trinidad - New World Distribution

TRINIDAD
Directed and Produced by PJ Raval & Jay Hodges
Runtime: 86 minutes
2008, USA, 4:3 aspect ratio
available in HD, Digi Beta and Beta SP
Press contacts: PJ Raval (512) 507-8158 [email protected]
SHORT SYNOPSIS…
Trinidad uncovers Trinidad, Colorado’s transformation from Wild West outpost to “sex-change capital of the
world,” and follows three transgender women who may steer the rural ranching town toward becoming the
“transsexual mecca.”
LONG SYNOPSIS…
For the 9,000 residents of the quiet, rural town Trinidad, Colorado, “sex change capital of the world” is just
another way of saying “home.” Located on the Santa Fe Trail, where the Rockies fade into the Great Plains, this
one-time mafia-run, coal mining town is an unlikely destination for more than 6,500 transsexuals who have
gone there to align their bodies with their minds.
In 2003, Dr. Marci Bowers left her family and thriving OB/GYN practice in Seattle to take over Dr. Stanley
Biber’s genital reassignment surgery (GRS) practice in Trinidad. In 1969, years before the practice had been
established in more cosmopolitan cities, Dr. Biber performed Trinidad’s first GRS. With no training in the
surgery, he referred to another surgeon’s drawings for instruction, a testament to the confidence of his
pioneering spirit. With an increasing number of patients awaiting GRS, Dr. Biber couldn’t keep the surgeries a
secret for long in the Catholic-run hospital.
At eighty years of age, with over 5,800 sex-change operations under his belt, Biber turned his practice over to
Marci. Formerly Mark, Marci is the first transgender surgeon to perform GRSs. Having refined her GRS
method so that it is roughly 85 percent different from Dr. Biber’s, and because of the innovations and empathy
she brings to patients from having undergone the surgery herself, Marci is considered by many to be the best
GRS surgeon in the world, a claim supported by her yearlong waiting list and the patient testimonies as she
makes her rounds in the hospital.
With Marci’s encouragement, two of her patients, Sabrina Marcus, an engineer and founder of the Southern
Comfort Transgender Conference, and Dr. Laura Ellis, a family practitioner, begin renovating a Victorian house
to turn it into a recovery bed-and-breakfast for post-operative transgender patients. For Sabrina it is a chance to
rebound after being fired from NASA when she began transitioning. For Laura it is a chance to fully transition
to female in a place she refers to as the “transgender spiritual center.” This pocket of transgender residents—a
unique addition to the town—has hopes of fostering a community at Morning Glow, where “guests can become
the person they want to be with people who have been through similar experiences.” They plan to have
renovations complete and the house occupant ready within six months.
All three women’s personal histories are brought to life with snapshots from their childhoods (when the first
feelings of being in the wrong body emerged), of adolescence and college years (when they suppressed these
feelings), of first girlfriends, wives, family trips, birthdays, and the period when they began transitioning and
outwardly straddling both genders. Verité footage of their everyday experiences reveals even more about the
women: how they fill their lives communicates their values (community, friendship, faith, family, solitude); the
way they carry themselves hints at levels of comfort and self-confidence; and their interactions among
themselves and with others suggest their varying tempers and dispositions. Additionally, Laura’s and Sabrina’s
relationships with their children and the information their children disclose in interviews helps flesh out these
women’s characters.
Six months into the renovation and Morning Glow is still not ready to accommodate guests, and finances are
running low. While Laura focuses on her medical practice and Sabrina finds a job at the hospital, JoAnne, also a
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transwoman, has become the sole worker on the house, labor she gladly exchanges for room and board. Having
lived out of her car while driving across country searching for a place where she could fit in, JoAnne considers
Morning Glow a safe haven, suggesting to the proprietors’ that their efforts are already paying off.
Though numerous transsexual women pass through Trinidad, few of them remain. Generally native
Trinidadians are accustomed to transient patients as a part of the town’s landscape, resulting in a community
that is more versed in the aspects of gender identity than most places its size. Whether they agree or disagree
with the surgeries, Trinidad residents have definitely contemplated gender, as is evident in various sequences in
the film: A chorus of townspeople share their “sightings” and interactions with patients. A second group brings
its theoretical and theological viewpoints to the dialogue. A group of children explore the stereotypes of what it
means to be a man and a woman, sometimes surprisingly blurring well-established gender lines. While there are
detractors, overall the town accepts the practice.
