Image+Nation
Skin

Skin

LEO BEHRENS | USA | 2023 | 7 MIN | ENGLISH

LEO BEHRENS | USA | 2023 | 7 MIN | ENGLISH

VIRTUALShortA Question of Gender

Synopsis

Skin is a poetic exploration of identity and self-discovery, using visual symbolism to depict a woman's transformation into a man. With the help of her inner manifestation, the iceman, she sheds her old skin and embraces her true identity.

Trailer

Filmmaker Bio

Leo Behrens is an award-winning Norwegian trans cinematographer & director, based in Los Angeles. In 2023, Leo earned his cinematography degree from the American Film Institute Conservatory. Shortly after his graduation, he was selected for The ASC Vision Mentorship Program 23-24. He began his career as a camera operator and director. In just a few years, he advanced to the role of cinematographer, making notable contributions to a wide range of projects in Norway, spanning documentaries, music videos, short films, TV series, and reality TV shows. His first feature film is currently in production.

Producer

Ilayda Cetinkaya

Writer

Leo Behrens

Cinematographer

Leo Behrens

Cast

  • Lio Mehiel
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image
Image

Also playing with

PosterShort
L'esquisse (The Sketch)[A Question of Gender]8 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

I learn to speak French and in this way to draw my surroundings. In Paris in an artist's studio, I meet Linda Demorrir, a living model. Like me, she is transgender and an immigrant. When she speaks, moves, sees the world, I am caught up. By doing her sketch, it's me too that I learn to draw in this new country.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
TTT[MADE AU CANADA]4 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

After the 100th 'The Thursday Testo,' (TTT), the tri-languistical references such as the Roman and Korean (Hangeul) alphabets and the Japanese syllabic (Katana) alphabet of the word TRANS on a comedy sketch by Kě.

PosterShort
Panic Attack[A Question of Gender]14 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

Alex is in the throes of his transition when his best friend abandons a joint venture to assert their burgeoning identities he’s forced to confront his anxieties before entering the unknown alone.

PosterShort
All Boys Do[A Question of Gender]14 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

A trans drag queen crosses paths with an old flame on the streets of Los Angeles. Over the course of a weekend, the pair act on their unexplored desire for each other.

PosterMade au CanadaCompetitionShort
Made au Canada IconCompetition Icon
Hello Stranger [MADE AU CANADA]16 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

Between loads of laundry at the corner laundromat, Cooper shares the tumultuous story of her gender reassignment journey.

PosterShort
Pace[A Question of Gender]15 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

While struggling with dysphoria, a trans boxer, Remy, wrestles with the decision to transition at the potential cost of their marriage. When another trans boxer, Joey, enters the gym, the two find solace in training together while navigating their own challenging journeys.

PosterShort
Gigi[A Question of Gender]14 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, Gigi tells us about her gender transition with humor and sensitivity.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
Dreams of Sunlight Through Trees[MADE AU CANADA]16 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

A middle aged trans man transitions at 44 and observes his changes over a year and nine months, with a looming ongoing news cycle of anti-trans legislation.

PosterShort
L'esquisse (The Sketch)[A Question of Gender]8 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

I learn to speak French and in this way to draw my surroundings. In Paris in an artist's studio, I meet Linda Demorrir, a living model. Like me, she is transgender and an immigrant. When she speaks, moves, sees the world, I am caught up. By doing her sketch, it's me too that I learn to draw in this new country.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
TTT[MADE AU CANADA]4 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

After the 100th 'The Thursday Testo,' (TTT), the tri-languistical references such as the Roman and Korean (Hangeul) alphabets and the Japanese syllabic (Katana) alphabet of the word TRANS on a comedy sketch by Kě.

PosterShort
Panic Attack[A Question of Gender]14 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

Alex is in the throes of his transition when his best friend abandons a joint venture to assert their burgeoning identities he’s forced to confront his anxieties before entering the unknown alone.

PosterShort
All Boys Do[A Question of Gender]14 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

A trans drag queen crosses paths with an old flame on the streets of Los Angeles. Over the course of a weekend, the pair act on their unexplored desire for each other.

PosterMade au CanadaCompetitionShort
Made au Canada IconCompetition Icon
Hello Stranger [MADE AU CANADA]16 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

Between loads of laundry at the corner laundromat, Cooper shares the tumultuous story of her gender reassignment journey.

