In 1990, filmmaker Lisa Leeman intimately chronicled devout Christian Gary P’s gender transition into Gabi in the groundbreaking documentary Metamorphosis (Sundance Filmmakers’ Trophy). Twenty-five years later, Leeman revisits her subject and must confront thorny questions about the filmmaker/subject relationship and the responsibilities filmmakers have to the people whose lives they film.
Status
Production
About the Filmmakers
Lisa believes that strong narrative documentaries can change the world, one story at a time. Over the last twenty-five years, her work has illuminated contemporary social issues through intimate character-driven stories that follow people at critical turning points. Roger Ebert named Leeman’s One Lucky Elephant as one of the best documentaries of 2011. She co-wrote, codirected, and co-produced the award-winning feature documentary Awake, which ran for 48 weeks in US theaters and screened in 17 countries. Her work has screened at IDFA, Sundance, PBS, HBO, ARTE, Channel 4, and in festivals around the world. Awards include Sundance's Filmmakers Trophy for her directorial debut, Metamorphosis: Man into Woman (POV, PBS, 1990), and an Emmy nomination for her short Fender Philosophers. Lisa is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and a Professor of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California. She has served as a judge at the Sundance Film Festival and as president of the International Documentary Association. She has taught master classes on documentary filmmaking in Azerbaijan, China, Jordan, Malawi, Portugal, the Republic of Georgia and the West Bank, for the U.S. State Department’s American Film Showcase.