This “to each their own” attitude was recently challenged when the local daily published an editorial written by
a preacher calling for a coalition of churches to end the GRS surgeries. This appeal, coupled with the recent
death of Dr. Biber, caused Marci to question the security of her practice. “[It] let the town have its say on
something that had been done here for thirty-five years. Well now that Dr. Biber’s gone maybe it [the GRS
practice] will just end.” The townspeople really had a chance to express their opinions, and they did to great
effect. Letters supporting Marci’s practice, including one from Father Bob Hagan, pastor of Trinidad’s Holy
Trinity Parish, poured in: “Leave the judging to God,” “Reject hate, intolerance,” “Town should stay open,
accepting.”
Though the location seems ideal for Morning Glow, the women cannot seem to get the business off the ground.
A year into the project, and Laura has grown increasingly frustrated with the slow progress of the renovation
(which she has financed). Though Marci and Sabrina have integrated fully into the town, Laura feels out of
place. Having fully transitioned in Trinidad in the short time she has been there, she is still learning how to
become “Laura,” a task she’s finding increasingly difficult amid other challenges she faces. In an attempt to get
on with her life, she looks for work elsewhere, finally landing a position in a small Alabama city, where
residents may not be as accepting as those of Trinidad. Disappointed that she’s left to manage the renovation
and eventually run Morning Glow on her own, Sabrina is determined to persevere while continuing with her
full-time job at the hospital. The warmth with which she welcomes her first guest suggests she might succeed.
On an intimate level, the film follows three women with a shared struggle but conflicting personalities: Marci,
who steadily grows her GRS practice and pushes for Morning Glow’s completion but offers no professional or
financial support; Sabrina, who takes on a more active role at Morning Glow than she had expected, while
increasingly becoming a part of the town’s social fabric; and Laura, who after several attempts to foster a sense
of community, becomes increasingly disillusioned and isolates herself from the others as she plans her move.
More generally, Trinidad explores the growing popularity of the town among the transgender community; the
intersection of the recently formed transgender community with long-term residents; how the death of muchrevered Dr. Biber may influence the town’s acceptance of the GRS practice; and where gender dysphoria fits in
terms of God’s creation.
Part observational film and part essay, Trinidad explores the diverse characters and personal histories of a group
of people who have come together because of similar life experiences. To create intimacy visually among the
audience and characters, we relied primarily on natural lighting and shot digital video to allow for a smaller
crew and larger shooting ratio, frequently in cinema verité–style. This method enabled us to be as least invasive
as possible while allowing stories and conversations to unfold through the activities of the characters’ daily
lives, such as during meals, at work, and in activities in the community and with their families. Viewers will get
a real sense of life in Trinidad and its GRS history as well as a look into the past and present of our characters’
lives and their individual passions, concerns, and struggles as told through their own voices.
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FROM THE DIRECTORS…
We first learned about Trinidad at a friend's dinner party, from a guest who had recently driven through the
town that she said was commonly referred to as "the sex change capital of the world." She had heard it was
populated by cowboys and transsexuals that it had the biggest selection of size 12 pumps available anywhere in
the nation, that it was a place where people arrived as men and left as women.
Everyone at the table questioned her claim, assuming the majority of sex changes in the country took place in
hospitals in large metropolitan cities like New York and Los Angeles, maybe even Chicago - not in a small
town tucked into the southeastern corner of Colorado.
The myth of Trinidad lingered. After a few Internet searches, we discovered that Trinidad's local hospital was
one of the few in the nation offering genital reassignment surgery (GRS). Through a unique set of
circumstances, Trinidad's first GRS had taken place in 1968, performed by Korean War veteran and local
rancher Dr. Stanley Biber. We discovered that, thirty-six years and more than 5,500 GRSs later, Dr. Biber was
in the process of passing his GRS practice to Dr. Marci Bowers, an OB/GYN from Seattle who also happened
to be a transsexual woman. A transsexual helping other transsexuals by performing their GRSs in the unlikely
sex-change capital of the world, the one-time mafia-run, coal-mining town of Trinidad, Colorado? Suddenly we
had turned up a few promising elements for a story.
We called Marci, who was open to discussing more about the history of Trinidad and her practice - provided we
talk to her in person, in Trinidad. Later, we realized she wanted us to experience the town firsthand, outside of
the sensationalized articles.