PosterShort
Pace[A Question of Gender]15 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

While struggling with dysphoria, a trans boxer, Remy, wrestles with the decision to transition at the potential cost of their marriage. When another trans boxer, Joey, enters the gym, the two find solace in training together while navigating their own challenging journeys.

PosterShort
Gigi[A Question of Gender]14 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, Gigi tells us about her gender transition with humor and sensitivity.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
Dreams of Sunlight Through Trees[MADE AU CANADA]16 minutesThis programme includes 9 filmsA QUESTION OF GENDER108 minutes

A middle aged trans man transitions at 44 and observes his changes over a year and nine months, with a looming ongoing news cycle of anti-trans legislation.

You might also like

PosterShort
L'esquisse (The Sketch)[A Question of Gender]8 minutes

I learn to speak French and in this way to draw my surroundings. In Paris in an artist's studio, I meet Linda Demorrir, a living model. Like me, she is transgender and an immigrant. When she speaks, moves, sees the world, I am caught up. By doing her sketch, it's me too that I learn to draw in this new country.

PosterCompetitionDocumentaryVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
Competition Icon
Desire Lines[COMPETITION]81 minutes

Struck by “archive fever,” a gay transmasculine Iranian-American searches for the roots of his desire. Navigating with us through this steamy hybrid documentary, he comes into contact with trailblazing transcestor Lou Sullivan, the contemporary lived experiences of other queer men, and the eroticism of his own unique body. With the assistance of young non-binary archivist Kieran (Theo Germain), older transman Ahmad (Aden Hakimi) delves into Chicago’s LGBTQ+ archives and the past and present bathhouses of Boystown to explore his homosexual longing. He learns—as we do through the real-life interviews and the history of raids and radical action that nest within this fictional storyline—that there is no one answer. There are as many points of view as there are interviewees. Archival footage of Lou Sullivan, who openly identified as trans and gay as far back as the 1970s, shows that though these conversations are not new, they are still very much necessary, connecting transmasculine gay men with themselves and the larger community. Jules Rosskam’s narratively frisky and hugely affecting film is a celebration of complexity, working to dissolve rigid labels and authoritative permission when it comes to narrating one’s own sexuality.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
TTT[MADE AU CANADA]4 minutes

After the 100th 'The Thursday Testo,' (TTT), the tri-languistical references such as the Roman and Korean (Hangeul) alphabets and the Japanese syllabic (Katana) alphabet of the word TRANS on a comedy sketch by Kě.

PosterShort
Panic Attack[A Question of Gender]14 minutes

Alex is in the throes of his transition when his best friend abandons a joint venture to assert their burgeoning identities he’s forced to confront his anxieties before entering the unknown alone.

PosterMade au CanadaCompetitionShort
Made au Canada IconCompetition Icon
Hello Stranger [MADE AU CANADA]16 minutes

Between loads of laundry at the corner laundromat, Cooper shares the tumultuous story of her gender reassignment journey.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
Breaking Silence[MADE AU CANADA]11 minutes

Cole, a resilient transgender man, navigates his coming out journey within the confines of an all-girls school, while his mother confronts her own emotional struggles. Together, they learn to push societal norms and embrace the power of acceptance.

PosterMade au CanadaDocumentary
Made au Canada Icon
Any Other Way: the Jackie Shane Story[I+N Connexe]99 minutes

Whether wowing 1960s nightclub audiences with her vocal prowess or vanishing from the scene in a haze of rumours, Jackie Shane never failed to leave her mark. Through recorded conversations with the boundary-bursting yet reclusive icon, and the magic of ghostly, gorgeous rotoscope animation, Jackie is restored to us. Encouraged to leave Jim Crow-era Nashville by Joe Tex so that her talent could soar, Jackie Shane brought her R&B sound and daring charisma to adoring fans everywhere from mafia-controlled Montreal to her beloved Toronto, getting kidnapped and turning down a transphobic Ed Sullivan Show offer along the way. Close friends with Little Richard and an opener for the likes of Etta James and Marvin Gaye, Jackie Shane was an It girl in a time when using “she/her” seemed unthinkable. So she had a choice: global superstardom or her own hard-earned authenticity. This is the story of that choice, told through Jackie’s own words, vibrant reenactments, and assessments by contemporary trans figures, with music as the film’s soul. Executive produced by Elliot Page, Any Other Way is a triumph of the documentary form—as polished and impressive as Jackie herself.

