Transgender is Cinematic - Edhi Alice Documentary
Edhi Alice at VIFF
The Vancouver International Film Festival is bringing one of the most original queer documentaries of the year to local screens. Edhi Alice, directed by award-winning filmmaker Ilrhan Kim, is not one film but two: Reverse and Take. Each tells the story of Edhi and Alice, two friends and collaborators whose lives intersect through activism, art, and the ongoing process of transition.
The project unfolds as a cinematic mirror. In Reverse, the story begins with Edhi, a counselor working with trans youth, and moves toward Alice, a lighting director confronting her own body and place in the film industry. In Take, the order flips, beginning with Alice and moving toward Edhi. Seen together, the two films create a layered, multidimensional experience—one that shifts depending on perspective, much like the concept of transition itself.
Director Ilrhan Kim is no stranger to groundbreaking work. As founder of the queer feminist collective PINKS, she has spent two decades making films that center women, trans people, and queer lives. From Mamasang: Remember Me This Way to Two Doors and Remnants, her documentaries have shaped the landscape of Korean independent cinema and carried queer stories onto global festival stages. With Edhi Alice, she takes that vision even further, blending activism, artistry, and cinematic experimentation.
The heart of the project lies in its two leads. Seoyeon Edhi Park and Jungmin Alice Lee bring extraordinary presence to the screen, offering not only their personal journeys but also their collaboration as artists. Alice herself handled the lighting for the film, making her role both behind and in front of the camera. Their performances carry intimacy, candor, and a sense of shared authorship that is rare in documentary filmmaking.
VIFF audiences will be among the first to see Edhi Alice, and it promises to be a highlight of the festival. Bold in structure, rich in storytelling, and deeply cinematic, this project embodies the spirit of queer film at its best: inventive, challenging, and beautifully human.
What’s On Queer BC is proud to be a sponsor of this extraordinary film.
Vancouver International Film Festival 2025
Edhi Alice
Saturday October 04
12:00 pm
VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema
Sunday October 05
2:30 pm
International Village 8