Several weeks later, after almost an hour-and-a-half drive from the Albuquerque airport along I-25, the barren
landscape eventually gave way to the Rocky Mountains. Looming over the valley, Hollywood-style, a
"TRINIDAD" sign indicated we had reached our destination. The locals take pride in the town's remoteness,
calling it "an untouched gem" and "Colorado's best-kept secret." And to an extent they are right. Unlike most
American cities, historic Victorian houses still fill the neighborhoods - and Starbucks and mini-malls are
nowhere to be found, although Wal-Mart has managed to open a superstore on the edge of town.
Walking along Main Street, a straight road bisecting the town and cobbled with "Trinidad"-stamped bricks, we
passed boutiques, shuttered storefronts and a surprising number of bars. We weren't quite sure where to begin,
and we were a little taken off guard when someone in a large truck called out, "Welcome to Trinidad!"
While we lingered over a late lunch at the Trinidad Diner, the waitress asked if we were new to town. Unsure
how she would feel if we asked her to tell us about the town's transsexual history, we said we were just passing
through. We eventually got up the nerve to ask her about Dr. Biber. She laughed and replied, "Well you know
what he's known for... He's been my doctor all my life, and do you know about Marci? She just delivered my
baby.”
The next day, we interviewed Marci. There were no dumb questions. She willingly discussed who the people
were who came to her, what they were seeking, and her role in helping them align their bodies with their minds.
We realized the story of Trinidad and Marci's practice had not been told. Eventually, we met Laura and Sabrina,
two of Marci's patients, who had moved to Trinidad to open Morning Glow, a bed-and-breakfast/ recovery
home for post-operative patients. At that point, the documentary took on a life of its own.
Many films dealing with transgender issues focus on "before and after" stories or the surgical aspects of the
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transition. While these are elements of any post-operative transsexual individual's history (and thus included in
Trinidad), they are also the most sensational.
We feel presenting the women in Trinidad in their everyday lives uncover concerns and challenges everyone
faces: acceptance, sense of self and the need to be who you are. We hope Trinidad helps viewers witness the
significance of these women's struggles, and encourages thought about their experiences and respect for their
differences. We hope viewers will see an aspect of themselves in Marci, Sabrina and Laura.
Ultimately, we hope Trinidad helps viewers see beyond surface differences to the deeper elements of who we
are as individuals. As Sabrina so eloquently states, "When people look at me, I hope they think, ‘If she has the
guts to be who she is, then I should have the guts to be who I am.'" The experience of making Trinidad has
certainly taught us that.
PJ Raval, Jay Hodges / 2008
ABOUT THE SUBJECTS…
DR. MARCI BOWERS
Marci is the current leading gender reassignment surgery (GRS) surgeon. Leaving a successful sixteen-year
OB/GYN practice in Seattle, Marci moved to Trinidad to "apprentice" under Dr. Biber, founder of Trinidad's
GRS practice, which Marci now runs. Marci's medical advancements in GRS and her own transgender (male-tofemale) history attract a large number of patients who "want to go to the best GRS surgeon, who has also gone
through the experience." Though she performs up to six genital reassignment surgeries a week, she still has a
yearlong waiting list.
SABRINA MARCUS
Sabrina founded the transgender-focused Southern Comfort Conference in Atlanta and is an active member in
the International Foundation for Gender Education and the National Center for Transgender Equality. Sabrina
worked for nineteen years as a Space Shuttle engineer, until 2003 when she was dismissed after announcing she
had begun transitioning from male to female. Sabrina completed her GRS with Dr. Bowers in 2004. In 2005 she
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moved to Trinidad to open Morning Glow with Dr. Laura Ellis. Sabrina is an active member in Trinidad’s Holy
Trinity Church: “Without my faith I'd never have had the strength to transition to a woman.”
DR. LAURA ELLIS
After meeting Marci and Sabrina at a Southern Comfort Conference, Laura left a successful practice in Florida
to become a family practitioner at Mt. San Rafael in Trinidad. The co-owner of Morning Glow, she left Florida
as Brian and arrived in Colorado as Laura. Since she and her daughter, Erin, have lived in Trinidad, Laura has
undergone GRS with Dr. Bowers and has inherited many of Dr. Biber's patients.
DR. STANLEY BIBER
Concert pianist, rabbi, professional weightlifter, trained hypnotist, Korean War MASH doctor, cattle rancher,
surgeon specializing in genital reassignment surgery, Dr. Stanley Biber performed Trinidad's first "sex change"
operation in 1969, a few years after moving there. He went on to help found the Harry Benjamin International
Gender Dysphoria Association, which gave legitimacy to the concept of gender dysphoria. It also established
criteria an individual must meet before proceeding with a "sex change." With over 5,800 GRSs under his belt, a
Southpark episode devoted to him, and a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records, at the age of eighty Dr.
