Join us for a discussion on the depiction of transgender characters throughout the history of film and TV with the creative team and subjects of the unprecedented, groundbreaking documentary, Disclosure. Panelists include executive producer and Emmy winner Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black), and Candis Cayne (Elementary, Nip/Tuck), moderated by director-producer Sam Feder. Disclosure is currently streaming on Netflix.
LIVE Q&A ZOOM LINK
RSVP-ed members will receive the Q&A Zoom link by email one hour prior to the start of the program, and will be able to ask questions through Zoom's chat function.
PANELISTS
Laverne Cox
With various ‘firsts’ in her already impressive career, Laverne Cox is a four-time Emmy-nominated actress, Emmy winning producer and a prominent equal rights advocate and public speaker. Laverne's groundbreaking role of Sophia Burset in the critically acclaimed Netflix original series "Orange is The New Black" brought her to the attention of diverse audiences all over the world. This role lead to Laverne becoming the first openly transgender actress to be nominated for a Primetime acting Emmy and made her the first Trans woman of color to have a leading role on a mainstream scripted television series.
Laverne is continuing to expand her presence on the big and small screens with diverse and groundbreaking roles. She is currently in production on Shonda Rhimes’ 10-episode limited series 'Inventing Anna' for Netflix. She recently appeared in the romantic comedy “Can You Keep A Secret” with Alexandra Daddario. Laverne’s upcoming films include Justin Simien’s independent film “Bad Hair,” Focus Features and FilmNation Entertainment’s thriller “Promising Young Woman” and the action comedy JOLT alongside Kate Beckinsale, Bobby Cannavale and Stanley Tucci.
Laverne’s Emmy winning documentary “Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word” lead her to Executive Produce two more powerful documentaries “Free CeCe” and “Disclosure.” "Free CeCe" tells the story of CeCe McDonald, a transgender woman who was controversially sentenced to 41 months in a men's prison for second degree manslaughter after defending herself against a racist and transphobic attack. "Disclosure,” currently streaming on Netflix is an unprecedented, groundbreaking look at the depiction of transgender characters throughout the history of film and TV.
An artist and an advocate with an empowering message of moving beyond gender expectations to live more authentically, Laverne is the first openly transgender person to appear on the covers of TIME Magazine, British Vogue, Cosmopolitan magazine and Essence magazines among others. She was named one of Glamour magazine’s 2014 Women of the Year. Laverne also proudly holds two SAG Awards, winning them with her Orange Is the New Black cast mates for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.” Other accolades include a Critic’s Choice nomination for “Best Supporting Actress,” and consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.” Laverne currently has several projects in development.
Candis Cayne
Candis Cayne, a Hawaii native, began her career in New York making a name for herself as a choreographer and drag performer at Boy Bar in The East Village, where high- production values met tight choreography in a winning formula. One of the hardest-working performers, Candis staged complex production numbers at Wigstock, the annual drag festival in Manhattan's East Village; White Party; and various other large-scale festivals often involving intricate choreography, dozens of background dancers, and weeks of rehearsals. Cayne appeared in the related documentary film Wigstock: The Movie, the dramedy film Stonewall, and the Universal Studios comedy feature To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, for which she also did choreography.
Cayne has starred as the title character in the independent film Mob Queen and can be seen in films such as Crazy Bitches and Meth Head. She also played “Annaka Manners” in the RuPaul film Starrbooty as well as co-starred in the music video for RuPaul's "A Little Bit of Love" with female impersonator Jazzmun. Cayne has also appeared as a judge and “Dean of Dance” on RuPaul's Drag U.
In 2007, Cayne was cast in the groundbreaking role of “Carmelita Rainer,” on the hit ABC primetime drama Dirty Sexy Money. She portrayed a trans woman who was in love with the New York Attorney General Patrick Darling (played by William Baldwin). She became the FIRST transgender actress to play a recurring starring role on a network television series and by doing so, broke down barriers creating a new path for her community to follow.
Cayne has also recurred on shows such as Nip/Tuck playing the trans character “Alexis Stone” and she is currently recurring on the CBS show Elementary as “Ms. Hudson.” She has also guest-starred in Drop Dead Diva and Necessary Roughness.
In 2015, Cayne participated and recurred in Caitlyn Jenner’s unprecedented E! docu-series, I Am Cait.
Cayne has always been a vocal activist for the LGBT community working closely with various charities and organizations including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). In August of 2015, Cayne teamed up with the global LGBT social network MOOVZ as their new Global Creative Director.!
Candis currently resides in Los Angeles, acting and entertaining, as well as continuing her supportive work for the LGBT community.
Sam Feder - Moderator
Cited by Indiewire as an “exciting trans filmmakers shaking up Hollywood,” Sam’s work explores the power dynamics and politics of media-driven identity connecting urgent issues in the trans community to the struggles of the past. The Advocate named Sam’s feature, Kate Bornstein is a Queer & Pleasant Danger, one of the best LGBT documentaries of 2014. Feder's work has been supported by the Ford Foundation, Fork Films, the Jerome Foundation, the MacDowell Colony, and Yaddo.
SYNOPSIS
Disclosure is an unprecedented, eye-opening look at transgender depictions in film and television, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender. Leading trans thinkers and creatives, including Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton, and Chaz Bono, share their reactions and resistance to some of Hollywood’s most beloved moments. Grappling with films like A Florida Enchantment (1914), Dog Day Afternoon, The Crying Game, and Boys Don’t Cry, and with shows like The Jeffersons, The L-Word, and Pose, they trace a history that is at once dehumanizing, yet also evolving, complex, and sometimes humorous. What emerges is a fascinating story of dynamic interplay between trans representation on screen, society’s beliefs, and the reality of trans lives. Reframing familiar scenes and iconic characters in a new light, director Sam Feder invites viewers to confront unexamined assumptions, and shows how what once captured the American imagination now elicit new feelings. Disclosure provokes a startling revolution in how we see and understand trans people.
