as a pejorative (https://ow.ly/1rkSj) — as a degrading and dehumanizing term.
Would gay men be upset with a “gaysploitation action comedy” called “Ticked-Off Fa**ots With Knives” made by someone who didn’t identify as gay? With a trailer that exploited the death of Matthew Shepard to market the film? This is a parallel to what many of us trans people have been feeling regarding “Ticked-Off Tra**ies With Knives.”
I don’t want the film “banned” from the festival for not being funny, or because I want to “censor” the film. However, I do want the film pulled from the Tribeca Film Festival line-up because from what I’ve seen of the film, and have heard from my trans peers (https://ow.ly/1rkVs). The film and its marketing are extremely offensive to many of us real world trans people; I just don’t want this film that offends so many trans people given the prestige that a showing at the Tribeca Film Festival would give this film.
WHATEVER!!! The term “tranny” in itself is offensive (I am NOT a transmission), let alone the fact that it implies that we are knife toting lunatics waiting for a chance to “get even” with anyone that does us wrong.
Israel, I am very disappointed. you should have consulted with people who live their lives every day as out transsexuals who are working hard to make a positive impression on the world…thereby showing the world that we are not the Jerry Springer trailer trash that the world has come to see us as.
This is all really getting ridiculous! Why is this movie such a problem? There have been more movies than I can remember about gay people, drag queens, lesbians and transsexuals that do not show a true interpretation of our lifestyles, but they were all meant as a comedic side of life. Remember “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert”? You don’t see a transexual and a couple drag queens driving a bus around and singing on top of it, do you? “Birdcage”. How many gay people do you know that act as extremely over the top than Nathan Lane or Frank Azaria portrayed their characters to be?
Also, I do not understand how the word “tranny” is offensive. Maybe I am not completely hip to every aspect of the LGBT venacular, but what is offensive to one does not mean it is offensive to all. And if you would have read what Israel said in one of the interviews that was in the main article today, you would have seen that he DID consult with people who live their everyday lives as out transexuals. I mean come on! Do you think Krystal Summers could pull off living as a boy with that triple D chest of hers? Honestly, if we feel that we have been unfairly wronged, then address the matter with the person that you have the problem with. Honestly, Israel could not have met with every single living transexual to get their opinion on the movie title or script to see if it would offend one of them or not. I feel sorry that you feel harmed in any way from this movie, but at least if someone sees this movie and truly thinks that “we are knife toting lunatics waiting for a chance to “get even” with anyone that does us wrong”, then at least they would think twice before trying to mess with you.
Ultimately, you just need to get off the cross, hon, because someone else needs the wood…..
Tori, Fortunately Israel doesn’t use the term “Tranny”, the Title of the film is “Ticked-Off TrannIES With Knives.”
One thing I’ve learned during this whole fiasco is that the people fighting on the wrong side of this battle don’t know how to fact check, and clearly don’t have spell check. For example, the person who posted that William Belli was a straight man because his profile said he was “married.” That’s rather offensive that a transgender person would assume that because someone is married that they are straight.
At any rate, just because the women in this film choose to make their living as beautiful, talented entertainers, doesn’t mean that they are any less valuable to society or that they are “trailer trash.” One of the transgender actresses in the film is not only an entertainer but also an accomplished makeup artist for MAC Cosmetics. Another holds a degree in business. Both of them are quite famous entertainers on top of being intelligent, beautiful, and respectable women.
As far as this film not accurately portray the lives of transgender women, it does in fact portray the actual lives of some transgender women. Just because a fictional film doesn’t represent an entire population or sub-culture, or sub-sub-culture, doesn’t mean that the film is irrelevant or offensive. By that logic, the film “Philadelphia” should never have been made because it only portrays the life of two gay men, not the entire gay population, and certainly isn’t an accurate portrayal of the entire gay culture.
All this being said, I think it’s great that Israel Luna had the courage to make, what I consider, an empowering film. And to the cast, I love and respect you all. Kudos.
Mike- WOW. someone said I was straight (it’s willam ,not william). I got married to my boyfriend of many years when it was legal in California.
what’s that link? i wanna save it and frame it. email me! lol
I honestly don’t think we would be having this discussion if the trailer started off with the stories of Laci Peterson and then Nichole Brown Simpson leading to a storyline of 5 straight women being brutally beaten and raped and then jump into a comedy. National Organization for Women would be all over this and media/the public would feel that they are justified. Because it’s a group of “emotional” transwomen that are leading this campaign, they are overreacting.
