Quen Wong’s Some Women will make its world premiere at the ongoing 32nd edition of the Singapore International Film Festival
Quen Wong is in a good place in her life right now. The 46-year-old trans filmmaker has found love and acceptance within her own family, support from close friends and a career built on meaningful work.
But until recently, “I was ‘living in stealth’, basically not telling everyone that I’m trans,” she shares. “For most trans people who have transitioned, we’re really just interested in getting on with our lives.”
Wong addresses this reclamation of her identity in Some Women, her debut feature documentary which will make its world premiere on December 4 at the ongoing 32nd edition of the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). Three years in the making, the film is an ode to Singapore’s transgender community and a retrospective of her own journey as a trans woman here.
After seeing a short film she made in 2018 for Pink Dot, in support of the LGBTQ community, trans activist June Chua of The T Project had approached Wong about making a film on the women of Bugis Street, once a place where trans people were free to be themselves. Chua later connected her with film and theatre director Glen Goei, whose Unseen series gives voice to marginalised communities in Southeast Asia.
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With the Tan Ean Kiam Foundation–SGIFF Southeast Asian-Documentary Grant she received in 2019, Wong went about making the film. She had initially conceived Some Women to feature a variety of trans women. “I wanted to show a diversity of voices,” shares Wong, who started her career in television as a trailer producer with local and regional channels, including National Geographic Channel Asia. She later moved to ChannelNewsAsia, where she worked on documentaries exploring social justice issues.
But she couldn’t shake off the fact that she was “living in stealth”. She confesses: “As a filmmaker, I’m used to working with my profiles, and encouraging them to tell me their stories and be vulnerable for the camera. I really questioned whether I had the right to do that with the trans community, if I didn’t have the courage to be in front of the camera.”
As she worked on the film, Wong kept a diary and filmed iPhone videos of her thoughts, and the project eventually became something personal. “It’s almost like a coming out film,” she states. “It’s really about finding and celebrating my whole humanity. I want people to see Some Women not just as a trans film, but also a film about the human experience, reflecting the realities we live in and how we can make our lives better when we care for one another without the labels.”
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