Biber passed his practice to Dr. Bowers. Dr. Biber was well respected in Trinidad and the global transgender
community. He passed away on January 16, 2006.
MORNING GLOW
Founded by Sabrina and Laura, Morning Glow Recovery is a trans-owned and -operated recovery facility for
Dr. Bowers' GRS patients, where "guests can become the person they want to be with people who have been
through similar experiences." Located in a renovated Victorian home in the historic district of Trinidad,
Morning Glow welcomed its first guests in the spring of 2006.
TRINIDAD, COLORADO
Situated on the Santa Fe Trail where the Great Plains fade into the Rocky Mountains, Trinidad, in southeastern
Colorado, is home to a thriving GRS practice, burgeoning arts community, and a growing natural gas industry.
Land once populated by Native Americans and scouted by explorer Kit Carson gave way to coal miners and
ranchers, and then the Italian-American mafia during Prohibition. Now, palatial Victorian homes with indoor
swimming pools, a microbrewery, and a Main Street lined with boutiques, antique stores and coffee shops belie
the town's former rugged image.
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ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS…
PJ Raval – (Director / Producer)
PJ Raval is more recently known as an award-winning filmmaker than he is an ex-scientist, ex-vegetarian, born on tax day.
Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s ‘25 new faces of independent film 2006′, PJ discovered film and video after working with
photography and media installation art.
PJ’s latest film TRINIDAD (co-directed by Jay Hodges) is a feature documentary that uncovers Trinidad, Colorado’s transformation
from Wild West outpost to “sex change capital of the world” and follows three influential transgender women who may steer the rural
ranching town toward becoming the “transsexual mecca”. Called “a must see” by Ellen Huang (GLAAD), TRINIDAD recently won
the Cleveland International Film Festival Documentary Jury Award and currently can been seen on SHOWTIME as well as LOGO
network this spring.
PJ’s previous films have won awards such as Best Narrative Short at the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Int’l Film Festival, Best
Screenplay at the Cinematexas Int’l Film Festival, the Betty Nowlin Award for Excellence in Filmmaking, and the Director’s Award
at the Santa Cruz Film Festival. PJ’s short film LEAD ROLE: FATHER was nominated for the Golden Reel award at the VC Los
Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and named the “programmer’s pick”. In 2004 PJ’s body of film work screened at the Artists’
Television Access (ATA) in San Francisco sponsored by the Alliance of Emerging Creative Artists (AECA), and then again in 2006
as part of the Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival’s Filmmaker Series.
Currently, PJ is developing a feature documentary about LGBTQ retirement communities as well as collaborating on a collection of
work with performer and “drag terrorist” Paul Soileau (a.k.a. CHRISTEENE) under the name “Three dollar Cinema”. Their work has
screened at SXSW and various underground, above ground, and art venues. PJ also recently completed a narrative feature script called
“boys without cars” with accomplished screenwriter Gregg Rounds and has been making a name for himself as a music video director
for various bands and musical performers (Wild Beasts, The Sword, Mistress Stephanie & Her Melodic Cat).
PJ is also an award-winning cinematographer. His work has been showcased at both Sundance and Cannes and earned him awards
such as the ASC Charles B. Lang Jr. Heritage Award as well as the Haskell Wexler Award for Best Cinematography. PJ has been
featured in AMERICA CINEMATOGRAPHER and shot the 2009 Academy Award nominated and 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Documentary Grand Jury Award Winner TROUBLE THE WATER produced/directed by FAHRENHEIT 9/11 producers Tia Lessin
and Carl Deal. Manohla Dargis with THE NEW YORK TIMES called the film “SUPERB… One of the best American documentaries
in recent memory.” PJ’s feature cinematography credits also include, the 2006 Independent Spirit Award nominated ROOM
(Sundance, Cannes), the Los Angeles Film Festival Narrative Feature Award winner GRETCHEN, and THE 2 BOBS directed by Tim
McCanlies (SECONDHAND LIONS, IRON GIANT) produced by Anne Walker (DAZED AND CONFUSED, A SCANNER
DARKLY). PJ is currently shooting FOURPLAY, four true tales about sexual intimacy, his second feature with acclaimed director
Kyle Henry, produced by Jason Wehling and executive produced by Michael Stipe and Jim McKay.