Sexual and physical violence against women is not a fucking joke, especially if a man made the joke.
I agree with Tisha. Let’s frame it yet another way:
A white filmmaker creates a film called ‘Ticked of n******s with guns.’
It opens with the stories of Emmett Till and James Byrd Jr, then moves on to the action. 5 black men (actually two, the other three are white people in blackface) are brutally beaten by klan members. After they recover, the dimwitted and uncivilized survivors get some fried chicken and watermelon, then hop in their ’88 Lincoln Towncar and exact their revenge.
The director said he got the idea from the recent spat of hate crimes and figured violence against women and gays has already been done. He consulted with several real black people before making the movie, and see the film as empowering.
It’s clear that this scenario is inappropriate. The title alone would evoke outrage, and the use of such stereotypes would be roundly denounced.
Let me then present your statements:
-Also, I do not understand how the word [“n*****”] is offensive. Maybe I am not completely hip to every aspect of the [African-American] venacular, but what is offensive to one does not mean it is offensive to all.
-Just because a fictional film doesn’t represent an entire population or sub-culture, or sub-sub-culture, doesn’t mean that the film is irrelevant or offensive.
-All this being said, I think it’s great that Israel Luna had the courage to make, what I consider, an empowering film.
-Fortunately Israel doesn’t use the term [“n*****”], the Title of the film is “Ticked-Off [N*****S] With Knives.”
In both the film and my synopsis, a pejorative term is used in the title by someone outside of that community – and it doesn’t matter whether you understand that or not. They both exploit character and behavior stereotypes which are offensive and harmful to those communities they target. To juxtapose this exploitation against the weight of hate crimes is incredibly disrespectful. To call it empowering is an absolute joke.
Would you really stand up to the criticism of the film I described above and tell a person of color that you don’t find the film offensive, and that they need to just relax. You thought that characterization of their community was empowering, and hey, it’s just a joke? That is basically what you are doing.
@Mike, I think your simply spitting hairs on the point of “Tranny” verses “Trannies” it is common that words ending with a ‘y’ the ‘y’ is changed to an ‘i’ then the ‘es’ added to the end to make it plural. The term Tranny is pretty universally disliked by the Transgendered Community and it is important to note that many Drag Queens are not Transgendered, so the people you would need to check with are not Drag Queens.
The Transgendered Community has often been sidelined or sacrificed by the larger gay community because they don’t fit into the definition of “Normal” that is wanted to be presented.
Personally, I won’t be watching anything from Tribeca this year if this movie is shown.
Lessons from the film:
Trannies are gay men in wigs and dresses, that caricature women and trick straight men into having sex with them.
If as a straight man you get tricked this way, make sure that you finish “it” off, as they’re also homicidal maniacs. You can’t afford to let them live, if you react with natural anger
And whatever you do, don’t let such homicidal lying perverts into female restrooms. Who knows what they might do?
This is how trannies really are – even members of the Homosexual Agenda admit it. Why, this is really a docudrama, as it mentions real events in the trailer.
Now those may not be the lessons the filmmaker intended, though given his past statements and complete disregard of GLAAD’s recommendations before release, there’s a good case that they were intentional. But whether they are or not, AFTAH an FOTF will have a field day with this one. It’s propaganda even they dared not make.
Actually, Mike and M Allen aren’t trying to make a legitimate point, but merely defending their option to continue using the word tranny (or trannIES, whatever!) because they find it so incredibly amusing. Spell check? LOL try looking up DICK!
Mike, your so-called logic is a non sequitur. Philadelphia was a sympathetic film that respected gay men’s struggle for acceptance, not a sensationalistic film called Pissed Off F*****s in Court. Hopefully enough examples have been provided to explain what is so painfully obvious to many: You don’t get to say “tranny” anymore. Just stop already. It’s 2010. The hateful queen thing is PLAYED OUT.
Amen Nikki,
They don’t get to say “tranny” ANYMORE.
They kind of do, it is just Tr@$!ies now. And its already been selected for a second film festival. Looks like Ashley ahd Kelli have alot more time to post and repost the same points for alittle while longer.