PosterShort
Pace[A Question of Gender]15 minutes

While struggling with dysphoria, a trans boxer, Remy, wrestles with the decision to transition at the potential cost of their marriage. When another trans boxer, Joey, enters the gym, the two find solace in training together while navigating their own challenging journeys.

PosterMade au CanadaDocumentaryVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
Made au Canada Icon
Y'a une étoile (FREE SCREENING)[I+N x FMC / CMF SERIES]71 minutes

FREE ENTRANCE TO THE CINEMA // FREE SCREENING! conversation with Julien Cadieux at 18h15 FOR FREE ONLINE SCREENINGS, send a request to information@image-nation.org - a code will be sent to you. Thank you for your interest! // Acadian director Julien Cadieux trains his ingenious eye on Samuel LeBlanc, a trans musician in the band Écarlate, as Samuel travels across the Acadian region of the Maritimes, informing youth, paying homage to singer-songwriter Angèle Arsenault, and rubbing elbows with a surfeit of queer talent in this one-of-a-kind musical documentary. Gender dysphoria; rediscovering one’s indigenous culture; the inclusive, non-binary poetry of Chiac: a lot of crucial subjects are handled in exuberant, entertaining ways as Samuel confronts queer Acadians’ heartstopping lows and revels in their joyous highs, bearing witness to the region’s heartening cultural shifts. You will meet everyone from an asexual biromantic teacher to two viral drag superstars. So, come hop aboard a tractor, lobster boat, or hot air balloon. There are stories to hear and musical numbers to move you—mind and body—as the film delivers on the promise that “being unique doesn’t depend on the size of your wallet.” With the mesmerizing exactitude of Wes Anderson and a palette that gives the pastels of Barbie a run for their money, Julien Cadieux offers up a lively fantasy grounded in Acadian culture and history, then and most certainly now. Also in this programme: NOUS PARTIRONS JULIEN CADIEUX | CANADA | 2023 | 8 MIN | FRENCH Gilbert Mhanna is a queer Lebanese artist based in Toronto. His art is baladi, a dance traditionally reserved for cis women. Together, we'll explore the relationship of his Araboqueer body to this Canadian space. How does this country continue to flow through their veins?

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
Dreams of Sunlight Through Trees[MADE AU CANADA]16 minutes

A middle aged trans man transitions at 44 and observes his changes over a year and nine months, with a looming ongoing news cycle of anti-trans legislation.

PosterShort
L'esquisse (The Sketch)[A Question of Gender]8 minutes

I learn to speak French and in this way to draw my surroundings. In Paris in an artist's studio, I meet Linda Demorrir, a living model. Like me, she is transgender and an immigrant. When she speaks, moves, sees the world, I am caught up. By doing her sketch, it's me too that I learn to draw in this new country.

PosterCompetitionDocumentaryVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
Competition Icon
Desire Lines[COMPETITION]81 minutes

Struck by “archive fever,” a gay transmasculine Iranian-American searches for the roots of his desire. Navigating with us through this steamy hybrid documentary, he comes into contact with trailblazing transcestor Lou Sullivan, the contemporary lived experiences of other queer men, and the eroticism of his own unique body. With the assistance of young non-binary archivist Kieran (Theo Germain), older transman Ahmad (Aden Hakimi) delves into Chicago’s LGBTQ+ archives and the past and present bathhouses of Boystown to explore his homosexual longing. He learns—as we do through the real-life interviews and the history of raids and radical action that nest within this fictional storyline—that there is no one answer. There are as many points of view as there are interviewees. Archival footage of Lou Sullivan, who openly identified as trans and gay as far back as the 1970s, shows that though these conversations are not new, they are still very much necessary, connecting transmasculine gay men with themselves and the larger community. Jules Rosskam’s narratively frisky and hugely affecting film is a celebration of complexity, working to dissolve rigid labels and authoritative permission when it comes to narrating one’s own sexuality.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
TTT[MADE AU CANADA]4 minutes

After the 100th 'The Thursday Testo,' (TTT), the tri-languistical references such as the Roman and Korean (Hangeul) alphabets and the Japanese syllabic (Katana) alphabet of the word TRANS on a comedy sketch by Kě.

