by Laura Horak
University of California Press
4/14/2026, paperback
SKU: 9780520425101
An exciting introduction to cinema by the trans creators who are innovating filmmaking to imagine a more inclusive world.
Since the 1990s, a largely underground upwelling of trans creativity has helped new trans identities, communities, and political movements come together. In Trans Cinema, Laura Horak provides an entryway to the wildly diverse and creative cinema made by trans creators, including those who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color. Overlooked until now, this rich collection of media ranges in genre from romantic comedies to horror films and asks essential questions about how to be human and how to craft a livable life in a world on fire.
Using the fundamentals of film studies, Horak reveals the innovative approaches taken by trans and gender-nonconforming artists to explore how we relate to other people, what it's like to have a body, and how we survive in an oppressive society. These filmmakers tackle the challenging paradox of representing trans lives when greater visibility is associated with ever-increasing levels of harm. In the process, they produce art that emphasizes trans survival and resilience and imagines a more expansive world for trans communities.
Reviews:
"Trans Cinema is a revelatory act of reclamation. Laura Horak doesn't just illuminate a vital body of overlooked films--she shows how trans filmmakers have been reshaping the possibilities of cinema all along. Grounded in historical context and formal insight, this book is as expansive as it is incisive, offering new ways to think about image-making, identity, and artistic authorship. A bold and eloquent contribution to film studies and trans cultural history alike." -- Isabel Sandoval, filmmaker, Lingua Franca
"This unprecedented, eye-opening study of films by trans people reveals a rich and relatively unknown history of media-making. It's a welcome addition to the burgeoning scholarly field of transgender cinema studies." -- Susan Stryker, codirector, Screaming Queens: The Riot at Compton's Cafeteria
"The history of trans cinema is rich, and Horak does a beautiful job of bringing it to life. Film critics can no longer declare trans cinema to be new, and professors can no longer get away with assigning the same two or three trans films. Nearly any reader will find something to learn in this thorough book by an exceptionally knowledgeable author." -- Jed Samer, author, Lesbian Potentiality and Feminist Media in the 1970s
About the Author:
Laura Horak is Professor of Film Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and founder of the award-winning Transgender Media Portal. She is author of Girls Will Be Boys: Cross-Dressed Women, Lesbians, and American Cinema.