In his spare time PJ likes to take small naps and pretend he knows ballet.
Jay Hodges (Producer / Director)
Jay has held many positions in book and magazine publishing, and he is currently a senior editor at Greenleaf Book
Group. As developmental director and special programs director at Cinematexas International Short Film Festival, Jay
raised funds and produced the music and installation festival sidebars. He also helped raise funding for director Margaret
Brown’s documentary Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004) and was production manager on
director David Barker’s short Seven Days (2004). Jay is currently developing Forever Home, a feature-length
documentary about prosecutor-turned–animal advocate Nathan Winograd and his No Kill Millenium movement, which
focuses on ending the killing of homeless pets in America’s animal shelters.
Matt Dentler (Executive Producer)
Matt Dentler is the head of marketing and programming operations at Cinetic Media's new digital rights management unit.
He is the former Producer of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference & Festival in Austin, TX. He oversaw the
daily operations of programming and coordination for the annual film festival and panels. Dentler has participated on
panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Cannes Market, the American Film Market, the IFP Market, the
Florida Film Festival, and more. He has served on juries at festivals including: the Britdoc Festival, the Hawaii
International Film Festival, Cine Las Americas, Cinematexas, and more. Dentler also sits on the Board of Directors for the
Austin Film Society.
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DIRECTED BY
PJ Raval and Jay Hodges
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Matt Dentler
PRODUCED BY
Jay Hodges and PJ Raval
CO-PRODUCER
Sara Giustini
CINEMATOGRAPHER
PJ Raval
EDITOR
Kyle Henry
FEATURING MUSIC BY
Julia Kent
The Cinematic Orchestra
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY
Frank Alexander
Abi Tapia
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Heather Courtney
Michel O. Scott
Jay Hodges
ADDITIONAL EDITING
Elizabeth Skadden
Michel O. Scott
ASSISTANT EDITORS
Michelle Green
Julie Espinosa
SOUND EDITOR
Susan Fitz-Simon
RE-RECORDING MIXER
Tom Hammond
AUDIO POST
Sound Crafter
ONLINE EDITOR
Eddie Reina and Nick Smith
VIDEO POST
Manic and 1080
MEMORIES PHOTO SEQUENCE
Courtesy PJ Raval
ANATOMY SKETCHES
Courtesy Ami Colina
PHOTOGRAPHS FROM LAURA’S GRS
Jan Stürmann, Albino Crow Photography
PHOTO RESTORATION
Kevin Bewersdorf
TRANSCRIPTION
Leslie Belt, Amy Bench,Tracy Frazier, Ziv Yoles
LEGAL COUNSEL
Deena Kalai
ACCOUNTING
Rita Brantner
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MUSIC
“Dorval”
Written and performed by Julia Kent
“For Today I Am a Boy”
Performed by Antony & the Johnsons
Courtesy of Rebis Productions, LLC
“Never a Boy’s Boy”
Written by Frank Alexander
Produced by Andy Sharp
Performed by Frank Alexander, Henna Chou,
and Erik Grostic
“Somewhere to Go”
Written and performed by Abi Tapia
Published by Wanderlusty Music/ASCAP
“Humbleness in Young Surgeons"
Written by Frank Alexander
Produced by Andy Sharp
Performed by Frank Alexander, Danny Malone,
Andy Sharp, and Matt Smith
“Ladies of Sport”
Written by Cari Campbell and Melissa Maristuen
Performed by the Paperboats
“Organ”
Written by Cari Campbell and Melissa Maristuen
Performed by the Paperboats
“Arlanda”
Written and performed by Julia Kent
“Slowly”
Written and performed by Bill Baird
“Morning Glow”
Written by Stephen Laurence Schwartz
EMI BMPC Corp., Jobete Music Co., Inc.
“Elmas”
Written and performed by Julia Kent
“Imperfectly Meant To Be”
Written and performed by Abi Tapia
Courtesy of Wanderlusty Music.
“Wonderful Wonderful Trip”
Written by Frank Alexander
Produced by Andy Sharp
Performed by Frank Alexander and Andy Sharp
“Providence”
Written and performed by Corto Maltese
“Surgery Amble”
Written and performed by Kevin Bewersdorf
“Breathe”
Performed by The Cinematic Orchestra
Courtesy of Domino Recording Co LTD
“Venizelos”
Written and performed by Julia Kent
“Barajas”
Written and performed by Julia Kent
“To Build A Home”
Performed by the Cinematic Orchestra
Courtesy of Domino Recording Co LTD
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REVIEWS AND PUBLICITY…
“Top Docs: ‘Trinidad,’ ‘No Name,’ ‘Pressure Cooker,’ ‘Loot’ and ‘Boogie Man’”
Michael Lerman, LAFF ’08 Notebook
June 28, 2008
“‘Everyone feels the need to express themselves and they hope that when they do the world accepts them.’