PosterShort
Panic Attack[A Question of Gender]14 minutes

Alex is in the throes of his transition when his best friend abandons a joint venture to assert their burgeoning identities he’s forced to confront his anxieties before entering the unknown alone.

PosterMade au CanadaCompetitionShort
Made au Canada IconCompetition Icon
Hello Stranger [MADE AU CANADA]16 minutes

Between loads of laundry at the corner laundromat, Cooper shares the tumultuous story of her gender reassignment journey.

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
Breaking Silence[MADE AU CANADA]11 minutes

Cole, a resilient transgender man, navigates his coming out journey within the confines of an all-girls school, while his mother confronts her own emotional struggles. Together, they learn to push societal norms and embrace the power of acceptance.

PosterMade au CanadaDocumentary
Made au Canada Icon
Any Other Way: the Jackie Shane Story[I+N Connexe]99 minutes

Whether wowing 1960s nightclub audiences with her vocal prowess or vanishing from the scene in a haze of rumours, Jackie Shane never failed to leave her mark. Through recorded conversations with the boundary-bursting yet reclusive icon, and the magic of ghostly, gorgeous rotoscope animation, Jackie is restored to us. Encouraged to leave Jim Crow-era Nashville by Joe Tex so that her talent could soar, Jackie Shane brought her R&B sound and daring charisma to adoring fans everywhere from mafia-controlled Montreal to her beloved Toronto, getting kidnapped and turning down a transphobic Ed Sullivan Show offer along the way. Close friends with Little Richard and an opener for the likes of Etta James and Marvin Gaye, Jackie Shane was an It girl in a time when using “she/her” seemed unthinkable. So she had a choice: global superstardom or her own hard-earned authenticity. This is the story of that choice, told through Jackie’s own words, vibrant reenactments, and assessments by contemporary trans figures, with music as the film’s soul. Executive produced by Elliot Page, Any Other Way is a triumph of the documentary form—as polished and impressive as Jackie herself.

PosterShort
Pace[A Question of Gender]15 minutes

While struggling with dysphoria, a trans boxer, Remy, wrestles with the decision to transition at the potential cost of their marriage. When another trans boxer, Joey, enters the gym, the two find solace in training together while navigating their own challenging journeys.

PosterMade au CanadaDocumentaryVIRTUAL EXCLUSIVE
Made au Canada Icon
Y'a une étoile (FREE SCREENING)[I+N x FMC / CMF SERIES]71 minutes

FREE ENTRANCE TO THE CINEMA // FREE SCREENING! conversation with Julien Cadieux at 18h15 FOR FREE ONLINE SCREENINGS, send a request to information@image-nation.org - a code will be sent to you. Thank you for your interest! // Acadian director Julien Cadieux trains his ingenious eye on Samuel LeBlanc, a trans musician in the band Écarlate, as Samuel travels across the Acadian region of the Maritimes, informing youth, paying homage to singer-songwriter Angèle Arsenault, and rubbing elbows with a surfeit of queer talent in this one-of-a-kind musical documentary. Gender dysphoria; rediscovering one’s indigenous culture; the inclusive, non-binary poetry of Chiac: a lot of crucial subjects are handled in exuberant, entertaining ways as Samuel confronts queer Acadians’ heartstopping lows and revels in their joyous highs, bearing witness to the region’s heartening cultural shifts. You will meet everyone from an asexual biromantic teacher to two viral drag superstars. So, come hop aboard a tractor, lobster boat, or hot air balloon. There are stories to hear and musical numbers to move you—mind and body—as the film delivers on the promise that “being unique doesn’t depend on the size of your wallet.” With the mesmerizing exactitude of Wes Anderson and a palette that gives the pastels of Barbie a run for their money, Julien Cadieux offers up a lively fantasy grounded in Acadian culture and history, then and most certainly now. Also in this programme: NOUS PARTIRONS JULIEN CADIEUX | CANADA | 2023 | 8 MIN | FRENCH Gilbert Mhanna is a queer Lebanese artist based in Toronto. His art is baladi, a dance traditionally reserved for cis women. Together, we'll explore the relationship of his Araboqueer body to this Canadian space. How does this country continue to flow through their veins?

PosterMade au CanadaShort
Made au Canada Icon
Dreams of Sunlight Through Trees[MADE AU CANADA]16 minutes

A middle aged trans man transitions at 44 and observes his changes over a year and nine months, with a looming ongoing news cycle of anti-trans legislation.