Presenting director Ilrhan Kim’s moving documentary portrait of two trans women in South Korea.
Dir. Ilrhan Kim, South Korea, 2024, 130 minutes. Korean with English subtitles.
In Edhi Alice 에디 앨리스, director and queer activist Ilrhan Kim interrogates how documentaries about trans communities are made: the creative decisions, relationships, and ethical questions involved. The subject of the documentary is Edhi, who works as a counsellor for LGBTQ+ teens in Seoul, and has decided to undertake gender reassignment surgery. Edhi’s story intertwines with that of Alice, the lighting technician on the film crew and an older trans woman, who is preoccupied with challenging popular stereotypes about female and male bodies. This powerful and thought-provoking documentary refuses to compromise in its depiction of post-surgery recuperation, but offers an authentic portrayal of the trans experience and allyship in South Korea. Edhi Alice is a generous, delicate film and – courtesy of Alice’s lighting – a visually stunning one.
A special price Queer East double-bill ticket of £15/£8 is available which includes access to Heartbeats and Hiccups.
Part of Queer East On the Road 2025, a nationwide touring season taking place from October to December in 15 cities across the UK. Queer East is a cross-disciplinary festival that showcases boundary-pushing LGBTQ+ cinema, live arts, and moving image work from East and Southeast Asia and its diaspora communities.