Truer words were never spoken by director PJ Raval whose first feature, "Trinidad" (co-directed by Jay
Hodges), premiered in competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival in the past week. In Raval's case, he was
speaking about the subjects of his film, a group of transgender women who undergo sex-change operations in a
small Colorado town. But, he might as well have been talking about himself, Hodges and their competitionmates, a strong group of documentary filmmakers with very distinct stories to tell about the world around them.
The diverse pool of talent drummed up by programmers Rachel Rosen and Doug Jones has offered plenty of
hope for the future of independent documentaries and, ironically enough, the ones that float to the surface favor
aptitude with classic filmmaking models over innovation.
The first, of course, is the aforementioned Raval and Hodges film, profiling the lives of three women who have
decided to situate themselves in the gender-reassignment capital of the world, Trinidad, CO, in the hopes of
pursuing some of the best care, both physically and emotionally, for their operations and voyage into their new
lives. Dynamic and heartfelt in their portraits, Raval and Hodges clearly took great care in choosing their
subjects and utilize a sweet, yet haunting inquisitive tone that doesn't let itself get bogged down by the issues
and manages to let the characters paint the bigger picture of homophobia in the world around them...”
“L.A. Film Festival ’08: The Doc Days of Summer”
Stephen Saito, IFC Film News
July 2, 2008
“… In fact, HBO was such a presence at the festival that when one audience member wanted to compliment
"Trinidad," the elegant history of the sex change capital of the world in Colorado, the woman said, "It felt like a
narrative film. It felt like an HBO film." And that might actually be selling it short. The directorial debut of Jay
Hodges and PJ Raval, the latter of whom served as cinematographer on the recent Sundance winner "Trouble
the Water," is a film that creeps up on you, not unlike the realization that the women who have formed an
unlikely community in the heart of frontier country were actually at one time men. As the film recounts, the
town became a haven for transgenders when Dr. Stanley Biber pioneered the sex change operation and, since
his passing in 2006, one of his patients, Dr. Marci Bowers, took charge of the local hospital where the
operations now actually pay for the rest of the hospital's services. Hodges and Raval arrive in town just in time
to shoot the construction of Morning Glow, a recovery house that not only provides a dramatic arc for the story,
but slyly demonstrates how post-ops are just like anyone else, in moments as simple as arguing over the proper
trim for the doors of the house.”
“Outfest Films to Watch”
Carolyn Coal, Advocate Insider
July 10, 2008
“Who knew that Trinidad, Colorado, with a population of 6,500, was the sex change capital of world. Well, at
least I didn't. This documentary about the small town, follows several of it's transgendered residents including
Dr. Marci Bowers—who is herself now one of the world's top doctors for reassignment surgery. She treats her
work like an art form but has trouble relating to some of the other characters on a personal level as a group of
them try to build an out patient facility in a local home they are remodeling so that patients have a place to
recoup around people who have been through the surgery. Director PJ Raval does an amiable job of capturing
the subtle moments of people who's whole life is lived in various states of performance and nuance.”
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“L.A.’s Outfest represents”
Tim Parks, Gay & Lesbian Times
July 3, 2008
“At first glance Trinidad, Colo., population 9,000, seems like any other rural town. But, as the documentary
Trinidad reveals, this sleepy settlement has become known as “the sex-change capital of the world.” The leap
from a Wild West colony and once mafia-ruled coal mining township to a place where upwards of 6,500
transsexuals have sought out the services of Dr. Stanley Biber since 1969 is explored through the story of three
transgender women.
Dr. Marci Bowers is the first transgender surgeon to perform Gender Reassignment Surgeries and took over
Biber’s practice; Sabrina Marcus, one of Bowers’ patients is the founder of the Southern Comfort Transgender
Conference; and Dr. Laura Ellis is a family practitioner who is fully transitioning into life as a female.
The three set out to renovate a Victorian house to transform it into a post-op recovery bed-and-breakfast, and
the documentary details each woman’s history and day-to-day lives, without sensationalizing the aspects of
their transformations.
