Film on Irish transgender person wins rights award

ICCL Human Rights Film School Awards jury members Kirsten Sheridan, left, Rebecca Miller and Jim Sheridan yesterday at the Light House Cinema in Dublin. Photograph: Mark Stedman/Photocall

A FILM telling the true story of an Irish transgender person was presented with a human rights film award in Dublin last night.

American actor and film-maker Rebecca Miller was among the well-known film world figures at the gala for the Irish Council for Civil Liberties’ (ICCL) Human Rights Film School competition.

Winning short film My Identity was directed by Vittoria Colonna. The documentary tells of the battle and discrimination faced by transgender person Lee and the impact which his identity had on his daughter Siobhán.

“I challenge anyone to watch the winning film and retain a shred of prejudice against transgendered people,” said jury member and film-maker Kirsten Sheridan.

She was joined on the jury by people from the film and human rights world including Rebecca Miller, director Jim Sheridan actors Jeremy Irons and Sinead Cusack and Senator David Norris.

My Identity was among six finalist films screened at the Light House Cinema last night. They ranged in topics from migration and war, to poverty and identity.

The short films were in animation and documentary formats. The competition helped to bring human rights to a wider audience, said ICCL director Mark Kelly.

Migration was the theme of two of the short animated films. Aimed at children, Team Spirit explored the issues faced by a boy from Darfur who is a refugee in Ireland. Pirogues examined the impact of borders on the lives of two couples.

The documentary Children of Manila told the story of three street children in the Philippine capital and revealed the hope that education can provide.

Irish-based documentary, 8 Things to Remember, explored the work of plane spotters at Shannon airport. Since 2003 they have been documenting landings by US military aircraft on their way to Iraq and Afghanistan.

A Life Inside the Frame is a stop-motion animated short exploring the struggle of an outsider to break free from societal constraints.