This element of the documentary was paramount for one of Trinidad’s directors, P.J. Raval, who wanted to
paint a more humane portrait of the everyday lives these women lead.
‘It was very important to humanize these individuals,’ he said. ‘Because I think the transgender community is
just completely underrepresented in all medias. And the stories we do get are very sensationalized, and they
very much focus on the physical surgery aspects – we live in a culture that is very obsessed with transformation
and body modification. So, naturally all of the interest when transgender comes up is going to be on the
physical appearance aspects.’
The town’s claim to fame was brought to Raval’s attention at a dinner party, when a female guest told stories
about ‘how it was rumored there were transsexuals and cowboys roaming the streets,’ he said.
‘I just couldn’t imagine that I was so unaware of this town’s existence, and what was happening there,’ Raval
said. ‘So, sure enough we Internet searched it a couple of days later and found out about Dr. Biber’s history;
and the practice that had been going on since the ’60s, which also blew our minds.’
In 2004, Biber (who has since passed away) was handing over his practice to Bowers. Raval placed a call to
Bowers, whom he termed as “really warm and inviting” on the phone and took his first trip to Trinidad. The
journey became the first production trip for the documentary.
The town itself proved to be an integral part of the storytelling process, Raval said.
‘Part of what’s happening there, you have to give the town credit, because the stereotype of small town America
would be that, any small town would be running transsexuals out of town – they would not be accepted,’ Raval
said. ‘It was really a little bit of a mystery of what was going on in this town: Were people just being polite, or
if they were really accepting of this. We went around and got different perspectives from local business owners,
we interviewed kids to get their take on gender. We definitely got some interesting responses.’
Raval hopes audiences will respond to Trinidad and adopt the town’s approach of valuing individuals, not what
they see at face value.”
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“A fascinating visit to the ‘sex change capital of the world’
Chris Garcia, Austin American Statesman
August 28, 2008
“Gracefully does the small town of Trinidad, Colo., wear its title as the ‘sex change capital of the world.’ It's a
fact of life, taken with a shrug here, the random wrinkled nose there. Mostly, the population of 9,000 coolly
accepts the designation with even, perhaps, a ray of pride.
File the phenomenon under: ‘When very progressive things happen to small rural towns.’
It began when a Dr. Stanley Biber conducted the area's first genital reassignment surgery in 1969 and took off
from there. In 2003, after performing almost 6,000 sex-change operations, Biber, then 80, handed over his
practice to Dr. Marci Bowers. Marci used to be Mark, and she became the first transgender surgeon to perform
these operations.
Two of her patients are Laura and Sabrina, and the three of them and their captivating life dramas are the focus
of Austin filmmakers PJ Raval and Jay Hodges' documentary ‘Trinidad,’ which screens Thursday at the Alamo
Ritz during the Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival. The festival runs Wednesday through Sept.
7.
Avoiding ‘before and after’ sensationalism — part of a sex-change operation is tastefully depicted — Raval and
Hodges trace the women's personal stories with curiosity and sensitivity, using quaint, rural Trinidad as a
mountain-girdled backdrop. As in any documentary worth its video stock, universality about the human
condition is the subtext of "Trinidad."
‘It makes (viewers) think about their own lives, if they're living on their own terms and really expressing who
they are,’ Raval says. ‘If anything, it will give them the courage to be who they are.’
The film's directors met five years ago as co-workers at Cinematexas. While Hodges is new to filmmaking,
Raval has cultivated a long résumé that's made him something of an Austin film star. He's best known as the
cinematographer on the features ‘Room’ and ‘The Cassidy Kids’ and the recent Sundance Film Festival
documentary winner ‘Trouble the Water.’ He also shot ‘Trinidad.’
Much of the crew on ‘Trinidad’ boasts strong local connections, including editor Kyle Henry (the director of
‘Room’) and executive producer Matt Dentler (former South by Southwest Film producer). Hodges and Raval
express breathless gratitude to the Austin Film Society, City of Austin, AGLIFF and fellow filmmakers for
aiding the production.
‘It's about a town in Colorado, but it's really an Austin film,’ Raval says.
Earlier this summer, ‘Trinidad’ enjoyed a well-received world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival,
followed by screenings at Outfest. (Raval says they're negotiating for a distribution deal.) Playing it for Austin
is something else, though. It's a homecoming.”
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“Welcome to the Neighborhood”
Shawn Badgley, The Austin Chronicle
August 29, 2008
“The town of Trinidad, Colo., population 9,000 and ‘sex change capital of the world,’ is so much the stuff of
fiction that PJ Raval and Jay Hodges initially had trouble believing the place actually existed. But after a 2004
meeting with Marci – formerly Mark – Bowers, successor to trailblazing genital-reassignment surgeon Stanley
Biber and now the field's acknowledged leader, the filmmakers were convinced, and the reality held their
fascination for the next four years. It will hold yours for an hour and a half. The Chronicle spoke with codirector Raval, one of Austin's most prolific filmmakers (known mostly for his cinematography), at Bouldin
Creek Coffeehouse recently, leading up to Trinidad's aGLIFF screenings. The documentary premiered at the
Los Angeles Film Festival in June.
Austin Chronicle: You hit the jackpot with your sources and subjects. Almost to a one, they're intelligent and
well-spoken and savvy. How did you draw so much out of them?
PJ Raval: First of all, Marci, Sabrina, and Laura are just incredible women. A lot of it had to do with them
trying to gauge the filmmakers, Jay and myself, making sure that we were trying to tell a story that they found
truthful and honest and not sensationalized and not trying to make it an exposé piece. And we were very much
interested in them as people. The town and their gender identity is part of who they are; it's not necessarily the
only thing about them. I think they became very intrigued when we were interested in exploring their whole
lives. ... Part of the reason of making the documentary was a genuine interest. I knew very little about the
transgender community. I knew very little about the history of it. And just being around them, naturally, there
were questions, and I guess the questions I was asking tended to be more invested in who they were as people.
... I think both Jay and I consider them very good friends. ... In that process [of filming], there's a trust that
builds up. One of things that was a really big advantage is that I'm also a cinematographer, so I shot the film. It's
very different when you're hanging out with a friend of yours who's filming you versus a huge film crew. I think
that made them a lot more at ease.
AC: Can you talk about how your background as a cinematographer fit in with your first effort as a featurelength director? Part of why the film is so effective is because it looks so sharp.
PJR: I think when we first started making the film, I just kind of shot it more intuitively, just in terms of
covering whatever was happening. You're not there to try to control it; you're not there to manipulate it. You're
there to capture it. Even in a narrative film, the actors create their own world momentarily in front of you.
Documentary is very much that. ... It's your job, as someone making the film, as someone behind the camera, to
go along with that and present it as an honest experience. It's also a portrait. It's a portrait of these women. It's a
portrait of this town. I wouldn't say I tried to make it look good; I tried to make it as natural and real as it was
for me. I would like to think that whatever intuitive choices I made in terms of framing and camera movement
reflect that. There are a couple of spots in there that are a little more stylized, like there are some townspeople
sequences and some Trinidad schoolkids in there.
AC: There are some moments of discomfort early on in the film, when you come out immediately interviewing
locals. One guy calls the practice "disgusting"; another points at you and says something like, "They're not my
neighbors; they're yours." Did you ever feel uncomfortable or even threatened?
PJR: No. Well, you try not to just walk up to some person on the street with a camera and say, "Tell me what
you think about transsexuals in your town." And since I was very much interested in the town, a lot of times I
would just start out by asking them about the town. And it's such a unique thing that happens in their town, you
can't escape talking about it if you're talking about the town and the history of the town. ... In terms of certain
townspeople having negative views or them not being supportive of the practice, I think it's understandable. It's
13
so controversial for people, especially in a small town that is considered conservative and very religious. But
the question is, do they just not agree with it, or are they willing to run their neighbors out of town? For these
people, since it has been going on since 1968, it's kind of a nonissue for them. You ask them, and they say, "Oh,
yeah, there it is." Some of them are like: "I don't know if I understand it, I don't know if I agree with it, but it is
what it is. It's live and let live." Ultimately, it's very much a universal story. It's about acceptance.”
WEBSITES:
Official:
http://trinidadthemovie.com/
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/TRINIDAD/9953888935
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/bestkeptsecretthemovie
You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/trinidadthemovie
Vimeo:
http://www.vimeo.com/trinidadthemovie
The Cinema Guild:
http://cinemaguild.com/catalog/index.html?http%3A//cinemaguild.com/catalog/gay_lesbian.ht
m
Broadcast
Showtime Cable Networks – Spring 2009
LOGO Networks – Spring 2010
Festival Screenings
Cleveland International Film Festival – Winner Best Documentary Feature
Los Angeles Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
Starz Denver International Film Festival
Outfest Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Newfest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Inside/Out Toronto International Gay and lesbian Film Festival
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